Think of a time when you first met a friend, a colleague, or a clerk at a store.  The way he or she walked, talked or looked all impact your initial judgment upon them.

A company is no different. The second you walk into store, you immediately determine your opinion about it.  The appearance of the store and the friendliness of the employees all contribute to your judgment. For instance, in the article below, explains the positioning about Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s positioning is heavily based on low prices. When consumers think of Wal-Mart, they will most likely associate it with low prices compared to other retailers. During Black Friday, which is known as one of the busiest times of the year to shop.  However, Wal-Mart’s sales decreased because they did not live up to their low prices.  Wal-Mart did not deliver.

This article emphasizes on the importance of living up to “positions” that have been engraved in the mind of consumers.  Once a first impression has been made, there is little to no room to change this impression.  The image a company wants to portray to its consumers is an image that will always be associated with the company.

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Branding/72/Wal-Marts-brand-positioning.html