Here’s a quick anecdote to espouse the virtue of patience when trying to reposition one’s products.

Believe it or not, cigarette brand Marlboro (no, we don’t encourage smoking; this is strictly for the sake of example) was once a lady’s cigarette. It’s claim to fame was a red filter.

But in an effort to expand its market, Philip Morris decided to reposition the brand towards male smokers.

They didn’t get it right immediately. First they promoted the brand using men who had inverted tattoos (!). Next came an appeal using a sultry torch singer. Later on would come the idea of using American cowboys. But even then, the imagery didn’t immediately catch on. And it wasn’t until much later, when Marlboro hit the jackpot by using the theme from the Western movie “The Magnificent Seven” in its cowboy ads, that the image of the Marlboro Man finally took shape.

Think about it. If Philip Morris was impatient and decided to abandon the move towards men at the first sign of failure, then we wouldn’t have the iconic Marlboro imagery today. Instead, perhaps, we’d have the Marlboro Woman?

Moral of the story: Just because your market doesn’t react to a change in your positioning doesn’t mean that your identified positioning is a failure. Perhaps it’s just a matter of finding the right imagery or message to heighten your target market’s awareness and interest.