Let’s define it, once and for all.
Branding is a strategic task. While results are (mostly) visual, an effective design needs to be underpinned by a central idea, or what a brand stands for. What values does it have in tone, design, and functionality?
That’s what a brand positioning statement does: It sums up the central idea of the brand — and the promises, values and qualities we want audiences to take away when they interact with it.
A brand positioning statement is for internal use: It helps all stakeholders (founders, team, and an agency like ours) align what a brand is about and what the overall communication goals are. This is fundamental for follow-up work, since it helps us determine if the designs or brand-related content actually match those goals.
What’s brand positioning, really?
It’s a document that sums up the brand’s qualities, differentiators, and character. The document identifies where a brand belongs and what it has to offer.
But positioning also refers to the overall process of setting a brand apart from its competitors and building relevance among its target audience. That’s not just about listing of qualities but about identifying the brand’s stance.
It’s ultimately about shaping perception: We want anyone interacting with the brand to understand what makes it different from others and we want the branding to make that difference crystal clear.
Positioning can mean finding a niche or embracing a specific use case. Unless you’re creating a true product for the masses, you likely want to gear it towards a specific target group, which means being bold about who it is for.
A big caveat is that any positioning needs to be rooted in reality. A brand positioning won’t resonate with anyone if it’s wildly exaggerated or makes claims that the product or service can’t deliver. Branding can make something appear better than it is, but that’s not sustainable—as soon as customers find out, they’ll feel deceived and most likely won’t come back.
Anatomy of a brand positioning statement
A brand positioning statement should be short and punchy. It should be concise and readable, not academic or overly formal.
The positioning statement briefly sums up the product or service and what it accomplishes. It mentions qualities and differentiators. And it specifically points out how the product or service helps its target audience.
A positioning statement can be supplemented with a list of brand values and brand filters.
- Brand values point out exactly what a brand stands for. Typically, these are qualities like “reliable”, “trustworthy”, “friendly” etc. (though we like to make them less generic than that.)
- Brand filters define what a brand should avoid, which could be qualities like “cheap” or “boring”.
Struggling to define what makes your product stand out? We help founders turn good ideas into clear, compelling brands. Let’s talk!