Positioning

Welcome, Fellow Travelers

Todays Book

Positioning
By AI Ries and Jack Trout

Summary Snapshot

Positioning introduces the idea that success in marketing depends on how people see your product in their minds compared to competitors. With consumers bombarded by numerous messages, brands must strive for a simple, straightforward, and memorable presence in their minds. Positioning is not about what you do to a product, but what you do to the customer's mind. By mastering positioning, companies can cut through noise and stand out.

📰 In case you missed it...

Books Paradise was recently featured in CEO Times as “The Best Book Insight Resource for Smarter Readers in Pakistan – 2025.” 🎉

It’s a big milestone, and I couldn’t have done it without your support.

To celebrate, I’m sending a free book of your choice to 50 of you.

👉 Just hit reply to this email and tell me the name of a book you love. I’ll be choosing 50 winners throughout the month!

📖 Read the feature here:
https://ceotimes.com/books-paradise-helping-readers-make-smarter-choices

• Positioning means shaping perception
  Positioning is about how people think of your product compared to others. It is not just features or advertising; it is the place your product holds in the customer’s mind. Once customers create a mental slot for a brand, it defines how they perceive it in relation to competitors.

• The mind is overcrowded
  Customers are overwhelmed by endless advertising and choices. They cannot remember everything, so they filter out most messages. This means your marketing must be simple, focused, and consistent. Only the clearest, most repeated ideas stick in people’s memories and influence their buying decisions.

• Simple messages win
  The brain has limited space to process ideas. Complicated claims get ignored. Brands that focus on one simple, easy-to-grasp idea stand out. For example, Volvo positioned itself around the concept of “safety.” That single word gave clarity and stuck in customers’ minds for decades.

• Reflect reality customers already believe
  People are more likely to accept a message that fits their existing beliefs. Positioning succeeds when it aligns with how customers already see the world. Trying to completely change perceptions rarely works. Effective positioning builds on what customers already know and expect.

• Consistency builds strength
  Customers resist changing their minds. Once a brand is positioned, it must continually reinforce the same message. Consistency over the years builds credibility and trust. Shifting messages too often confuses customers and weakens brand recognition.

• Know your current position
  Before choosing a strategy, businesses must understand how customers currently see them. Your internal view is not the same as customer perception. Surveys, research, and feedback reveal your actual market position, which serves as the starting point for repositioning or improvement.

• Aim for leadership
  The strongest position is to be first in a category. Customers prefer the brand they believe is the leader in its category. Leadership creates self-reinforcing advantages: stronger demand, loyal distributors, easier hiring, and investor confidence. Being first in a niche often matters more than being technically better.

• Being first creates advantage
  Customers rarely switch leaders once they have made up their minds. The first brand to claim a spot often owns it permanently. Coca-Cola was first in the soft drinks industry, and that position has endured for over a century. Being first matters more than being best.

• Niches are powerful
  If you cannot be first in a broad category, consider creating or finding a narrower niche where you can lead. Focused niches allow small companies to dominate quickly. Specialization creates authority and builds a strong position that larger, general competitors cannot easily attack.

• Product size can create niches
  Trends create openings. If the market favors bigger products, a smaller version can win a segment. If the market favors cheaper versions, a premium offering can stand out from the crowd. Adjusting size or scope is a common way to carve out a niche in customers’ minds.

• Price positions products
  Low prices create one type of position: affordability and accessibility. Premium prices create another quality and exclusivity. Price communicates value as much as features do. Economy versions often help new markets grow, while premium versions help established markets build prestige.

• Demographics provide openings
  Brands can focus on specific groups, such as by age, gender, or lifestyle, to stand out. A product positioned for children, women, or retirees occupies a unique space. Tailoring messaging to a group ignored by others can establish leadership in that niche.

• Usage context shapes perception
  Products can be positioned by when, where, or how they are used. Coffee positioned as a “morning ritual” is different from coffee positioned as an “afternoon pick-me-up.” Linking a brand to a clear setting or habit creates mental ownership of that situation.

• Distribution affects positioning
  How and where customers find your product influences their perception of it. A product sold only in luxury stores is positioned as premium. A product in discount shops is positioned as affordable. Distribution strategy communicates positioning just as much as advertising does.

• Names matter deeply
  A name is one of the most important marketing decisions. It must be clear, memorable, and representative of the product’s role. A bad name weakens positioning. A great name reinforces it, making it easier for customers to place and remember the product.

• Avoid vague or generic names
  Generic names weaken positioning because they fail to stand for anything specific. A strong name tells customers what the product is about. Obscure or overly technical names also fail because customers struggle to relate to or remember them easily.

• Be careful with acronyms
  Acronyms are less memorable than names. If customers shorten your name into something awkward, it hurts your positioning. Only pronounceable acronyms, such as NASA, work well. Otherwise, stick to simple, meaningful names that customers can easily repeat in conversation.

• Line extensions weaken brands
  Adding too many products under the same brand name dilutes its meaning. When a brand represents too many things, it represents nothing. Strong brands usually avoid stretching into unrelated categories, instead launching new names for new markets.

• Leaders defend by being the original
  Market leaders should not only say they are the best but emphasize that they were the first. Being seen as the originator makes competitors look like copies. Customers are more loyal to what they view as the genuine article.

• Challengers must reposition leaders
  If you cannot beat a leader directly, change the way people view them. Expose a weakness or gap in the leader’s offering and claim that space. For example, if the leader is general-purpose, position yourself as the specialist for a group they overlook.

• Negativity captures attention
  Bad news spreads faster than good news. Challengers often win by highlighting weaknesses in a competitor rather than just praising themselves. Positioning against the leader by showing their shortcomings makes customers more likely to consider alternatives.

• Compare to what people know
  When introducing something new, connect it to familiar concepts. Early cars were called “horseless carriages” so customers could relate them to something they already understood. Without a reference point, people struggle to position new products in their minds.

• Reinforce with repetition
  Positioning campaigns must last over years. Customers need repeated reminders of the same message until it becomes automatic. A constantly changing brand story fails because customers cannot establish a clear connection to it. Repetition builds strong associations that competitors cannot easily break.

• Don’t try to be everything to everyone
  Brands that attempt to serve all markets usually fail to dominate any. Positioning requires focus. It is better to be number one in a small niche than number five in a broad category. Narrow focus creates clarity and leadership.

• New brands work better than extensions
  When entering new markets, it is usually better to launch under a new brand rather than stretch an old one. A fresh brand starts with a clear identity, while extensions confuse customers and weaken the parent brand’s position.

• Positioning is long-term investment
  Positioning does not create instant results. It takes years of consistent messaging, customer reinforcement, and credibility building. Companies that chase short-term wins often fail to position themselves effectively. Long-term consistency builds trust and mindshare that lasts.

• The customer decides, not the company
  Positioning is not what you claim, but it is what customers believe. You can try to influence perception, but ultimately, the customer decides where you stand in their mental landscape. This makes listening and research essential for effective positioning.

• Professional positioning matters too
  Positioning applies to both individuals and products. Careers thrive when professionals understand how others perceive them, identify the image they want to project, and consistently convey that identity. Just like products, people must occupy a clear space in the minds of others.

• Your name influences your career
  Names affect professional positioning as much as product names do. Easy-to-pronounce or credible-sounding names create stronger impressions. While skills matter most, presentation influences perception, and subtle cues, such as a name, can significantly impact opportunities and advancement.

• Persistence is essential
  Positioning is not a one-time campaign. It requires patience, persistence, and discipline over the years. The most successful brands and professionals reinforce their message consistently, build credibility gradually, and continually remind people of their position until it becomes ingrained in their minds.

What’s Next?

Identify the one word or idea you want customers to instantly connect with your product or business. Test whether your current name, messaging, and actions reinforce that idea. Then commit to repeating it consistently for the long term. Positioning works when it is simple, clear, and reinforced endlessly.