Definition (1):
Competitive points-of-parity are associations designed to overcome the perceived weakness of the brand. A competitive point-of-parity may be required to either (1) negate competitors’ perceived point-of-difference or (2) negate a perceived vulnerability of the brand as a result of its own points-of-difference.
Definition (2):
Competitive points-of-parity are planned to negate the points of difference of the competitors. A common problem regarding brands occurs when the offering’s quality is not enough in comparison to the competitors.
Definition (3):
Once a brand offers the basic components needed by the category, the next stage is planning competitive points-of-parity i.e. adding components that will negate the points of difference of the competitors. It provides a brand a suitable competitive positioning if it is able to give better or similar components as compared to the points of difference (POD’s) of its competitors.
One good manner to unveil key competitive points-of-parity is role-playing competitors’ positioning and inferring their intended POD’s. In turn, the POD’s of the competitors will suggest the POP’s (points of parity) of the brand. For an offer to attain a POP on a specific benefit or attribute, enough number of consumers must trust that the brand is “suitable enough” on that dimension.