Is brand positioning theory outdated? Internet super brands are the new trend

PositioningIs the theory that each business should have its own brand outdated? The new logic of internet branding revealed!

Still believing that "one business, one brand" is the way to go? Wake up! This idea is outdated in the internet age!

Traditional positioning theory tells us that a brand needs to have a single breakthrough point, and each business must have a brand.

For example, Zhang San sells shoes, and his brand is called "Run Fast"; Li Si sells water, and his brand is called "Qingqingquan".

The logic sounds reasonable: users have limited brains, and not giving them space to remember is equivalent to handing over the business to others.

But today, the way the internet works has completely overturned this iron rule. Alibaba is a living example.

The Golden Age of Positioning Theory

The "Bible" of marketing in the last century almost all talked about one truth: to occupy the minds of users.

Thus, positioning theory came into being.

This theory states that user cognition is like a small blackboard in the brain, with a limited capacity to remember. If companies create too many brands, it will only confuse consumers.

This is also why Coca-Cola only serves as the spokesperson for "happiness" and Nike only shouts "Just Do It". Extreme focus is victory.

Sounds perfect, right? The problem is, this theory is a product of the industrial age. Back then, brand communication relied on television ads and print media, and it was indeed more effective for a brand to penetrate a single market.

The Internet breaks down cognitive barriers

When the Internet appeared, the rules of cognition changed completely.

Why? Because traffic is aggregated and the entrance is unified.

For example: You openTaobao, you can actually buy everything - clothes, snacks, plane tickets, second-hand goods. According to traditional positioning theory, this is simply a disaster, because the word "Taobao" is vague in the minds of users. Is it a shopping platform or a travel website?

But the reality is magical: users are not confused at all.

Why? Because the search bar is right there. If you want air tickets, you search for "Feizhu"; if you want to buy used items, you search for "Xianyu"; if you want takeout, you search for "Ele.me" or "Taobao Flash Sales."

The Internet has greatly reduced the cost of brand awareness. Users no longer rely on a "single brand" to build memories, but instead rely on platform entrances and algorithm recommendations.

Alibaba's brand experiment

Alibaba believed in positioning theory very much back then.

So they created Fliggy, Ele.me, Xianyu, Koubei... a bunch of sub-brands, which looks like a whole zoo.

But looking back now, the problem arises.

Take "飞猪" for example. When users hear the name, their first reaction is: What is this? A pig farm? Or an aircraft?

If it was called "Taobao Travel", would you understand it immediately?

Let's look at "Xianyu." A new user might not know it's a secondhand trading platform just by hearing the name. But if it were called "Taobao Secondhand," wouldn't they immediately understand?

Alibaba recently put the entrance of Ele.me into Taobao and launched "Taobao Flash Sale". This is a signal: they have begun to realize that scattered brands have weakened the value of Taobao as a super entrance.

The era of super brands has arrived

Today, users prefer to have all their needs solved under one big brand.

Have you noticed too? People don't say "I want to buy groceries on Meituan" anymore; they just say "Meituan." For dining, taxis, and groceries, they all use Meituan.

The same is true for JD.com, which has expanded from digital products to supermarkets, fresh food, and travel. People still say, "I'll go to JD.com to check it out."

This illustrates a fact: in the context of the Internet, super brands are the most powerful weapons.

A big brand likeSpaceSpaceship can accommodate various business modules, and users will not feel confused at all.

Why is positioning theory outdated?

There are three core reasons:

1. Unified user entrance: Search, recommendation, and super APP make complex business simple and direct.
2. Changes in communication methods: Information is fluid and no longer relies on single-point advertising bombardment. Brand dispersion actually increases the cognitive burden.
3. Reduced trust costs: Once a big brand is established, users are willing to try more businesses within its ecosystem.

In other words, users don’t need a bunch of “small brands with clear positioning”; they desire a “trustworthy big brand” that allows them to save themselves the trouble of thinking.

Future brand logic: integration and ecology

Imagine if "Feizhu" is really renamed "Taobao Travel", "Xianyu" becomes "Taobao Second-hand", and the "Ele.me" entrance is completely integrated into "Taobao Flash Purchase".

Do you feel that Taobao has immediately become an omnipotent superLifeEntrance?

This is the future logic of Internet brands: unification, integration, and ecology.

Users don't need to distinguish seven or eight names, they just need to remember one super symbol.

It's like Apple's logic: iPhone, iPad, iCloud—they're always "Apple." You're not just buying a product; you're buying a complete ecosystem.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Form of Brand

The value of positioning theory is that it once helped companies learn to focus, but in today's Internet environment, its limitations are becoming increasingly apparent.

The future brand competition will not be about “how many names do you have that are more famous?” but about who can use one name to carry more scenarios.

This is a leap from "single point breakthrough" to "ecological closed loop", and also a paradigm revolution in business cognition.

My personal opinion is that positioning theory has not died out, but has evolved. It is no longer "one business, one brand", but "one ecosystem, one super brand".

Like哲学As the saying goes: Existence is reasonable, but rationality must also evolve with the times.

Final summary

1. Positioning theory was once effective, but it is a product of the industrial age.
2. The Internet has completely changed the way brands are communicated and perceived, and users are more dependent on portals and ecosystems.
3. Alibaba’s brand experiment shows that multi-brand dispersion actually dilutes core value.
4. Super brands have become a new trend, and users prefer to have all their needs met under one big brand.
5. The future brand logic is integration and ecology, carried by a symbolunlimitedmay.

So, if you are still using the old way of thinking to build a brand, it is like using Nokia to fight against iPhone.TangledEvery business must have an independent identity. It is better to build a super brand and make it the entire entrance to the user's life.

This is the real way to win.