By Kerry Juhl

Brand positioning is a critical component of a successful marketing strategy. It defines how a brand is perceived in the minds of its consumer target, differentiating it from key competitors. A well-crafted positioning statement serves as the foundation for all marketing efforts and ensures consistent messaging across all channels. 

The SIVO team has spent many years helping brand teams develop and evaluate brand positionings across a variety of industries. While every positioning project is somewhat unique, we have supported our clients with proven frameworks and research approaches, leading to the development of successful brand positionings.  

The Positioning Statement

A positioning statement is a concise description of how a brand wants to “show up” in the world, highlighting the primary (and ideally, unique) benefit it provides, along with the rationale for how it can deliver the benefit. The statement typically includes the following format and elements:

For (consumer target), Brand is the only product type that provides (key benefit), because Brand has (feature/reason to believe), (feature/reason to believe) and (feature/reason to believe).

For example, Volvo’s positioning statement looks something like this:

For safety-conscious families, Volvo premium automobiles offer the safest cars on the road because they have advanced safety features, industry-leading crash test ratings, and innovative safety technologies.

The Brand Benefit Ladder

At the heart of developing a strong brand positioning is a solid understanding of the Brand Benefit Ladder, a strategic tool used early in the positioning development process. It helps brand teams articulate the value proposition by identifying benefits at four levels:

1) What it is 

2) What it does  

3) How it makes you feel 

4) How it can transform your life 

This framework ensures a clear articulation of the brand’s offerings and the emotional and transformational benefits they provide.  Depending on the brand’s maturity and the competitive landscape, positioning can be based on functional benefits (what it is/what it does) or a more emotional/transformational benefits (how it makes me you feel/changes your life).

Positioning Types

There are a variety of positioning types that fit across the Brand Benefit Ladder:

Product Features:

Attribute-Based Positioning centers on specific features that distinguish the product.

Example:  For homeowners, Dyson vacuum cleaners are superior carpet cleaners because they offer superior suction, advanced filtration, and allergen removal.

Value-Based Positioning is linked specifically to the price value of the product.  

Example:  For price-sensitive shoppers, Walmart offers everyday low prices by leveraging its extensive supply chain and scale to provide unbeatable savings on a vast assortment of goods, ensuring customers can save money and live better.

Functional Benefits:

Benefit-based Positioning highlights the key functional benefits or solutions provided by the product.

Example:  For fitness enthusiasts struggling to exercise regularly, Peloton is the exercise bike that keeps you motivated to exercise because it delivers an immersive and interactive experience, world-class instructors, and a supportive fitness community. 

Problem-Solution Positioning focuses on the problems that the product solves for customers.

Example:  For individuals suffering from dandruff, Head & Shoulders provides effective and long-lasting relief from dandruff flakes and itchiness because it has a clinically proven formula that eliminates dandruff, nourishes, and protects the scalp. 

Emotional Benefits:

Lifestyle Positioning aligns the product with a particular emotion or feeling.

Example:  For athletes and active individuals, Nike enhances athletic performance and empowers athletes to reach their full potential through its innovative, cutting-edge sportswear products.  

Cultural Symbolism Positioning uses cultural symbols and references to position the brand within a cultural context.

Example:  For motorcycle enthusiasts seeking an authentic and exhilarating riding experience, Harley-Davidson is the iconic motorcycle brand that delivers powerful, custom-made bikes with a rich American heritage and embodying the spirit of freedom, rebellion and individuality. 

Purpose-Driven Benefits:

Innovation-led Positioning sets the brand up as a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Example:  For environmentally conscious consumers and tech enthusiasts, Tesla is the leading electric vehicle and clean energy company that offers a sustainable environmental solution via their innovative high-performance electric cars and cutting-edge technology. 

Purpose-led Positioning centers on what the brand is doing for the world rather than the product itself.

Example:  For socially conscious consumers, TOMS is the footwear brand that provides stylish and comfortable shoes while also making a positive impact on communities around the world though its One-for-One model, where each purchase directly contributes to improving lives in underdeveloped countries. 

Purpose-Driven Benefits:

Innovation-led Positioning sets the brand up as a leader in innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Example:  For environmentally conscious consumers and tech enthusiasts, Tesla is the leading electric vehicle and clean energy company that offers a sustainable environmental solution via their innovative high-performance electric cars and cutting-edge technology. 

Purpose-led Positioning centers on what the brand is doing for the world rather than the product itself.

Example:  For socially conscious consumers, TOMS is the footwear brand that provides stylish and comfortable shoes while also making a positive impact on communities around the world though its One-for-One model, where each purchase directly contributes to improving lives in underdeveloped countries. 

Regardless of the type of positioning and where it fits on the benefit ladder, all positioning statements need to be clear, credible, and differentiated from the competition.  It can then be used to inspire marketing executions across channels, to create consistent communications and connections to the consumer target.

Researching Your Brand Positioning

Developing effective brand positioning requires rigorous research, with the ideal approach being a combination of qualitative and quantitative research.  

1. Qualitative Exploration: This phase uses one-on-one in-depth interviews with current and potential consumers to explore brand perceptions and refine positioning language. It helps the client team explore and understand the nuanced emotional and rational drivers behind brand choice and allows the team to modify and improve the positioning statements in real-time, based on consumer input.

2. Quantitative Survey: Once the positioning statements are refined, quantitative research helps identify the most motivating positioning from a handful of alternatives. Surveys and real-world experiments (e.g., testing via digital ads) can be used to test different positioning statements among a larger sample, assessing the impact on brand perception and purchase interest.

By using a combination of qualitative exploration and quantitative validation, brand teams can ensure their positioning is not only compelling but also grounded in consumer reality. 

Your Source for Expert Consumer Insights

At SIVO, Inc., we are dedicated to helping our clients develop brand positionings that are clear, unique, credible, and most importantly, relevant to your consumer target.  We are trusted advisors in supporting your positioning development and will design custom learning plans that generate the insights needed to carve out a unique space in the market and connect with your consumers. This holistic approach will set the foundation for enduring brand success.

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call! 

By Natasha Weith and Leslie Turner

Successful market research begins with experts designing, collecting, processing, and analyzing data.  Impactful market research goes a step further. The true power lies in how we translate that data into compelling narratives that drive action and resonate with stakeholders. Storytelling in market research reporting is an art form, one that transforms raw numbers and consumer responses into meaningful insights that can shape business strategies and decisions. Here’s a closer look at what makes effective storytelling in market research and some key components to consider.

What is Storytelling in Market Research Reporting?

Storytelling in the context of market research reporting involves presenting data and insights in a way that is not only informative but also engaging and impactful. It’s about crafting a narrative that resonates with your audience, aligns with their business objectives, and drives actionable outcomes. Effective storytelling ensures that the findings are not just understood but are also memorable and persuasive, facilitating better decision-making. This requires experience and creativity.

Key Components of Effective Storytelling in Market Research

1. Client First: While Market Researchers must be completely dialed into the consumer to gather the learning and identify the insights, a good story puts the client and their business question at the center. It's tailored to land with their business needs and challenges. Understanding the client’s industry, their pain points, and their strategic goals allows you to frame the insights you’ve discovered about consumer perceptions, behaviors, needs, etc., in a context that is relevant and impactful. This client-centric approach ensures that the report is not just a collection of data about their consumers and market but is a valuable tool to guide the client’s business decisions.
   
2. Objective Focused: Every research project starts with specific learning objectives. A good story directly addresses these objectives. This means the report should clearly show how the findings relate to the initial goals of the research, providing answers to the questions posed at the outset. This focus ensures that the report remains relevant and valuable.
   
3. Actionable: Insights are only valuable if they lead to action. Strong, actionable recommendations are crucial. These recommendations should be directly linked to the research results and relevant to the business context. They should provide clear steps or strategies that the client can implement to address the issues or opportunities identified in the research.
   
4. Engaging: A compelling report needs a hook. This is where creativity comes into play.  It should appeal to the senses, be visually interesting, and tap into the emotions of the audience. This involves using compelling consumer stories and narratives to create a sense of empathy and relatability with the consumer learning.  Interesting visuals such as videos, photos, charts and infographics also make the data more accessible and memorable.
   
5. Easily Understood: Clarity is key. The report should be written in a way that is conversational and articulate. Avoid jargon and complex language that might confuse the audience. Instead, aim for simplicity and clarity, making sure that the key points are easily understood by all stakeholders, regardless of their familiarity with the subject matter.
   
6. Succinct: Less is often more. Every part of the report should have a reason for being there. Be concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details that might detract from the main message. A succinct story is easier to digest and more likely to hold the audience’s attention.  A useful tip is to use the appendix to document other facts that are interesting but do not relate to the research objectives.  
   
7. Credible: Trust is fundamental. Ensure that the data and insights are credible and backed by robust research methods. Transparency about the research process and the limitations of the findings adds to credibility and helps build trust with the stakeholders.
   
8. Clear Structure and Flow:  In addition, a good story has a clear structure with narrative flow. This requires experience and creativity because a well-told story is not just heard; it is felt, remembered, and acted upon. It should have:
   • a brief introduction and background to set the stage
   • an executive summary to highlight the key findings and recommendations
   • detailed findings to share relevant data and proof points
   • suggested next steps
     
     This logical flow helps in guiding the audience through the report, making it easier to follow and understand, and ultimately inspire action.

Beyond the Report

While the report is typically a critical deliverable in a market research project, the storytelling doesn’t end with the report. It extends to the presentation, follow-up working sessions, and/or stakeholder meetings. This means thinking about how the insights will be communicated beyond the written report. Engaging presentations, interactive discussions, and follow-up conversations with key stakeholders can enhance the impact of the findings and ensure that the insights are effectively implemented.

Expect a Well-Told Story from SIVO

At  SIVO, Inc., we believe that storytelling in market research reporting is about more than just presenting data; it's about creating a narrative and presenting it in a way that is compelling, memorable and inspires stakeholders to act in service of consumers and the business. This all starts with the SIVO team listening to your needs and designing and reporting in a way that delivers real business value.  

Contact us via our website form or email us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com today to schedule a discovery call!   

As 2026 planning season approaches, most leaders are focused on big decisions: where to invest, how to grow, and which bets to place. But the strongest strategies don’t begin with goals, they begin with your consumers. 

In fact, the annual planning season is the perfect time to pressure-test assumptions. Before you finalize budgets or commit to growth strategies, it pays to refresh your understanding of today’s consumer landscape. What’s changed? What’s emerging? And what gaps in understanding could derail your decisions? 

This post outlines how to approach annual planning through the lens of consumer truth, so you can build smarter, more aligned strategies. Let’s dive in!  

Why Annual Planning Should Start with the Consumer, Not Budget Goals

For many organizations, planning still begins with internal goal-setting: revenue and profit targets, innovation and growth priorities, and cost cutting. And high-performing teams know that successful strategy isn’t just about setting ambition, it’s about aligning that ambition to current market conditions.  

Consumer behavior is one of the most dynamic variables in that equation, and often, one of the most overlooked. Market assumptions that were true a year ago may no longer apply. Purchasing patterns, motivations, and category expectations can shift quickly, especially in volatile economic environments like the current one. And if your plan doesn’t reflect those changes, it’s much more likely to underperform. 

This consumer-centric understanding is foundational. It informs product decisions, pricing, messaging, innovation, and channel strategy. Without it, even well-intentioned plans can quickly drift out of sync with real consumer needs. Starting with the consumer also accelerates alignment. It gives cross-functional teams, from marketing to finance to sales, a shared understanding of where the business is heading and why. It moves planning conversations from opinion to evidence and from speculation to strategy.

If the case still isn’t clear, consider this: even well-resourced plans fail when they aren’t aligned with current consumer behavior. It’s often not about effort or execution, it’s about starting with the right inputs. Let’s look at a few examples:

How Outdated Insights Can Derail Strategic Decisions

Outdated consumer insights can lead to misdirected efforts, misaligned messaging, missed opportunities, and unnecessary risk. To illustrate what this looks like in practice, here are two common scenarios where strategy easily goes off track because the consumer context was never fully validated.  

Scenario 1: Revenue Growth: Investing in the Wrong Innovation 

A company sets aggressive growth targets and decides to compete more directly with newer players in the category. They allocate budget toward developing a new product with features they believe will differentiate them. The plan gets approved. Timelines are set. Everyone is getting ready to mobilize fast and execute. 

But the innovation was based on an internal assumption about what consumers wanted – not on recent consumer insight. In reality, consumers weren’t looking for more features. They were looking for simplicity, availability and value. The company spends $$$ getting the launch ready, but the product doesn’t gain any traction. The opportunity for a product refresh was real, but the execution missed the mark because actual buyers weren’t consulted.  

Scenario 2: Cost Efficiency: Accidentally Cutting the Value Driver 

Another company, facing margin pressure, looks for quick wins through cost reductions. They make the decision to cut a service element they believe is underutilized, based on operational data and internal team feedback. 

What they didn’t realize is that this element was one of the few remaining differentiators in the eyes of their customers. It wasn’t used loudly, but it created trust and loyalty. Cutting it might save money in the short term, but it might erode value perception and reduce retention in the long term.  

Scenario 3: Missed Market Signals: Falling Behind in a Shifting Landscape 

A brand team, focused on stabilizing performance, decides to stick with the same marketing and channel strategy that had worked well in the past. But in the background, both consumer behavior and category norms had shifted. 

Competitors began simplifying their digital experience, consolidating touchpoints, and creating seamless mobile journeys. Meanwhile, this brand was still investing in a fragmented app strategy and outdated content flows. The team didn’t realize that expectations had changed. Consumers weren’t looking for more brand interaction, they were looking for convenience and control in one place. By the time results started to dip, the gap was already visible. A competitive audit or trend review could have flagged these shifts much earlier, giving the brand time to adapt before losing relevance. 

These are not unusual cases. They reflect a planning process that moved forward before validating the reality on the ground. Other common issues include planning around outdated needs or occasions, targeting segments that have shifted or declined, or simply prioritizing the things that don’t matter to consumers anyways. None of these decisions are inherently flawed, but when they’re based on outdated or assumed insight, the risk of “planning in the wrong direction” increases.

What Consumer Insights to Refresh, Replace, or Revalidate Before You Strategize

The good news is you don’t always need to start from scratch. In many cases, the best approach is to audit what you already have, identify gaps, and decide what needs to be refreshed or revalidated.

Here are some key areas worth pressure-testing, before you commit to planning: 

1. Who your core consumer is today: Recheck your segmentation. Are the groups you’re targeting still behaving the way you expected? Have new needs emerged that shift how they make decisions or what they prioritize?

2. What needs are driving behavior now: Validate what’s motivating purchase (or non-purchase) in your category. Are you solving the right problems with benefits that still differentiate? Are consumers making new trade-offs? Have recent competitive moves or industry trends shifted expectations?

3. Where the category is shifting: Look beyond your own brand. What competitor moves, adjacent innovations, or retail dynamics are influencing what consumers see as normal, or even expected?

Pro Tip: Run a Get Smart session 

Many teams start with a Get Smart session. It’s a fast-turn immersion that pulls together everything you already know, from existing data to partner knowledge to internal POVs, and highlights what’s still missing. These sessions help surface blind spots, align teams, and set the foundation for what to explore further through new research or analysis, which will lay the foundation for a solid and strategic plan.  

Insight work at this stage doesn’t need to be complex. It just needs to be focused, current, and relevant to the decisions you’re about to make.  

From Insights to Action: How Updated Consumer Truth Drives Smarter Planning 

The strongest strategic plans are built on a clear understanding of the consumer. When that understanding is current, relevant, and grounded in reality, teams make better decisions, faster, with less risk, and greater impact. At SIVO, we help businesses enter planning season with confidence:

Custom Research, Built for Planning Timelines 

Whether you need to revalidate consumer segments, understand emerging behaviors, or map new usage occasions, our team designs studies that answer the right questions at the right time. We work fast, focus on what matters to your business, and turn insight into clear recommendations for strategic use you can easily relate to in your annual plans. 

Rapid Discovery & Immersion Sessions 

Need to align insights and teams quickly? Our Get Smart sessions help you make sense of what you already know and highlight the gaps that matter most. These sessions help build internal alignment early and avoid late pivots, and are perfect as a foundation for your annual plans.  

Flexible On-Demand Talent (ODT) for Extra Capacity 

Already have an internal insights team, but planning season is stretching your resources? SIVO’s On Demand Talent gives you access to senior insights professionals who can plug into your team quickly. Whether you need a trends lead, moderator, or strategic storyteller, we match you with the right expert, without hiring delays and long-term commitments. The perfect flexbile insights approach to supercharge your insights team for the planning season!  

Consumer truth is the foundation of smarter annual planning. Whether you're building that foundation or scaling your team to deliver it, we're here to help.  

Contact Us

As your company is developing and promoting their products and services, it is critical to understand your consumers’ attitudes and behavior to grow the business. 

Understanding your consumers require specialized professionals who have the proven market researchtools and best practices. They use a combination of art and scientific methods to gather data regarding consumers’ attitudes, needs, desires and behaviors.  So, how do they gather this relevant and meaningful information about the individuals they are seeking to reach and understand more deeply? The answer is Market Research.

Why Does Market Research Matter?

Connecting with your consumers and understanding their opinions, needs byutilizing a market research-driven approach can make all the difference in identifying opportunities to build a successful business. 

According to Forbes, “Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is just a fancy term for making intelligent decisions based on what your data is telling you. Modern market research combines DDDM with advanced technology to uncover even more granular data, which can be used to personalize market messaging and find potential areas for growth. Traditionally, market research encompasses four major disciplines: primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative.”

Types of Market Research and Their Benefits

Primary research gathers first-hand data from consumers. It gives brand teams direct feedback on their services or products from those who are familiar with it or use it. The results are considered conclusive when the data is collected from a representative sample of consumers. Secondary research is when your sources of feedback come from other researchers or second-hand information. This type of market research provides consumer insights by studying trade journal articles, social media conversations, government agency data and published market studies and applying the information to inform business decisions and guide strategies. Together, primary and secondary research can provide more comprehensive and meaningful consumer insights.

Primary research is comprised of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research, which is often exploratory in nature.  It captures the in-depth nuances of what consumers say, do, and think by collecting non-numerical data. This could be done through ethnographies, in-depth interviews, focus groups, shopper intercepts, and mobile missions to gather insights that help solve a problem or help you understand your consumers better. Qualitative methodologies focus on obtaining smaller sample sizes so more time can be spent with each consumer. It focuses on the “why” behind consumer opinions, beliefs and behaviors.

Quantitative research is centered on identifying, benchmarking, prioritizing, validating, and translating data into insights that reveal opportunities. Typically, data is collected via online surveys. Quantitative methodologies focus on obtaining larger sample sizes that allow for a higher degree of statistical reliability. This type of research deals with applying statistical analytics to numerical datasets for many business objectives, such as building consumer segmentations, assessing product appeal, understanding the attitude toward and usage of products and services, and mapping consumers’ path-to-purchase journeys.

Both of these research approaches can provide excellent results. It is important to choose the approach that best addresses the business objectives, while taking timing, cost and level of business risk into account.  

How Modern Research Methods Drive Better Data

While primary research provides useful feedback on consumer attitudes and behaviors that can be utilized for developing marketing strategies, there are additional research methods that businesses can leverage to offer teams a holistic view of the consumer.   

• Brand Sentiment Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Customer Segmentation

Brand Sentiment Analysis

Knowing how your brand is perceived by consumers and potential consumers can help you understand the impact of your marketing efforts. .  A few factors to look at are consumer awareness, loyalty, advocacy, and value, . Social media monitoring tools are great assets when it comes to measuring consumer sentiment. Studying social media conversations and metrics allow team to identify insights and translate them into actionable strategies. This is a great way to gather unfiltered consumer feedback on your brand. 

Understanding your brand sentiment also means knowing how your brand is perceived versus key competitors. It requires selecting the right web conversations to track consumer sentiment for your brand and the competitive brands, to understand strengths, weaknesses, potential threats and opportunities to better compete.    

Competitive Intelligence

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 

“Competitive analysis helps you learn from businesses competing for your potential customers. This is key to defining a competitive edge that creates sustainable revenue. Your competitive analysis should identify your competition by product line or service and market segment.”

Competitive intelligence can support your brand in creating or optimizing marketing campaigns and strategies such as advertising, pricing, and product development and placement. Consider gathering competitive intelligence to get clear on your level of competition and proactively develop relevant actions to compete effectively.  

Customer Segmentation

Consumer segmentation is an excellent way to classify customers into specific groups based on their shared characteristics. From here, you can refine your messaging, sales tactics, voice, and tone to connect with these segments of people who are most likely to respond positively to your strategies. This effective approach involves categorizing consumers into different segments, based on their demographics, geographics, behaviors, and psychographics. 

The benefit of this market research analytic technique is that consumer segmentation helps businesses devise comprehensive strategies that can help brands attract new customers, retain existing ones, and create brand loyalty across the consumer base.

How Your Business Can Stay Competitive

With technology rapidly increasing and new products and services entering the market daily, it can feel like an uphill battle to stay ahead of the competition. This is why utilizing SIVO’s consumer insight and market intelligence solutions are some of the best decisions you can make for your business. At SIVO, we help you better understand your customers, differentiate from the competition, and develop consistent, consumer-centric products and services by providing your team with actionable insights. 

We do this by analyzing market research data that reveals consumer attitudes and behaviors.. This information is turned into actionable insights that result in satisfied consumers, thus higher salesand incremental growth. SIVO will: 

• Discover gaps and opportunities so you can constantly evolve, innovate, and improve the consumer experience.
• Deliver actionable insights into consumer attitudes, needs, desires, and behaviors.
• Provide a combination of thought leadership with full service, custom market research and learning and recommendations.

SIVO has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to understand their most essential needs. We then design and execute best-in-class custom market research aligned with your business objectives.

Trust SIVO to Help You Better Understand Your Consumer’s Behavior

SIVO will help you drive your business forward with consumer insights,  organizational intelligence, market and competitive intelligence, or on demand talent solutions.  
Contact SIVO today to schedule your discovery call.