Market positioning has been around for decades and still plays a vital part in successful marketing. In its most basic definition, this strategy refers to the specific place that a product or service occupies within its target market. The aim is to create an image of something unique that sets it apart from the competition. This tactic consists of analyzing
competitive advantages offered by each product relative to what customers are looking for on any given occasion, while attempting to match their preferences as closely as possible.
The art of market positioning truly began in 1948 when American economist Theodore Levitt first wrote about differentiating one company's products or services from those of another. That same year saw Proctor & Gamble launch their revolutionary Ivory soap which was marketed specifically to address customer needs rather than stand out through research made based on competition assessment, something that would influence marketing strategies still used today.
Over the following decades, market positioning underwent a few more evolutions until Malcom McDonald and Ian Dunbar came up with seven core approaches integrating industrial demand characteristics into distinctive delivery options in order to accommodate different segmented markets. Since then, we have seen countless further refinements thanks largely due to advances in technology design such as GPS-based information and direct broadcast satellite services so companies can tailor their advertizing methods even further in order reach key audiences with greater accuracy than ever before.
Looking ahead towards the future of this concept, we might assume how Machine Learning (ML) algorithms will be used too analyze the available data retail trends and better identify particular groups users exhibiting similar behavious thus allowing tailored offers directed at these profiles with unprecedented precision and efficiency levels not yet known. All signs point towards complicated but highly accurate predictive analyses capable changing how audience targeting is done once again -- an exciting milestone for everyone involved!