Brand StrategyPositioning is, “The act of designing the company's offering and image so that they occupy a meaningful and distinct competitive position in the target customer's minds” (Kotler 1997). Positioning is not about the product but actually what the customer thinks about the product or organisation. Therefore it is about visability and recognition of what a product represents for a buyer.
Primark targets males, females and children within the mass market. The age of its target customers are from early teens to the middle aged (mostly women buying for the family). It positions itself in customers minds as the cheapest fashion clothing brand in the UK and does not partake in advertising strategies to emphasise this. However, the positioning strategy only works on differentiating Primark as the cheapest clothing retailer, and does not gain a meaningful position in customers minds as being fashion forward or of considerable quality – simply 'cheap'.
I would suggest that Primark adopts a positioning concept that emphasises how quickly it responds to new fashions and creates imitations off the catwalk (i.e. product features). Instead of positioning Primark primarily as 'cheap' it would serve them better to create an illusion of youth culture and being fresh and foremost with the newest fashions in a bid to remove associations with mass production and mass culture. Perhaps one way to initiate this would be to would be to establish an online store, giving Primark an online physical presence also. The teenage / young adult generation of today are highly influenced and dependent on the internet for research, social networking and downloading music. However, many of the online clothing stores target women aged 25-45 who may see ordering online as more convenient (i.e. Next, Debenhams, Littlewoods, Dorothy Perkins). If Primark were to open an online store it could position itself in the minds of teenagers as the most accessible online store, with the freshest fashions. The only competition currently is New Look which is still more expensive (around 50% more in the case of jeans, accessories and shoes).
Brand Proposition
Primark's products include lingerie, nightwear, hosiery, footwear, clothing, accessories and even home ware. Stores are large (2-3 floors) which are generally laid out with the floors split into two categories such as womenswear & accessories, menswear & underwear, footwear & childrens wear. The clothes are crammed onto stands and positioned very closely to one another. When the store is busy the close proximity of the cramped stands adds to Primark portraying a frenzied persona and is often off putting to customers who describe it as a 'jumble sale'.
I would suggest that Primark use better visual displays in store by having mannequins with outfit ideas on with the clothing hanging beside. The window displays at Primark look fantastic – but go into the store and it is virtually impossible to find the items to put together yourself. If Primark could put together inspirational displays it would suggest to the customer that Primark believes in its own clothing, and demonstrates how it can be put together to look fashionable. Furthermore, it shows that the brand has gone to the trouble of using visual merchandising expertise to offer customers a better store experience.
Brand Expression & Communication
As mentioned earlier, Primark has little in terms of expression and communication as it does not advertise. The only place the logo can be seen is on shopping bags and on the store logo suggesting it does not feel the need to insist on a reputation other than 'that cheap place'. To express the brand as being fresh and foremost with the newest fashions they could print 'coming soon...' images of new items on their shopping bags for the view of high street shoppers. Also, in keeping with the online store idea, Primark could send weekly emails to customers showing ' the latest looks' – alongside catwalk trends or celebrity outfits.
