Reilly Newman | One of my favorite aspects of a brand — and one of the most important cornerstones of a healthy brand — is its positioning; how the brand is deliberately positioned in a market to address a certain buyer within that market.
This positioning should lean into the strengths of the business and where there is a specific need in the market that aligns. The magic here is that it works on two fronts; it not only makes the business more unique, but also provides more value to its true audience because it is more specific.
Positioning is something that is developed in the strategy phase because it is what the strategy should be based on and working towards. It is then implemented through major signaling devices like pricing, brand identity, marketing, and, of course, the business building or adjusting its business model to reflect the position. All of these elements work together beautifully, like an orchestra creating a symphony of positioning.
All of these elements I mentioned are crucial for portraying the positioning of your business to the market and framing your business in their mind. However, a commonly forgotten aspect of framing is one of the most powerful — language.
Just as visual elements such as logos are incredibly impactful because humans are inherently visual beings, language holds equal significance. The words we select for our brand are crucial in shaping the business and its offerings because language frames our context and perception.
Certain language brings to mind certain associations which molds the perception (brand).
Language is a key part of why different cultures exist around the world. The language we learn shapes our realities by the way language impacts the wiring of our brains. Different languages connects different dots based on culture and context which impacts the associations made and the perceptions derived.
A great scientific study showed how countries like Germany and Japan have higher savings rates for the average citizen because their languages are futureless. Their language has wired their minds to consider the present-self equal to the future-self and the studies show that this empowers them to do what is best for the future because it is their present. The opposite of this is how most people who speak English reward the present-self by purchasing something that we shouldn’t right now because it will harm us in the future. This is how people get in bad credit debt or even decline in their health. We tend to live like there is no tomorrow because there is a separation between present-self and future-self engrained in our language.
Many other examples reinforce the influence and power that simple language has over us in everyday life. For example, Disneyland has “cast members” not staff, Starbucks has a “tall”, “grande”, and “venti” instead of small, medium, or large sizes. Apple has “Apple Intelligence” not Artificial Intelligence and in the automobile industry Bentley has “Enquire to buy” your car, Tesla has “Order” your car, and Honda has “Build” your car.
This is precisely why the “language” (in this case the specific phrasing) a brand chooses is so important. The words a brand chooses to use to frame its experience can help elevate the offering and even help set expectations. It can also help make services feel more welcoming and approachable.
Language also has the ability to frame products and brands as their own specialty. This can create industry categories. Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” is one example of this as is their use of “iPod” instead of MP3 Player and even changing the keys on their keyboard. By refusing to abide by the language of the status quo, Apple designed its own categories.
Language has the most important role in positioning and when it comes to a brand strategy, positioning is paramount. Without positioning, a strategy becomes reduced to tactics based on simple business goals. A company that is serious about its brand will put positioning as the top priority. It realizes that the strategy will follow and every other business and marketing decision, effort, language, and plan will follow suite working together as an orchestra.
