I'm sure that almost everyone has seen these images before. They're classic illusions: do you seen an old woman or a young woman? Do you see a rabbit or a duck?
If you stare at these illusions long enough, trying to decide how you want to categorize them in your mind (young or old? rabbit or duck?), you will eventually get a headache and stop looking at the pictures. Similarly, if a company is trying to force themselves into multiple categories in the consumer's mind, the customer will become confused and, possibly, form a negative opinion about the company or its products.
To avoid this confusion, a company must choose one category, one position, to hold in the consumer's mind. They can't be both a rabbit and a duck, they have to choose the one category that best suits them and truly own that positioning.
That's where advertising comes in. Even though the client can be seen as both a rabbit and a duck, research has found that the target market likes rabbits better because they're cuter. It is then the agency's job to figure out how to make consumers focus only on the rabbit. How can you get someone to look at that picture and only see the rabbit, not the duck?
That's the perpetual problem, and I love solving it.
That's the perpetual problem, and I love solving it.
