“If you think you’re an expert, you’re probably full of shit.”

That’s what I tell founders who’ve mastered marketing frameworks but missed something fundamental about positioning. A surgeon operates within the constraints of human anatomy. Wrong incision, the patient dies. An athlete competes within the laws of physics. Defy gravity; you fail. These are fields with real, physical limitations.

But positioning?

Positioning exists purely in the mind, unconstrained by physical limits—its only boundaries are the ones we imagine. This is where I respectfully diverge from April Dunford’s approach. While her frameworks and methods have brilliantly systematized positioning into actionable strategies, they miss a vital aspect: the true, transformative nature of positioning as a force that shapes perception and drives everything that a business fundamentally is.

The Fork.

Dunford sees positioning as something we do to products in markets. It’s methodical, structured, and frameworks. She teaches businesses to analyze current markets, find differentiated positions, and execute tactically.

But positioning isn’t like medicine or engineering. It exists purely in perception, where the only constraints are the ones we create in people’s minds. Also, read The Delusion of ‘Brand Positioning.’

This isn’t just semantic wordplay.

When positioning is treated as a verb — something you do to products in markets — it naturally leads to tactical frameworks and methodical execution. But when positioning is understood as a noun — what your business fundamentally is — it transforms every aspect of your organization.

This distinction matters because:
Nouns define fundamental identity.
Verbs focus on tactical actions.

Red Bull sells a drink that tastes like battery acid. Their product features? Nothing special. Their market analysis? Irrelevant. Instead of finding a position in the energy drink market, they claimed ownership of something bigger in our minds: human performance itself. From space jumps to Formula 1 teams to extreme sports, every action reinforces this position. Not because it made sense in a framework. But because they understood that anything is possible in the realm of perception.

Look at Tesla. They could have positioned themselves as “premium electric vehicles.” Safe. Sensible. Framework-approved. Instead, they claimed ownership of “the future of transportation” in our minds. Every decision — from eliminating dealerships to pushing self-driving technology to launching rockets – reinforces this position. No competitive analysis would have suggested this path. No product framework would have revealed it. They understood that mental territory, unlike physical territory, is unlimited.

POSITION is fundamentally a noun — it’s what a brand fundamentally IS in the mind, not just what it DOES to get there. (Also, read ‘Position vs Positioning’ for deeper context and nuance)

Many will see this as a conflict between “position” (the territory you occupy in the market) and “positioning” (the actions you take to get there). And they’ll argue, like Dunford does, that positioning varies by sector, requiring different approaches for different markets. But this misses something fundamental.

Position isn’t just market context.
It’s the territory you own in people’s minds.

Positioning isn’t just marketing actions.
It’s the work of claiming and defending that territory.

Dunford’s frameworks are valuable for the “how” of claiming and defending territory. But without first understanding what territory you could fundamentally own – what you could be in people’s minds – those frameworks might help you efficiently capture the wrong territory entirely. It’s like having excellent military tactics but invading the wrong country. The tools matter only after you’ve identified the right territory to own.

Beyond Product Positioning

This isn’t just philosophical. It fundamentally changes how businesses operate.

In Dunford’s approach:

• Marketing crafts positioning
• Product aligns with position
• Sales communicates position

But when positioning becomes your business DNA:

• Engineering makes decisions based on it
• HR hires people who embody it
• Leadership strategies flow from it
• Every decision reinforces it

Look at Volvo. Safety isn’t their position — it’s what they fundamentally are. Every single decision, from engineering to hiring to partnerships, flows from this core truth.

The Framework Trap

Dunford’s frameworks provide valuable tools for execution. But frameworks can become cages if we’re not careful.

Nike didn’t use competitive analysis to arrive at “Just Do It.” They understood they could own human achievement in people’s minds. Apple didn’t position computers they owned “thinking differently.” This came from understanding perception’s unlimited potential, not market analysis.

The Impact on Business Building

These different approaches create two very different paths:

Dunford’s Path:

• Analyze current market
• Find differentiated position
• Execute tactically
• Measure market share

The Alternative Path:

• Define mental territory to own
• Shape perceptions around it
• Build an entire business to embody it
• Create new markets

Amazon exemplifies this difference. They didn’t position themselves as a better bookstore. They owned “Earth’s most customer-centric company” in our minds and built an entirely new kind of business around that truth.

Creating Different Futures

Perhaps most importantly, these approaches create different futures:

Dunford’s approach helps you win in today’s market. The alternative approach helps you create tomorrow’s market.

When businesses truly understand that positioning exists purely in perception:

• They stop asking, “Where should we compete?”
• They start asking, “What could we own?”
• They stop fitting into markets.
• They start creating them.

A New Synthesis

This isn’t about rejecting Dunford’s valuable frameworks. It’s about understanding their proper place in the bigger picture.

Use frameworks to:

• Analyze market context
• Understand competitors
• Execute consistently

But ensure positioning:

• Shapes company culture
• Guides every decision
• Creates sustainable advantage
• Defines categories

Finally.

April Dunford has done invaluable work making positioning more accessible and actionable. But by seeing it primarily as a product exercise, we risk missing its true power. Because in a world with no physical constraints, the only limit to our positioning is our imagination. And that’s both thrilling and terrifying.

The real question isn’t “How should we position our product?”

It’s “What could we own in people’s minds?”

How you answer that question doesn’t just determine your position in the market. It determines what kind of business you’ll build.

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