Making a statement: 15 famous brand positioning examples

Famous brand positioning examples aren’t just inspirational. They also help to demonstrate just how important it is to capture a place in the mind of your target audience. With excellent brand positioning, companies can gain and preserve their competitive advantage, connect with customers emotionally, and showcase their core values. 

Brand positioning influences every aspect of a company’s growth strategy. It determines how you market your products to customers, differentiate yourself from your main competitors, and structure your “go-to-market” strategy. 

While controlling how consumers perceive your brand is difficult, positioning is how you cultivate and send the right message to your target audience. Today, we will explore some of the best brand positioning examples and how they work to elevate a company. 

Learning from brand positioning examples

Before we dive into our list of brand positioning strategies, it’s worth outlining what you can take away from these insights. Brand positioning is about more than just choosing the right pricing strategy for your products or choosing an eye-catching logo. 

To become a successful brand in today’s competitive landscape, you need to use brand positioning to convey your brand promise to your target audience. 

The right strategy will show your customers how your solutions outperform similar products and why your company is best suited to address the specific needs of your target audience. 

The examples below demonstrate how companies can use brand positioning statements to not only enhance brand awareness but highlight their uniqueness and value to their customers. 

Whether you’re developing a luxury brand, competing in the landscape of customer experience, or defining yourself as an innovator, a good positioning statement pushes your company in the right direction.

15 famous brand positioning examples

There are endless fantastic examples of positioning out there if you know where to look. Every industry has its market leaders, and the companies’ customers automatically associate with value in that sector. For the search landscape, there’s Google, for smartphones, there’s Apple. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most effective and famous brand positioning examples and why they’re so impactful. 

1. Tesla

Tesla positions itself as a true innovator in the automotive landscape. Not only does the company leverage some of the world’s most advanced technology to create eco-friendly, automated cars, but it’s constantly looking for ways to better serve its audience. 

Tesla’s brand positioning statement revolves around creating “sustainable systems” with a positive environmental impact. To accomplish its goals, Tesla invests in massive amounts of research and development. 

It positions itself as a market leader with regular statements, announcements, and events highlighting the tools and technologies it creates. 

Tesla is a “trendsetter,” willing to go beyond the basics of car development and explore new avenues. The company even launched a car into space to demonstrate its pioneering spirit. 

More than just a company committed to making electric cars, Tesla shows its customers it values both them and the planet they live in with solutions for truly sustainable energy. 

2. Apple

Probably one of the most powerful examples of a positioning strategy out there, Apple has always focused on delivering a combination of innovation and convenience to its audience. 

Not only do Apple products constantly introduce new features and capabilities based on the needs of the company’s target market, but they focus on accessibility too. 

Apple built its brand positioning statement around bringing the best user experience to customers through innovative services, software, and hardware. Notably, the company doesn’t just focus on creating amazing products but delivering fantastic customer service too. 

Apple has its own dedicated team of professionals, or “Geniuses,” ready to assist customers with any issues they might face with their technology. The company separates itself from its competition with a clean, modern aesthetic and never attempts to compete on price. 

3. Nike

One of the most compelling lifestyle brands on the market today, Nike was born to address the issues athletes faced in the search for high-quality footwear. Over the years, the company has expanded its definition of who an “athlete” can be, increasing its target market. 

Nike positions itself as a champion of others, ready to provide the solutions consumers need to achieve their goals. The motivational brand focuses on empowering its customers, with taglines like “Just do It” and marketing campaigns that revolve around using the customer as the hero.

In fact, Nike has some of the best examples of positioning in marketing to offer with its people-focused advertisements. It also highlights itself as a leader in its field by constantly innovating with new products and partnering with well-known celebrities and athletes. 

The company even uses market segmentation to ensure it focuses on the core needs of its target audience.

4. Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club is one of the few brand positioning examples on this list that started its path to fame and fortune by competing on price. 

It offered customers a more affordable way to improve their self-care routine and focused heavily on convenience by delivering products to customers on a subscription basis, separating itself from competitors.

The company positioned itself as a “lifestyle” brand, committed to giving consumers the solutions they needed to enjoy day-to-day life without the added expense. 

Since competing at low prices alone is rarely an option for most brands, the Dollar Shave Club also focused on building a strong personality. The brand is unapologetically playful, and transparent. 

It uses humor and authenticity in its marketing campaigns to resonate with customers on an emotional level and earns trust as a result. Today, the company is one of the biggest subscription service providers in the world. 

5. HubSpot

Perhaps the top brand positioning example in the SaaS market, HubSpot started life as a simple email marketing tool. However, the organization was committed to being an educator and leader for its target audience. It built its market share with innovative, research-driven insights. 

The company coined the term “inbound marketing” and introduced businesses to a new way of connecting with potential customers. As the company evolved, it introduced new solutions for marketing, sales, and service across social media, mobile, and other platforms. 

As HubSpot’s product portfolio has grown organically, it has maintained its strong brand positioning strategy, allowing companies to access modular product offerings based on their needs. 

What’s more, the company has invested heavily in training and content to assist customers in making the most out of their solutions and discovering their main benefits. 

6. Facebook (Meta)

Since launching as Facebook in 2004, Meta has always focused on the brand positioning strategy and mission statement of building communities and connecting people. Initially, the company began with a focus on social media, connecting people through platforms developed on the internet. 

As the brand evolved into more of an innovator, it repositioned itself using a new name and branding strategy. The organization is now best known for helping customers explore new types of the community environment in the metaverse. 

Even as the company has extended and evolved, its focus on human connections has remained strong, helping the company to thrive over the years. 

Facebook has even extended its brand, taking over WhatsApp, Instagram, and even Oculus to help deliver its unique brand promise. Facebook’s commitment to developing communities shines through in every new product and solution it creates, as well as its marketing strategies.

7. Amazon

Another excellent example of effective brand positioning comes from Amazon. The company started life as an online bookseller but quickly evolved with a vision of becoming the ultimate source of crucial products and resources to consumers all over the world. 

The company wants to become the most customer-centric company on earth. 

As such, it focuses on delivering exceptional value and convenience to its target audience. The company has pioneered the use of same-day and next-day delivery options, created intelligent tools for online shopping, and effectively transformed the way we shop online. 

Through the accessibility of its platform, its easy-to-use tools, and its focus on supporting small businesses as they grow online, Amazon has changed the internet forever.

The focus on delivering cost-effective products and a wide range of solutions to address the needs of customers has turned Amazon into one of the most successful companies in the world. 

8. Netflix

Today, Netflix is perhaps the most famous streaming platform in the world. It also offers one of the best brand positioning examples out there. The company focuses on delivering unique, customized entertainment experiences to its audience. 

To deliver a positive experience to every customer, the brand leverages intelligent technology and algorithms to suggest content to consumers. 

The value of Netflix revolves around its convenience. It doesn’t force customers to struggle to find the right movie or television show to watch. Instead, it allows users to simplify their streaming experience using intelligent algorithms. 

To further add to this strong position of convenience, Netflix ensures customers can access its solutions on virtually any channel. 

There are dozens of ways to consume Netflix content today. Netflix even commits to creating custom shows based specifically on what it knows its customers enjoy. This has helped it maintain its current position as one of the biggest streaming brands in the world. 

9. Google

Google positions itself as the number one tool for accessing the information on the internet. It’s often the first thing customers think of when they have a question they need to answer. The mission statement of the company revolves around organizing and delivering the world’s information. 

Google’s strategy has helped it to develop a market position not just as a convenient solution for online search but as an innovator of unique experiences. The company constantly commits to strategic acquisitions and research and development strategies. 

The company has helped to pioneer the use of virtual assistants in the digital world to better address the needs of customers. It also rapidly adapts its portfolio of products to suit different customers based on market research. 

Google has its own portfolio of products for business productivity, communication, and data management. 

10. Chipotle

More than just another competitor among a host of fast-food restaurants, Chipotle positions itself as a brand with integrity. While other companies like Taco Bell have focused on offering low prices and developing fun brand personalities, Chipotle has focused on “integrity.” 

It carves a space in customers’ minds as a Mexican food company with authenticity and a focus on sustainability. Chipotle takes an eco-conscious and ethical approach to production to strengthen its emotional connection with clients. 

It consistently uses fresh local produce and highlights its commitment to hand-prepared meals to boost its brand presence. 

Chipotle wanted its customers to see it as more than just another option for fast food. Its commitment to giving back to the planet, supporting local businesses, and partnering with sustainable brands helps it to stand out to its customer base. 

11. Coca-Cola

Few companies have the same impactful brand identity in the food and beverage world as Coca-Cola. When it first entered the market, Coca-Cola already had a unique position as one of the first organizations to offer a refreshing carbonated beverage with a unique flavor. 

As the company has evolved, it has showcased some excellent examples of positioning in marketing. Its advertisements and campaigns revolve around placing the company as the “original” in its field. 

However, Coca-Cola’s mission also concentrates on delivering joy to customers. As such, each marketing campaign is focused on the happy experiences customers can have. 

As one of the most well-known brands in the world, Coca-Cola has quickly captured the attention of a global audience. As the company has grown, it has continued to invest in a wide range of the most refreshing options for beverages available. 

Today, there are numerous flavors and styles of Coca-Cola soft drinks to choose from. 

12. Dove

One of the top examples of brand positioning in the health and beauty landscape, Dove has always been committed to supporting its customers. The brand took a customer-centric approach to its branding and marketing strategy, focusing on addressing the needs of its clients. 

Dove’s mission is to help all women and girls to develop a positive relationship with their bodies. Not only does the company commit to developing healthy products to suit a range of customers, but it invests heavily in marketing designed to empower consumers. 

The Dove marketing campaigns revolve around highlighting the beauty of every woman. Dove commits to making its customers feel special and demonstrates its compassion with sustainable practices when creating its products. 

13. Drift

Another pioneer in the technology industry, Drift created its own unique selling propositions for the software space by introducing the concept of “conversational marketing.”

While the organization focuses on assisting organizations with automation, it also highlights the importance of the human being in the technology roadmap. 

Drift consistently builds on its position as an innovator in its field with the creation of reports, webinars, and eBooks designed to inspire and educate its customers. There’s even a book available from the Drift team that helps to highlight the importance of prioritizing people. 

The company built its brand on the belief that human interactions are important, and the personality of the business focuses on cultivating and maintaining those relationships. 

14. Patagonia

Standing out in cluttered industries like the fashion landscape is hard. You need more than just beautiful products; that’s why Patagonia took a unique approach with its brand positioning statement. 

Rather than building its identity as a fashion company, Patagonia positions itself as an activist dedicated to making the world a better place. 

The outdoor apparel company connects with consumers through sustainable practices, partnerships, and initiatives committed to protecting the earth. The brand donates 1% of its sales to environmental causes. 

Plus, the company focuses on social responsibility, treating its workers with a strong sense of ethics and protecting their best interests. 

Today, the unique value proposition of Patagonia helps it to earn a position in its customer’s minds as the go-to solution for high-quality products that don’t have a negative impact on the environment. It speaks to its customers’ values with its marketing, production, and development strategies. 

15. Volkswagen

The Volkswagen automotive brand has connected with its target customers through a focus on safety and reliability. Its mission is to make individual mobility affordable and sustainable for everyone. 

While a lot of companies in the automotive space use their heritage to differentiate themselves, Volkswagen instead focuses on innovation and development. 

It commits to making customers comfortable when they make a purchase, with access to exceptional service, support, and guidance. Volkswagen advertisements focus on highlighting their products as an excellent solution for everyday people. 

As one of the best examples of product positioning on the market, Volkswagen constantly updates its strategy based on its target market. 

When customers started worrying about sustainability, Volkswagen changed its tactics to make its automobiles more environmentally friendly. However, it always focuses on being a company of the people. Even the name “Volkswagen” translates to “People’s car.” 

What examples of positioning can teach us

Brand positioning examples, like the ones outlined above, provides a fantastic insight into just how valuable positioning can be. When you choose the right position for your company, you define exactly what kind of identity you want to create in the minds of your customers. 

Looking at the examples of brand positioning above, there are various valuable lessons you can take away from your own brand. For instance:

Know your customers

Many of the best examples of brand positioning are effective because the companies in question understand the needs, pain points, and values of their target audience. Every product and solution you create should be built with a knowledge of what your target audience needs most from you. 

Go beyond pricing

Although some of the famous brand positioning examples above have focused on affordability, the best companies thrive because they look beyond pricing. They find ways to connect with customers through values like innovation and sustainability. 

Ask what you can do for your customers beyond making your products more affordable.

Highlight your values

Brand positioning statements highlight the core mission, vision, and values of the company in question. They need to demonstrate why your business is unique by focusing not just on the products you produce but how you deliver solutions to your audience. 

Focus on retaining a core set of values throughout your business.

Be consistent

While many brand positioning strategies evolve over time, the core ethos of the company often remains the same. For instance, Meta might have changed its name and branding, but its focus on helping to create powerful communities hasn’t altered. 

Try to be consistent with how you build and present your brand. 

Know your competition

Although there’s more to position your brand effectively than comparing yourself to your competitors, it’s important to know what’s already available on the market. 

Understanding your competition ensures you can build an effective brand positioning strategy based on your unique selling points.

Position your brand for success

As you can see in the brand positioning examples above, few things are more important to your company’s success than knowing how to capture a place in your customer’s mind. 

With the right brand positioning strategy, you showcase your values, mission, and vision in a way that helps you connect with customers emotionally. 

Through effective brand positioning, business leaders from any industry can ensure they separate themselves from their competitors and connect with their target audience. If you’re struggling to position your brand effectively, the best thing you can do is seek extra help. 

Brand experts and strategists can assist you in developing a brand positioning statement that resonates with not just your audience but your employees and stakeholders too.

Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.