What is brand positioning, and how do I write a positioning statement?
Brand positioning is the place your brand holds in customers' minds compared with the alternatives they could choose. A positioning statement is one or two sentences that spell out that place, so every ad, post and page says the same thing.
ShoaibUpdated 3 min read
What does positioning actually mean?
The Universal Marketing Dictionary, based on American Marketing Association definitions, describes positioning as the way customers perceive competing brands, and positioning a brand as presenting its features and benefits so it occupies a distinctive place in customers' minds.
In plain words: when someone thinks of your category, what do they think of you as? The cheap one, the premium one, the fast one, the one for mums?
What goes into a positioning statement?
The same dictionary says a positioning statement usually contains four parts:
| Part | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Target market | Who is it for? |
| Frame of reference | What category should they see you in? |
| Point of difference | What benefit sets you apart? |
| Reason to believe | What proof backs that up? |
A simple template
For [target customer] who [need], [brand] is the [category] that [key benefit], because [proof].
Illustrative example only: "For busy working parents in Kuwait who want healthy dinners, [Brand] is the meal-kit service that gets dinner on the table in 20 minutes, because every kit is pre-chopped and comes with a step-by-step card."
How do I find mine?
- Get specific about who you serve: see how to find your target audience.
- List what competitors claim, and find what's true about you that they don't say: see what is a USP.
- Check the proof is real and something customers can see.
Positioning is the "what you stand for"; your look and feel comes after it, in your brand identity. Then it shows up in your ads: see how to write ad copy that sells.
Want your positioning turned into ads and content that say it clearly, as part of your digital marketing? See our Creative Production service.