WTF does "positioning" mean for artists?

Positioning is a marketing concept meaning to define in the customer's mind.  Marketing gurus Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote the book on it in 1980, after originating the concept in their Madison Avenue marketing work (they were Mad Men, apparently).

Not what comes to mind

If you think of a particular person, product, or service, you probably have an almost subconscious feeling about what that thing means to you.  It is not always a conscious association, but more of a visceral reaction.  When you think of a Porsche 911, what do feel about it?  Expensive? Classy? Fast?  What reaction would you have to the person driving such a car?  Rich? Successful? Desirable?  Whatever feelings and thoughts you have about a person/product/thing constitute it's position in your mind.

Works everywhere

This mind/product association works with anything.  Try it now:  Think of Paris, France.  What reaction do you have? Do you see images, like the Eiffel Tower?  Do you hear the trademark accordian music? Think of strolling the pavestone streets with your lover?  If so, the position that Paris holds in your mind is "romance".

Opposite's a trick

The real trick for marketers is to pull off the reverse trick:  making sure that when you think of a particular word or phrase, their product comes to mind.  For example, when you think of Paris Hilton, what reaction do you have?  I am sure Paris Hilton would like you to think she was beautiful, glamorous, rich, and classy.  Personally, I think spoiled, not very bright, pretty but trashy, and many other things probably not fit to print.   Paris Hilton is a positioning failure, in this case.

However, Toyota is a positioning success.  When you think of reliability in an automobile, you probably think of Toyota.  I live in Texas, the sacred breeding grounds of American trucks.  One friend, who swore he would never buy a foreign car, found himself sinking thousands for repairs into his Ford.  "It's always like this," he said, "every year.  Next time, I'm getting a Toyota. Screw it."  He drives a Tundra now.  In his mind, Toyota stands for reliability.

Your turn

What do you stand for?  What comes to mind when people think of your music, or your name?  What is your position?