Positioning strategies and incidence of congruence of two UK store card brands

This study examines the activities and congruence of positioning strategies in the UK store card sector. Using a triangulation research methodology, the results confirm the prevalence of challenging and aggressive branding activities. The findings identify “Service”, “Value for money”, and “The Brand Name” as the most popular positioning strategies pursued by Marks & Spencer Card brand. In the case of Harrods Card brand, “Top of the range” and “The Brand Name” are the two dominant positioning strategies employed. The study further uncovers congruence between the two card brands' marketing “communications” efforts and consumers' “perceived” strategies. However, there is no congruence between managers' “presumed” strategies and the brands' marketing “communications” efforts. More specifically, although positioning activities in “communications” are successfully recognized by the target group, managers' positioning “presumptions/intentions” are not clearly transmitted in “communications”. Conclusions, managerial implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed.