5/19/2015 1 Welcome to VAPE U! What’s a USP? Competitive Positioning and Branding
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5/19/2015
1
Welcome to VAPE U!
What’s a USP?Competitive Positioning and Branding
5/19/2015
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Maria Verven� VapeMentors’ partner and
chief marketing mentor
� Entrepreneur and founder of Vaping VampsTM
� 30-year career in P.R., former V.P. with Fleishman-Hillard
� Lecturer at the University of Minnesota
� Passionate about helping vapreneurs define their brand
David Collins
� Owner, California Vaping
Company
� Successful entrepreneur who
has launched and sold several
million-dollar businesses
� Owner of Real Marketing, Inc.
� State of Florida’s 2003 Small
Business Man of the Year
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What You’ll Learn Today
� What’s “positioning” (or a USP)
� Why you need to establish a
USP in today’s vape space
� Steps in creating your USP
� Brand identity and elements
The Five-Step Brand Positioning Process
1. Identify competitors and how they’re positioned
2. Investigate areas for differentiation
3. Develop a unique, value-based positioning
concept and statement
4. Create tagline, key messages based on your USP
5. Use your USP and key messages in all
communications
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Step #1: Research Your Competition
� Estimated 5,000 e-liquids on the market
� Crawl their websites
� Stealth research: Buy their products!
• What’s their packaging like?
• What do you like about their e-liquids?
• What didn’t you like?
• What was your overall impression of their brand?
Step #1: Identify Your Competition
� How are they positioning their business?
• Price (low or high)
• Premium, unique, gourmet flavors
• Unique branding
• Unique packaging
• Focused on a market segment
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Step #2: Areas for Differentiation
� Price (low or high)
� Set the standard (organic, kosher, FDA inspected, GMP
facility, etc.)
� Gourmet flavors (feature your “flavor master”)
� Share your personal story, a story others can relate to
� Focus on a particular audience
� “Disrupt” the category: be different!
Your Customers
� Who are they exactly?
� What are their primary issues/needs?
� What are their primary beliefs and
values?
� How will you attract and retain them?
� How can your brand participate in this
culture?
� Ho
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The Market: Who’s Vaping Now…
60% - Millennials
30% - Gen X
10% - Boomers
The Market: Who’s Vaping Now…
The Gen X and
Boomer markets
are growing…
The Market: Who’s Vaping Now…
60% - Millennials
30% - Gen X
10% - Boomers
The Market: Who’s Vaping Now…
The Future of Vaping….
40% - Millennials
40% - Gen X
20% - Boomers
The Gen X and
Boomer markets
are growing…
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5/19/2015
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Only 15% of customers
use tobacco
as their main flavor
Only 22% stick to a
single flavor
Only 15% of customers
use tobacco
as their main flavor
Only 22% stick to a
single flavor
Over 65% of all vapers
(71% of women)
consider FLAVOR to be
important in helping them
quit smoking
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Step #3: Develop Positioning Concept & Statement
� Focus on what makes you unique
� Do this BEFORE you do anything else
� Make sure it’s customer-focused
� Share with friends/partners/potential customers.
Revise and refine it
� Your core positioning concept should have “legs”
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Steps #4 & 5: Create a Tagline & Key Messages
� Create a tagline and key messages
� Think of your tagline as a shorter form of your
positioning statement
� Use consistently in all communications
� Make sure the brand experience matches the message
Example: NicSelect
� Alchem International needed a brand for
its liquid nicotine
� Thorough research led to the creation of
the brand NicSelect
� “Select” connotes high quality, premium
position
� Redid website and all marketing materials
� They are now the market leader
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Example: VapeOrganics
� Researched other “organic” e-
liquids, very few are USDA certified
� Redid logo and created stronger
positioning focusing on the “USDA
organic” proof
� Ads focus on the number of market
searches for organic e-liquids
Example: Cuttwood
� They attend virtually every vaping event in the U.S.
� Cloud competitions, contests, give-aways
� Austin, “the Sauce Boss” is highly visible
� Sponsored a race car at Daytona 500
� They’re one of the most recognized and respected e-
liquid brands on the market
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Your Brand
Define your:
� Company Name
� Logo
� Brand Identity
� Business Description
� Tagline
� Desired customer experience
Company Name
� Descriptive
� Evocative
� Funny or punny
� Personified
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Logos
� Unique symbol
� Can incorporate your name
� Clarify, don’t confuse
� Doesn’t have to cost thousands
• 99Designs
• Elance
Brand Identity
� Use of Logo
� Colors
� Type Fonts
� Website
� Brand Identity Guidelines
� Be Consistent!
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Business Description
� Use Keywords (see attached worksheet)
� Decide where to stake your claim:
• Cheap or premium/gourmet
• Tobacco, menthol, clove flavors
• Non-nicotine & VG-only
• Sample pack, free shipping also get searched
� Include your positioning statement or brand promise
Popular Keywords
� Best
� Flavors
� Cheap
� Premium
� Organic
� Nicotine Free
� VG only
� Tobacco, menthol, clove
� Free samples or sample pack
� Free shipping
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Tagline
� Tagline Examples
� Custom Branded - “Your Logo - Your Name - Your Customer “
� California Vaping Company - “ Where is Your E-Liquid Made”
“Igniting Your Success in the Vape Space”
Leverage Your Brand
� Make it easy for people to share their experience with
your brand
� Social media is HUGE
� Encourage them to share their “switch” story or their
“flavor” story
� Develop content they’ll want to share
� Use photos and videos (Instagram)
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Next Class: Customer Acquisition,
Retention & Service
� Tues., May 26, 6 p.m. PST
� Link will be sent
� Your instructor: David Collins
� Single session classes now
available!
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