Defining the Competitive Frame Reference; Establishing the Points-of Parity & Points-of--Difference;; Brand- Audit; Brand-Inventory; & Brand- Exploratory. As mentioned earlier, in defining the Competitive Frame Reference for a Brand Positioning, it is first of all essential to determine the category Membership. Category Membership incorporates the Products or Sets of Products with which a Brand Competes and which function as close substitutes. It is worthy of note here that Competitive Analysis considers a whole host of factors such as the Resurces, Capabilities, and Possible Intentions of various Other Firms, in choosing those Markets where Consumers can be Profitably serviced. Points-of - Parity and Points-of- Difference are established by the Marketers after the Customer Target Market and Nature of Competttion have been defined following the fixing of the Competitive Frame of Refeerence for Positioning. Points -of-Parity(POPs) are associations that are not necessarily unique to the Brand but may in fact be shared with other Brands. These types of Associations come in two basic forms : Category and Competitive. Category Points -of- Parity are such associations which are viewed by the consumers as essential offering within a certain Product or service category. POPs represent necessary conditions for Brand Choice. Competitve Points- of -Parity are associations dsigned to negate Competitors' Points- of -Difference. In other Words,the Brand should be in a strong competitive position. For Example, The antiseptic lotion market in India has been traditionally dominated by Dettol. Dettol constitutes all attributes which the Consumers Perceive to be Good and Strong. So Dettol Commands a Competitive Position, Whereas Savlon Survives through its Communication Strategy. Points- Of -Difference (PODs), on the other hand, are attributes or benefits which the consumers strongly associate with a Brand, Positively evaluate and believe that they Could not find to the same extent with a competitive Brand. To create strong, favourable, and unique associations as points-of difference is essential in terms of Competitive Brand Positioning. These can be based on Virtually any type of attribute or benefit. For Example, Fed Ex( Guaranteed Overnight Delivery), Nike(Performance), and Lexus(Quality). Brand Audit is a Consumer -focused exercise that involves a series of procedures to assess the health of the Brand, Uncover its Sources of Brand Equity, and suggest ways to Improve and leverage its Equity. Marketers generally conduct Brand Audits to better understand their Brands. The Brand Audit can be used to set Strategic Direction for the Brand. Brand Audit enables the Marketers to Know whether the current sources of Brand Equity are satisfactory or not? It also enables them to know if certain Brand Associations need to be Strengthened . It raises a Question before the Marketers: Wheteher the Brand Lacks uniqueness. Because of Brand Audits , and as a result of this strategic analysis, the Marketer can develop a Marketing Programme to maximize long term Brand Equity. Brand Audits should be conducted by the Marketers Whenever they Consider important shifts in Strategic Direction. Brand Audits make the Marketers aware of Brands' Resulting Performance. Brand Inventory has a definite purpose. Its Purpose is to provide a current ,comprehensive profile of how all the products and services sold by a company are marketed and branded. All associated Brand Elements as well as supporting Marketing Programme are required to be identified for preparing the profile of each product or service. This information should be accurate, comprehensive, and timely. It should be summarized in both visual and verbal forms. As Part of the Brand Inventory it is also essential to profile competitive brands,in terms of their marketing and branding efforts. The Brand Inventory helps to suggest what Consumers' current perceptions may be based on. Brand Exploratory is Research Activity which is conducted to understand what Consumers think and feel about the Brand and its corresponding Product Category to identify Sources of Brand Equity. Some Preliminary activities are useful for the Brand Exploratory. For Example, a number of Prior Research Activities may be carried out. The Personnel of the company may be interviewed to gain an underst anding of their beliefs about consumer perceptions. Additional Research can be carried out to know how customers shop for and use products and services, and what they think of Various Brands. The Brand Exploratory often employs Qualitative Research Techniques, for example, Word Associations, Projective Techniques, Visualization, Brand Personification, and laddering.. Duracell, for example, learneed that people had trouble removing a tab from its hearing aid batteries. The result was the introduction of a New Product, Easy Tab. Another example is Whirlpool: Whirlpool learned that peoplee did not want to wait for their Dishwashers to fill up before running the machine, so its Kitchen Aid Unit introduced a smaller version called Briva. We find that many firms are now using ethnographic research to supplement the Traditional Focus Groups. They study consumers in their everyday habitats at home, at work, at play, or while shopping. Thus, Brand Exploratory deals with various Research Activities to strengthen a bridge between Consumers and Marketers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------**********************************************--------------------------------------------------****************************************************************** ----------------------------------------/////////////-------------------------------------------