Jockey – Product Positioning Strategies

Jockey – Product Positioning Strategies

Expected Learning Outcomes

• The relationship between product positioning and consumer imagery, i.e. how positioning statements can influence consumer imagery
• How Jockey stayed firm with its product-focused positioning strategy over the decades without having any brand endorsers, unlike other players in the innerwear product category in India
• How firms , with their trade-offs, can achieve market success as illustrated by Jockey's product-focused strategy
• How Jockey, with its omni-channel marketing, is able to achieve a strategic fit between its manufacturing, marketing (through omni-channel marketing), distribution, packaging and most importantly how the same have been converted into a well-crafted positioning statement

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I. Innerwear Positioning Strategies, Positioning Platforms and Consumer Imagery

1. What had been the driving factor to purchase a specific brand of innerwear in your case? Is it the product attributes (color, style, cut, material, designs, patterns, etc.) or the image/positioning of the brand? Which of these two would condition your mind?

2. The base article points out that “innerwear is a low involvement category” – Do you agree with this? If yes, why? If no, how do you define the degree of involvement in purchasing an innerwear brand?

3. What is consumer imagery? How is it influenced by positioning? Can positioning statements/strategies influence the consumer imagery? If yes, can you give some examples?

4. ............................

II. Jockey’s Positioning Strategies

1. What had been the positioning strategy of Jockey of late? Had it broke the conventions or stuck to the male machismo mantra? Illustrate. Had Jockey leveraged its established positioning ‘Jockey or Nothing’ to the fullest?

2. In the base article, MC Cariappa, Senior General Manager, Page Industries, was quoted that, “We do not agree much with the trend of celebrity models because we are very clear that we do not want to be boxed by the borrowed equity of the endorser”. What are the implications of this statement on the entire positioning strategy?

3. What is the new campaign culled out to carry forward Jockey’s established positioning – ‘Jockey or Nothing’? Does this campaign reinforces the brand’s image or takes it to a new orbit?

4. ..................

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Exhibits

Exhibit I: Brands and Consumer Imagery

Exhibit II: Jockey’s Positioning Strategy

Jockey – Product Positioning Strategies

Synopsis

This Case Flyer enables an interesting debate on how product-focused positioning strategy would garner a sizeable competitive advantage. Page Industry’s (licensee and franchisee) Jockey brand continues to be a market leader in innerwear product category with its product-focused positioning strategies over the decades. Jockey’s product imagery is based on its unique positioning strategy leveraging its robust distributional network and integrated marketing communications. This strategy had sustained in the wake of its competitors resorting to stereotyping the innerwear segment as a seduction accessory or a celebrity endorsement. This case flyer derives some useful insights like Jockey’s valuable contribution in making the innerwear category to a more involved category with its variety product offerings. Does this positioning statement gel with the customers? Does this strategy help ensure sales conversions? Suitable for understanding the concept of how companies flourish in the reflected glory of unique product imagery/positioning, this case flyer questions the credibility of such strategies.

Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding and Before the Case Flyer Discussion in the Classroom

The participants were asked to read the topics given as mandatory readings at the end of the Case Flyer for them to participate effectively and to enrich the learning outcomes

Positioning and Setting

This Case Flyer can be used for ‘Consumer Behaviour’ course to illustrate the concept of ‘Consumer Imagery’ (in ‘Consumer Perception’ chapter) and how its uniqueness would sustain the brand equity in the long run.

Suggested Orchestration

During the Case Flyer Discussion in the Classroom

The discussion on the Case Flyer was conducted under three broad related topics [Exhibit (TN)-I]. The classroom analysis of the Case Flyer was carried out by discussing each of the questions of the case flyer. However, for each of the three sections, the discussion focussed on an ‘anchor point of discussion’............

Case Analysis

I. Innerwear Positioning Strategies, Positioning Platforms and Consumer Imagery

The session was started with a question posed to the participants/students, what is it that comes to their minds the moment they hear some of the brands mentioned in Exhibit I of the case flyer.

• There was mixed response on this question. Exhibit (TN)-II illustrates the discussion carried out in the classroom depicting various images they had in their minds regarding the brands. Each brand has an image in each customer’s mind and this ‘image’ largely depends on the positioning statement of the company. And this positioning statement therefore needs to be consistent. This ‘imagery’ also signifies at a very sublime level the brand values as can be seen in the following exercise:

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Later, the students were asked about what is consumer imagery. How is it influenced by positioning? Can positioning statements/strategies influence the consumer imagery? If yes can you give some examples?

• The discussion began by referring to some of the points mentioned in the chapter which was cited as mandatory reading

• Positioning in one sense is a desired state of mind and therefore the resultant image that a product has in the mind of the consumer signifies whether there’s any fitment between the desired positioning and delivered positioning. The marketer creates a distinctive product image in the mind of the consumer through effective positioning statement

• Students debated on the influence of positioning statements on the consumer imagery. They opined that positioning had a sizeable impact on consumer imagery. The outcome of the examples discussed to reinforce their stand is brought out in Exhibit (TN)-III

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Exhibits

Exhibit (TN)-I: Discussion Dashboard

Exhibit (TN)-II : Brands and Consumer Imagery

Exhibit (TN)-III : Positioning Influence on Consumer Imagery

Exhibit (TN)-IV : Positioning Themes of Various Innerwear Brands in India

Exhibit (TN)-V: Consumer Buying Involvement vs Extendable Product Features

Exhibit (TN)-VI: Just Jockeying - Campaign

Exhibit (TN)-VII: Jockey ‘s Positioning Strategy

Exhibit (TN) VIII: Jockey Introduces Shapewear

Exhibit (TN)-IX: Jockey’s Brand Appeal