Burberry Brand Repositioning Strategies: A Case Study Analysis

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INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1...................................................................................................................................... 3
TASK 2...................................................................................................................................... 4
TASK 3...................................................................................................................................... 8
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................... 10
1

INTRODUCTION
The report analyzed the relevance of positioning and repositioning in the market for making
the product famous among the customers. The result and implications of product
repositioning and positioning are determined for Burberry. A brand positioning map is
presented in the report which determines its result on the positioning of the brand. The
positioning map of Burberry is located along with brands like Gucci and Primark. At last, two
main methods are suggested to Burberry for repositioning its brand in order to gain a
competitive advantage in the market.
2

TASK 1
Product or brand positioning is a process used by a company for maintaining or revitalizing
their brand position in the market. Market research is made by the company in order to
determine the needs and demands of the customers. Product positioning is the process
which is used to analyze various methods for making the brand popular among the target
customers (Richards, 2019). When the brand status of a company is changed with reference
to its competitors in the marketplace, it is known as brand repositioning (Business
Dictionary, 2019). Following some of the relevance of brand positioning and repositioning
for a company like Burberry:
 Product positioning helps the company in creating an image of company product's in
the mind of customers which help in adding value to the profits and revenue of the
company.
 Product positioning helps a company in identifying a niche market for its product and
to fulfill the requirement of their target group or customers by determining their
needs and demands.
 It also helps in analyzing completion in the market by understanding the market
strategies of competitors of the company (Abinanti, 2014).
After successfully implementing product positioning in the market, Burberry needs to hold
the position by integrating the brand positioning into the minds of its target customers.
Every member of the company should be in touch with its customers. They should touch the
customers in a way that should be the best expression of the brand position.
Communication of brand positioning s necessary for Burberry after successfully
implementing product positioning in the market.
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TASK 2
Positioning map is also known as the perceptual map which is an analyzing tool that help a
company in determining its market position in the market and to make strategies for
improving the position of its products or brands in the market (Business Dictionary, 2019).
The positioning map of Burberry clears that this company offers the products which are the
most expensive and most fashionable. While Gucci is offering prestigious price products in
the mass market, Primark is selling affordable products which are low in quality.
4

Positioning map helps the company in determining its market strategies. Brand positioning
map help in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the brand of the company with
respect to important customers. It examines the closest competitors of the brand and their
relative strengths and weaknesses as well.
An effective marketer will always make market strategies by keeping in mind the right
positioning of their brand in the positioning map. This right positioning help in delivering
maximum advantage to the products of the company in the selected market place. There
are various strategies to use a positioning map which are shown below:
 Looking for market gaps
Looking for market gaps in the market will help in finding opportunities for offering a
mixture of benefits and features to the customers.
 Crowding a competitor
In this approach, the marketer makes strategies for taking over the market position
and launch several new brands.
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 Repositioning a brand
After successfully repositioning the brand of the company in the minds f the
customers, the next step is to map customer understanding before and after a major
promotional campaign.
 Repositioning a competitor
This is a complex approach as it involves the company which needs to reinvent two
new brands, one of the company itself and second one is of the competitor which
can be done with the help of a promotional campaign.
 Adopting a me-too positioning
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This market strategy is very common among the small brands which align their
product name with an established major player of the market. Thus market share is
picked up by a smaller brand with the help of major brands positioning in the
market.
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TASK 3
Burberry is the most famous brand of fashion in British which was founded in the year 1856
which known for its forward thinking since starting. Burberry opened its first store in the
year 1891 in London, the United Kingdom and currently the company has a network of more
than 200 own-brand stores worldwide along with a number of department store
concessions (Trotter, 2018). Following are two methods suggested for Burberry in order to
reposition its brand in the market:
 Positioning a product to specific segments
Positioning a product to specific segments means to sacrifice some other segments
of the market and to choose a target segment for the product of the company. This
strategy is made because a company cannot serve all the segments of the market
(Prewitt, 2017). Brand positioning can be done by Burberry by this method which will
help the company to locate its competitors. A core strategy can be developed by
Burberry after making proper research in the market about the strategies of the
competitors. Different market segments need different core strategies according to
the nature and practices of the competitors and customers.
 Communication process
The communication process is another method of repositioning the brand of the
company in the market. A communication process is consists of product, services,
the price of the company and the manner in which they are represented to the
target customers with the help of communication message. Communication process
of a company can be done in the form of advertising, sales promotion, personal
selling, and distribution or with the help of any intermediaries. The attributes and
features of the products are communicated to the customers which help the
company in repositioning its brand in the selected market.
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CONCLUSION
The report successfully analyzed the concept of brand positioning and repositioning with
reference to Burberry. The importance of positioning and repositioning of a brand in the
marketplace by Burberry is discussed in the report. A positioning map is used to represent
its effect on the positioning of the brand of Burberry. The brands like Gucci and Primark are
also identified in the positioning map along with Burberry. At the end of the report, two
methods of repositioning of the brand are suggested to Burberry which will help it in
growing up in the market.
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REFERENCES
Abinanti, L., 2014. What is positioning and why is it important? (Online) Available at:
https://www.messagesthatmatter.com/what-is-positioning-and-why-is-it-important/
(Accessed on 21st January 2019).
Business Dictionary, 2019. Perceptual mapping. (Online) Available at:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/perceptual-mapping.html (Accessed on 21st
January 2019).
Business Dictionary, 2019. Repositioning. (Online) Available at:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/repositioning.html (Accessed on 21st
January 2019).
Prewitt, T., 2017. 10 Ways Product Positioning Will Improve Your Marketing. (Online)
Available at: https://www.envision-creative.com/10-ways-product-positioning-can-improve-
your-marketing/ (Accessed on 21st January 2019).
Richards, L., 2019. The Importance of Product Positioning to the Marketing Plan. (Online)
Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-product-positioning-marketing-
plan-24275.html (Accessed on 21st January 2019).
Trotter, C., 2018. Inside the retail strategy of Burberry. (Online) Available at:
https://www.insider-trends.com/inside-retail-strategy-burberry/ (Accessed on 21st January
2019).
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