Many clients treat positioning as a task to tick off, a workshop, a slide deck, a mission statement. But real positioning is not static. It evolves as the market shifts, competitors change, and customer needs develop.
Positioning is often oversimplified. We explain what clients commonly get wrong.
- Positioning is not your logo.
- Positioning is not your product.
- Positioning is not picking a niche.
- Positioning starts with the market.
- You don’t own your position.
- Your position is earned.
- Consistency matters more than style.
Talk to a Branding Expert About Your Brand’s Positioning
Positioning is not your logo.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings. Clients often confuse brand positioning with brand identity. A logo, colour scheme or tone of voice might express your position, but they do not define it. They follow it.
Positioning is about how you’re perceived in the market, especially in comparison to others. It’s about the space you occupy in customers’ minds. That space is defined by relevance, differentiation and credibility, not by graphic design.
“Clients often confuse brand positioning with brand identity. But a logo isn’t your position, it’s an expression of it.”
Positioning is not your product.
You can have a brilliant product and still be badly positioned. Positioning is not about what you make or sell. It’s about the story people believe about your offer compared to the alternatives.
If your audience thinks of you as a budget option, even if your prices have gone up, you’re still positioned as a budget option. If they see you as a safe choice, even when you’re trying to look cutting edge, you’re not positioned the way you think you are. You can’t change it with a brochure or a strapline. You have to earn it.
“True brand positioning isn’t what you say about yourself. It’s what your audience believes based on consistent experience.”
Positioning is not picking a niche.
Picking a niche is a tactic, not a strategy. You can operate in a niche and still be lost in the noise. Why? Because positioning is not just about narrowing your audience, it’s about defining your value in a way that your audience cares about and believes.
You need to ask: why would someone pick you, right now, over all the other options they’re considering? If the answer is vague, generic or easily claimed by others, your positioning needs work. Choosing a niche is only part of the answer. You still have to explain why you’re different in a way that matters.
Positioning starts with the market.
Many brands approach positioning from the inside out. They start with what they want to say and look for ways to push that message. But real positioning starts outside your business, with how people are already thinking and behaving.
You can’t invent a position out of thin air. You have to understand the competitive landscape, customer priorities and real-world choices people make. Then you can position your brand based on something true and useful. Anything else is just noise.
You don’t own your position.
This one is tough for some clients to hear. You don’t control your brand position. You can influence it, shape it and work to improve it. But ultimately, your position exists in your audience’s minds. It’s their perception, not your intention, that counts.
This means you have to build your brand in a way that matches how people actually experience you. If you say one thing but deliver another, it’s the delivery that defines you. You can’t tell people what to believe. You have to give them reasons to believe it.
Your position is earned.
Positioning is not something you choose from a menu. It’s the result of what you consistently do over time. Every product, post, conversation, email, price point and delay contributes to how you’re perceived. You’re always positioning your brand, whether you mean to or not.
This is why shortcuts don’t work. Positioning is not just a messaging exercise. It’s an operational commitment. You have to deliver on the promises you imply. You have to earn the position you want through repeated proof points that build trust and clarity.
“You don’t pick your position, you earn it. It’s built through credibility, repetition and relevance to the market.”
Consistency matters more than style.
Positioning is not won through originality alone. It’s won through repetition. This doesn’t mean you say the same thing everywhere, but it does mean your brand should always feel like itself, no matter the channel, audience or moment.
The more consistent your messaging, tone and behaviour, the stronger your positioning becomes. Why? Because consistency builds memory. And positioning is only useful if people remember where you stand and what you stand for. You don’t need to surprise people. You need to be clear, consistent and credible. That’s what sticks.
