Back in grade six, a fellow classmate of mine asked me what my favourite dream car was. I spontaneously replied “BMW.” My classmate then chuckled because “BMW” isn’t a specific type of car; it’s merely a name of a brand. A more relevant response would be a convertible, van, sports car, or jeep. I still get teased occasionally for my silly answer, but perhaps this may explain why I’m in Sauder studying the reasoning behind this.
Positioning is an extremely powerful technique that inconspicuously alters our perception to a certain way. Once successful, it’s potent and we don’t realize its dominance. What’s your favourite drink? What kind of camera do you use? The answers would probably be akin to Coke and Sony. We don’t realize we’re replying with brand names unless we’re confronted about it; it’s very interesting. Going back to my example, I only knew “BMW” because it was a simple three letter brand for a twelve-year-old to remember and the car itself looked very luxurious and nice. BMW positioned and marketed itself well with its brand and features making it easy for consumers to identify. So back when I was twelve, BMW was my perceived notion of a dream car instead of a convertible.