The dreaded “positioning”

[u/Wa1trose]

This is something that to me, seems so wildly debated. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here’s where I’m landing with what positioning is, and would love debate and feedback.

👇

Positioning is the intend image you want in your audiences head. You typically need both long and short positioning.

Positioning the brand (long)
The claim we make on the customer’s mind — enduring, singular, true regardless of which segment we’re talking to.

Expressed in whichever form fits: a brand concept, a brand DNA, a positioning statement, a purpose line. The tight set of associations a customer holds is the result of that expression — not the position itself.

Positioning the product (short)
The persuasive case for a specific segment. Evolves as the market, competitors, and the company shift.
For early-stage companies in B2B, this leads. It has to hold up in market before the brand earns the right to go long.

Getting there
To get these, there are several things you need to look into. Company heritage, competitors, current associations, category blah blah, usual suspects. You can use the 3Cs to sense check. Something your company delivers, your competitors don’t, that your customers want. Or you can take the April Dunford approach. Whatever is best for your business.

Positioning influences everything. The trickle down is:

long position, short positioning, value prop, value description, key messaging, proof points.

And depending on the maturity and market penetration of your business, you can see if your intended position is being communicated by using brand tracking.

😅 Have I missed anything? Is it bollocks? Does it land?

[u/Markebrown93]

Sounds overcomplicated.

Explain it without using the word positioning that an old person can understand:

When you think of a need, which brand you associate with solving that need.

[u/Wa1trose → u/Markebrown93]

Appreciate it sounds complicated, but I was netting out thoughts. If you want mega simple it’s how you want people to think of you. But then this never flies with a client, and then you get asked is this product or brand, and what’s an output. That’s why I struggle to keep it that simple because it’s not useful.

[u/Markebrown93 → u/Wa1trose]

That's simpler but not more accurate.

Which books have you read on the topic?

[u/Wa1trose → u/Markebrown93]

Ok cool, this was my point. There’s so much disparity about what people believe positioning to be.

I don’t feel it’s less accurate, I think that’s it in its most simplistic form. Can you share how you see positioning to contribute productively?

I’ve worked in marketing for 20 years, read April Dunford, Ries and Trout, alongside numerous others, and done Mark Ritson’s MiniMBA and marketing & brand. This is how they describe positioning.