The science of data-driven positioning
We use data to apply the scientific method to brand positioning
Science is governed by immutable laws and strict boundaries, while marketing is viewed as more of an art form. At ZOOM Marketing, our practices are guided by our belief that the best way to get to truly powerful positioning, we need to rely on more than creativity. We believe data can help us test our hypotheses and identity positioning that resonates with your market.
At Caltech, our Co-CEO Nick Copping studied physics under Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman: great drummer, superb physicist, and master safecracker. Nick’s scientific background helped fuel our unique approach based on the scientific method.
Scientific method begins with a question, and Dick Feynman was the master at asking the most important questions. That question is researched thoroughly until a hypothesis is born. The hypothesis is tested through experimentation until there is enough data to draw conclusions and prove or disprove the hypothesis. The results are then communicated. This method is used to test and prove the invisible laws that guide nature. When we created the ZOOM Marketing data-driven positioning process, we were inspired by the challenge to bring the same scientific method to the art of positioning.
Developing a brand position begins with questions. We ask each client two very simple questions to get the first viewpoint:
What is your hill? What is the space you want to own?
What is your Point That Matters? How are you uniquely suited to deliver in that space?
The next step is to test these answers. We research the market and competition. Our research involves uncovering more viewpoints: current customers, partners, analysts, and then prospects. Here, we infuse creativity and outside-the-box thinking into the set of ideas, or hypotheses, to test.
Although you may not be looking for the Higgs boson, you are looking for that elusive idea that will propel your business out of the noise and into the success-o-sphere. We think adding a little science to your positioning is smart.
Adapting another Feynman-ism, “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory (positioning) is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment (the market), it’s wrong.”
“90% of our clients use our recommendations, and tell us it’s because they believe using data to test the hypothesis was essential for strategically aligning leadership while articulating true differentiation.”
Once this phase of research and testing is completed, the process involves intensive analysis of the data to determine an answer. Using the scientific method means scientists can have confidence in their answers; the same goes for the ZOOM Marketing data-driven process.
Data provides good answers, and good answers change the world.
In physics, the Higgs mechanism generated worldwide activity to find the Higgs boson, an elusive missing answer in the physics Standard Model. Similarly, the answers for our clients generate concerted activity across marketing, sales, and engineering teams to position their business for growth and success.