Positioning is not just a business buzzword but the foundation upon which companies build their identity, strategy, and long-term success. Yet, despite its importance, positioning remains one of the most misunderstood concepts in business.

According to research, 70% of startups fail to scale beyond $10M ARR, with misaligned positioning as a primary culprit. This isn’t just a matter of poor messaging or botched campaigns. It’s about businesses failing to anchor themselves in an idea that resonates deeply with their audience.

Without a clear and consistent position, companies risk creating confusion for their customers, teams, and investors. Misaligned positioning leads to reactive strategies, diluted messaging, and product offerings that lack cohesion. The result? Wasted resources, a fragmented customer experience, and growth never quite hit its stride.

For startups, the stakes are even higher. Limited resources mean there’s little room for mistakes. Every decision, from product development to go-to-market execution, hinges on positioning. When startups focus solely on differentiation or workflows, they miss the bigger picture: the need to own an idea that integrates what they do with why it matters.

But here’s the pickle. Positioning isn’t just difficult to get right; it’s difficult to recognize when it’s wrong. Founders often misattribute slow growth or customer churn to surface-level issues like product-market fit or feature gaps when the real problem lies in how their brand is perceived. And once misaligned positioning takes root, it’s hard to undo. It’s much like trying to unlearn a catchy but incorrect song lyric.

Why does this conversation matter? Because positioning isn’t optional. It is the invisible scaffolding that supports your business as it scales. For founders and marketers, understanding positioning isn’t just a skill; it’s a survival tool. Yet, despite its critical role, too many conversations reduce positioning to a formula or tactical exercise, ignoring the deeper psychological and strategic nuances that make it so powerful.

By dissecting Anthony Pierri’s framework, this article aims to clarify what positioning is, what it isn’t, and why it matters for businesses of all sizes. If positioning is the foundation of business success, then getting it wrong isn’t just a strategic misstep. It’s a recipe for irrelevance — a luxury no company can afford.

Giving credit where it’s due

Let’s begin with a fair acknowledgment: Fletch and Anthony Pierri have brought value to the conversation around positioning, particularly for early-stage startups navigating the chaos of limited resources, pressure from investors, and the challenge of defining their identity in a crowded market. His frameworks have helped founders gain tactical clarity at a time when ambiguity is often the biggest barrier to execution.

Anthony’s emphasis on narrowing focus: ‘one customer segment, one use case, and one channel’ provides a necessary antidote to the common startup mistake of trying to appeal to everyone and pleasing no one. By encouraging founders to articulate their product’s functional value with clarity, Anthony has undoubtedly helped many companies craft stronger homepage messaging, clearer value propositions, and tighter sales narratives. These are tactical wins, and they are worth celebrating.

His critique of the “better is better” mindset is also worth noting. By steering founders toward differentiation rather than competing solely on features or pricing, he rightly points out the pitfalls of commoditization. In a world where most startups struggle to articulate why they matter, Anthony’s focus on standing out has practical merit.

But here’s the tea. While Anthony excels at tactical clarity, his frameworks often conflate positioning with messaging and differentiation with identity. These distinctions aren’t just semantic. They represent a fundamental gap between short-term tactics and the long-term strategic foundation that positioning demands. Positioning is not merely about explaining your product; it’s about defining what you stand for in the minds of your audience. Messaging articulates this position, but it doesn’t create it.

Anthony’s contributions are valuable, but they’re incomplete. His focus on differentiation as a means to stand out often ignores the deeper, more enduring power of owning a singular idea. Differentiation can win you attention. But identity wins you trust, loyalty, and, ultimately, market leadership.

There’s a lot to learn from Anthony’s approach to tactical execution. But the conversation needs to go deeper. Founders don’t just need frameworks for describing their products; they need a strategy for creating resonance and relevance in the minds of their audience. And that’s where Anthony’s framework falls short. It’s a strong compass but without the map. It points you in the right direction but doesn’t help you navigate the terrain.

The Contradictions and Gaps in Anthony’s Frameworks

A. The Formula Fallacy

Anthony Pierri’s framework simplifies positioning into a formula: Target Customer + Differentiation. At first glance, this seems pragmatic. It provides a clear and digestible framework for founders who struggle to articulate what their product does and why it matters. The simplicity of this approach, however, is its greatest weakness. Reducing positioning to a two-variable equation underestimates the complexity of building lasting resonance in the minds of customers.

Positioning isn’t math; it’s psychology. While Anthony’s formula emphasizes functional clarity and comparison to competitors, it misses a foundational element: identity. Positioning is not just about being different or even solving a specific problem. It’s about owning an idea so distinct and resonant that it becomes synonymous with your brand. Without this layer of identity, differentiation becomes shallow, a fleeting tactical move rather than a strategic foundation.

Why Reducing Positioning to a Formula Fails

Comparison Limits You to Existing Frames
When positioning is reduced to differentiation against competitors, it keeps you stuck in their narrative. If your formula for differentiation is “better workflows,” you’ve already anchored your position to the competitor’s idea of workflows. This creates a ceiling for your brand. Customers will forever see you as a derivative of the original concept, no matter how well you execute. Differentiation may grab attention, but it rarely builds lasting loyalty.

Identity Is Missing
Target Customer + Differentiation explains what you do and who you serve. It doesn’t explain why it matters or why customers should care deeply about your brand. Identity, by contrast, aligns your functional value with your emotional resonance. Tesla doesn’t just sell electric cars. It owns the idea of the future of sustainable innovation. Volvo doesn’t market crash test scores; it owns safety. These positions transcend differentiation and establish dominance.

Formulas Ignore Emotional Resonance
Anthony’s formula heavily emphasizes functional benefits but overlooks the emotional and aspirational drivers that truly influence decision-making. As Antonio Damasio’s research demonstrates, humans make decisions emotionally and rationalize them logically afterward. The most successful brands tap into both functional and emotional needs. Stripe isn’t just a payment processor; it’s the “economic infrastructure of the internet,” creating an aspirational identity for developers and entrepreneurs.

The Missing Elements: Identity and Resonance

Anthony’s formula assumes that differentiation alone is enough to build a defensible position. But differentiation, without identity, risks commoditization. Customers don’t buy products; they buy what those products mean to them.

Positioning must achieve the following:

• Clarity: Customers need to understand what you do.
• Trust: Customers need to believe in your ability to deliver.
• Resonance: Customers need to feel emotionally aligned with your brand.

Differentiation addresses clarity and, to some extent, trust. But it doesn’t address resonance, which is the glue that creates lasting loyalty.

Practical Illustration: Slack vs. Microsoft Teams

Slack entered the market not as “better team communication software” but a brand that stood for simplicity, humanity, and fun in workspaces. It wasn’t competing with Microsoft Teams on features alone. It owned an identity of modern collaboration made simple. Microsoft Teams, by contrast, positioned itself as “better than Slack” by emphasizing integration with Office 365.

What happened? Slack became a verb. “Slack me” entered workplace vernacular, signalling that Slack had achieved something Teams hadn’t: emotional resonance. Differentiation gave Teams a seat at the table, but Slack’s identity won the cultural conversation.

Anthony’s formula ignores this subtle yet critical layer. It helps you join the race but doesn’t teach you how to define the race itself.

Reframing the Formula: From Comparison to Ownership

Rather than focusing on differentiation, founders should ask:

1. What singular idea do we want to own in our customer’s mind?
2. How does our identity connect functional value to emotional resonance?
3. Are we playing within an existing frame or creating a new one?

Positioning is not about being “better than.” It’s about being the only.

B. The Price-Category Disconnect

Anthony’s argument that price is independent of category holds surface-level appeal. He points to examples like headphones, which span $10 Sony models to $5,000 Focal Utopias, and CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, to show that pricing is driven by brand value and perceived differentiation, not category limitations. While this logic contains some truth, it oversimplifies the role of category in shaping customer perceptions and misses critical nuances about how customers make decisions.

What Anthony Gets Right

Anthony correctly notes that category doesn’t inherently cap pricing. Customers will pay a premium if they perceive that value justifies the cost. Hermès handbags and Tesla vehicles prove that pricing can transcend category norms when tied to strong identity and brand resonance. However, his argument falters when applied universally, particularly in the enterprise space where context and perception weigh heavily on decision-making.

Why His Argument Falls Short

Customers Don’t Compare Across Extreme Ends of Categories
Anthony’s examples assume customers evaluate products purely within a broad category, such as “headphones” or “CRM software.” But this misses a crucial point: customers create mental subcategories based on context, identity, and need.

A customer in the market for a $100,000 Rolex isn’t cross-shopping with Casio. Despite both being “watches,” they inhabit entirely different mental categories. Similarly, Salesforce and HubSpot, while technically CRMs, target vastly different customer segments with distinct needs and expectations. A Fortune 500 company seeking robust enterprise features isn’t likely to consider HubSpot as a viable alternative to Salesforce.

Category Influences Mental Anchors
While Anthony asserts that price is tied to perceived value, he underestimates the mental anchors customers form around category norms. For instance, within the CRM category, small-to-midsize businesses associate HubSpot with affordability and ease of use, while Salesforce is synonymous with enterprise-scale complexity and integration. These anchors create a baseline expectation for pricing and value. To break free of these constraints, brands must redefine the category entirely, something Anthony overlooks.

Identity Shapes Price Elasticity
Anthony downplays the role of identity in pricing. Luxury brands like Hermès and Rolls-Royce command higher prices not just because of perceived quality but because they’ve anchored themselves to aspirational identities. These brands own concepts like exclusivity, craftsmanship, or legacy. Without this layer of identity, differentiation alone cannot justify a premium price.

Enterprise Buyers Prioritize Alignment, Not Just Features
Price elasticity is often tied to the alignment between the solution and organizational goals, trust, and long-term risk mitigation in the enterprise world. Salesforce commands premium pricing because decision-makers see it as a strategic partner, not just a tool. The brand’s identity as a leader in customer success elevates its perceived value beyond its functional capabilities. This is where Anthony’s formula of “differentiation within category” misses the bigger picture.

The True Role of Price in Positioning

Pricing is not an isolated decision. It’s a reflection of:

• Identity: How your brand resonates emotionally with your target audience.
• Category Dynamics: The mental frame customers use to evaluate your product.
• Perceived Value: The outcomes customers associate with using your product.

A $5,000 pair of headphones isn’t just about sound quality. It’s about signalling an appreciation for craftsmanship and exclusivity to oneself and others. Similarly, Salesforce doesn’t justify its premium pricing by saying it’s “better than HubSpot” but by aligning its identity with enterprise transformation and customer-centric growth.

Practical Example: Tesla vs. Honda

Tesla didn’t position itself as a “better car” within the automotive category. It framed itself as the future, redefining the category entirely. While a Honda Civic and a Tesla Model S both get you from point A to point B, customers perceive them as fundamentally different products because Tesla’s positioning appeals to values like environmental consciousness, cutting-edge technology, and status. Price, in this context, is a byproduct of the category redefinition Tesla achieved.

Reframing Price and Positioning

Anthony’s point about pricing tied to brand value is not wrong. It’s incomplete. Founders need to understand that:

Category Must Be Redefined to Escape Mental Anchors

Case Study: Peloton didn’t position itself as “better gym equipment.” It became the leader in “connected fitness,” a new category with its own pricing benchmarks.

Identity Drives Perceived Value

Brands must anchor pricing to an emotional and aspirational identity. For example, Stripe’s pricing reflects its role as the backbone of the internet economy, not just a payment processor.

Context Matters

Products within the same broad category can occupy vastly different subcategories in customers’ minds. Founders must position their product within the right mental frame to justify their price.

Why This Matters

Anthony’s framework oversimplifies the interplay between price, category, and identity. While tactical in execution, it risks leading founders to misposition their products within broader categories, leaving pricing decisions unsupported by a coherent narrative. Positioning is not just about what you charge but why customers believe you’re worth it.

C. “Different is Better Than Better” Contradiction

Anthony’s argument that “different is better than better,” originally derived from Sally Hogshead’s idea, is an important principle in positioning. Being distinct often creates memorability and differentiation in crowded markets. However, this principle creates a noticeable contradiction when placed within Anthony’s broader framework. His earlier emphasis on workflows and comparison-based differentiation clashes with the very idea of creating uniqueness. If being “better” is irrelevant, then why does his framework anchor itself so heavily on competitive alternatives?

Anthony’s Claim

Anthony argues that instead of trying to outdo competitors by being “better,” companies should focus on being “different.” This advice encourages founders to shift away from feature wars and think creatively about how their product stands out. On the surface, this sounds practical, but in context, it creates conceptual friction with other elements of his positioning advice.

The Conflict with His Comparison Framework

Anchoring on Competitors
In earlier sections of Anthony’s framework, differentiation is framed as being better at solving workflows compared to competitive alternatives. However, this approach fundamentally ties your narrative to your competition. You’re not truly “different” if you are still defined by comparison.

For example: If you position yourself as “like Slack but with better integrations,” your entire identity depends on Slack’s positioning. You may be “better” in a specific area, but you’re not different in any meaningful sense.

Contradiction in Execution
If “different is better than better,” as Anthony claims, why is his framework centered on workflows and product-based differentiation? True differentiation requires stepping outside the existing category, not competing within its confines. His framework’s focus on workflows inherently limits a company’s ability to break free from these boundaries.

Undermining Identity
By tethering differentiation to features or workflows, the framework neglects the larger role of identity. Being “different” without a unifying identity results in surface-level distinctions that fail to resonate deeply with customers.

What Being “Different” Actually Means in Positioning

To be truly different, brands must break the frame of existing comparisons and own a singular, resonant idea in their customers’ minds. This is not achieved by focusing on workflows or tactical features. Instead, it requires creating new mental associations that redefine the category or introduce entirely new ones.

Case Study: Red Bull vs. Traditional Energy Drinks
Red Bull didn’t position itself as “better” than coffee or soda for energy. Instead, it carved out an entirely new identity: human performance. The brand reframed energy drinks as tools for extreme sports and ambitious lifestyles, creating a category that competitors couldn’t easily replicate.

The Danger of Differentiation Without Depth

Anthony’s advice to “be different” lacks depth when viewed through the lens of his earlier arguments. Being “different” only works if it is tied to a deeper narrative or identity that resonates with customers. Without this, differentiation becomes gimmicky, superficial, or short-lived.

Example of Failed Differentiation: Quibi
Quibi tried to position itself as different in the streaming market by focusing on short-form, mobile-first video content. However, it lacked an identity that connected emotionally with its audience. “Different” wasn’t enough to save the company because it wasn’t grounded in a larger vision or purpose.

How to Align “Different” With Identity

1. Reframe the Market
   Being different means breaking free from existing comparisons. For example, Tesla didn’t compete on being a “better electric car.” It owned the identity of “the future of transport,” reframing the automotive market entirely.
2. Ground Difference in Identity
   Differentiation must flow from a company’s core identity, not just its features. Stripe is “different” from traditional payment processors, but its true identity is “the economic infrastructure of the internet,” which anchors its differentiation in something aspirational and enduring.
3. Tell a Cohesive Story
   Being different requires telling a cohesive story that aligns with both functional benefits and emotional resonance. Apple’s identity as a design-first company informs every aspect of its differentiation, from product design to marketing.

The Cost of Misaligned Differentiation

Startups that focus on being different without connecting it to a cohesive identity risk creating confusion and failing to build trust. Customers don’t buy products because they’re different for the sake of it. They buy because the product solves a problem, aligns with their values, and helps them see the world in a new way.

A Founder’s Question to Ask:
If your competitors vanished tomorrow, would your positioning still make sense? If the answer is no, then you’re not truly different. You’re just reactive.

Finally

Anthony’s assertion that “different is better than better” holds merit in theory but contradicts his reliance on comparison and workflows in execution. True differentiation is about reframing markets and anchoring your brand in a singular identity. Without these elements, “different” becomes a hollow exercise that fails to resonate. To escape this contradiction, founders must align their differentiation with a deeper sense of purpose and identity, creating not just distinction but lasting impact.

D. The Revenue Milestone Fallacy

Anthony argues that early-stage startups should focus their positioning efforts on the next revenue milestone, not the long-term vision. This advice, while pragmatic on the surface, risks locking startups into a cycle of short-term thinking that creates compounding problems over time. Positioning for milestones might get quick wins, but it creates what can best be described as “positioning debt.”

Anthony’s Claim

Anthony suggests startups should limit their positioning efforts to immediate goals: one customer segment, one use case, and one channel to drive revenue to the next milestone. The logic is that early-stage companies lack the resources to pursue complex positioning strategies.

On the surface, this seems reasonable. Startups do need focus, and their messaging should be simple and clear. However, the issue lies not in the focus but in the failure to connect short-term tactics to a consistent, long-term identity.

The Problem with Milestone-Based Positioning

Fragmentation Over Time
Positioning that shifts with every milestone creates fragmented narratives that confuse customers, investors, and internal teams. Without a unifying identity, the brand becomes a patchwork of disconnected messages rather than a cohesive whole.

For example, if a company initially positions itself as “the fastest analytics tool for startups” but later pivots to “the enterprise-grade analytics solution,” it risks alienating its original audience while failing to establish trust with new customers.

Erosion of Trust
Trust is built through consistency. When a company constantly repositions itself to chase milestones, it signals uncertainty rather than confidence. Customers begin to question what the company truly stands for and whether it can deliver on its promises.

Lost Opportunity for Resonance
Milestone-based positioning ignores the emotional and aspirational elements that make brands resonate deeply with their audiences. By focusing solely on immediate use cases, startups miss the opportunity to anchor themselves in a broader narrative that inspires loyalty and advocacy.

Case Studies: The Long-Term vs. Short-Term Divide

Slack’s Long-Term Identity
Slack’s early positioning wasn’t just about solving an immediate use case like “team communication.” It was about simplifying work and making collaboration seamless. This broader identity allowed Slack to scale across different markets and audiences without losing focus.

If Slack had positioned itself solely to hit early ARR milestones, it might have ended up as just another chat tool rather than the workplace standard it became.

Quibi’s Short-Term Thinking
Quibi, on the other hand, positioned itself as “short-form Netflix,” targeting a specific use case: mobile-first streaming. While this addressed an immediate market gap, it lacked a broader identity that connected with audiences. As competitors expanded into mobile-friendly content, Quibi’s positioning became irrelevant.

The Cost of Positioning Debt

Startups that position for milestones often find themselves facing significant repositioning costs as they grow. These costs come in many forms:

• Financial: Rebranding efforts, new campaigns, and customer re-education.
• Cultural: Internal teams struggle to align around a constantly shifting narrative.
• Market: Confused customers lose trust and move to competitors with clearer identities.

Repositioning isn’t just expensive; it’s disruptive. It forces companies to rebuild trust and consistency from scratch, often at the expense of growth.

What Successful Companies Do Differently

Anchor in Identity, Adapt in Execution
Successful startups maintain a consistent identity while adapting their messaging to fit different audiences and growth stages.

Example: Amazon began as “Earth’s largest bookstore,” but its core identity (customer obsession) remained constant. This identity allowed Amazon to evolve into a global e-commerce and cloud computing giant without losing trust or resonance.

Balance Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Vision
Positioning should address immediate customer needs while subtly reinforcing a larger narrative. This ensures that as the company scales, its messaging evolves naturally rather than requiring a complete overhaul.

Example: Stripe initially positioned itself as “the easiest way for developers to accept payments.” This practical, developer-focused messaging aligned with its broader identity as “the economic infrastructure of the internet.” As Stripe expanded into fraud prevention, analytics, and climate tools, it retained this core identity, ensuring consistency across markets.

Invest in Emotional Resonance Early
Even in the early stages, startups can build emotional resonance by connecting their use cases to a larger purpose. This not only differentiates them but also creates a foundation for long-term loyalty.

Example: From its inception, Patagonia’s positioning went beyond selling outdoor gear. It tied every product to its mission of environmental sustainability, creating a brand that customers trust and advocate for.

Practical Advice for Founders

Ask the Right Questions
Instead of asking, “What’s our next milestone?” ask:

• What do we want customers to believe about us in five years?
• How can today’s positioning reinforce that belief?

Align Identity Across Teams
Ensure that product development, marketing, and sales align around a single core identity, even as they pursue different goals.

Measure Consistency, Not Just Growth
Track whether your positioning resonates consistently across audiences and markets. Metrics like customer retention, NPS, and brand recall can provide early indicators of positioning success.

finally

Milestone-based positioning may seem like a practical approach for startups, but it creates long-term costs that far outweigh its short-term benefits. It adds unnecessary complexity. Positioning starts with identity. It connects immediate execution to a larger narrative, ensuring that as the company grows, its messaging evolves without losing clarity or trust.

Founders should resist the urge to pivot their positioning for every new milestone. Instead, they should anchor their strategy in a singular, resonant identity that inspires confidence and loyalty at every growth stage.

E. The Startup Messaging Spectrum Problem

Anthony’s perspective draws a clear line between the founder’s vision and the product’s functional benefits, claiming they are mutually exclusive in early-stage startups. He argues that founders should focus solely on the product for customers and leave the vision for investors. While this approach might simplify communication in the short term, it risks creating a fragmented narrative that undermines long-term positioning and internal alignment.

Separating vision and product messaging creates unnecessary tension. Successful companies integrate both under a unified positioning strategy.

Anthony’s Argument

Anthony suggests that early-stage startups should:

• Focus product messaging on the immediate needs of their target audience.
• Reserve vision-based narratives for venture capitalists who care about growth potential and market opportunities.

His claim is rooted in pragmatism. Founders often over-index on their grand vision, overwhelming customers who simply want to understand how the product solves their immediate problems. By narrowing the message, startups can better target and acquire early customers.

On the surface, this seems logical. Customers care about features that solve their problems, while investors want to know how the company will scale. But this divide introduces several risks that can fracture a startup’s identity.

The Problem with the Vision-Product Dichotomy

Fragmentation of Identity
When messaging is split between vision and product, a company risks creating two disjointed narratives that confuse both customers and internal teams. The result? A brand that lacks coherence and struggles to build trust.

For example, a company pitching “revolutionizing enterprise AI” to investors but “basic workflow automation” to customers creates a cognitive dissonance that leaves both audiences questioning what the company truly stands for.

Misaligned Teams
A clear and unified identity is critical for internal alignment. If the product team is focused solely on functionality while leadership focuses on aspirational narratives, teams work in silos. This misalignment leads to inefficiencies in execution and inconsistency in messaging.

Customers Want Both
Customers may start by evaluating features, but they ultimately stay loyal to brands that align with their aspirations. By presenting only functional benefits to customers, startups miss the opportunity to build emotional resonance and trust.

Why Vision and Product Are Not Opposites

Vision and product messaging are not mutually exclusive. They are different expressions of the same positioning, tailored to distinct audiences.

• Vision provides context: It gives customers and investors a reason to believe in the product beyond its immediate utility.
• Product delivers proof: It validates the vision by showing how it works in practice.

Together, they create a cohesive narrative that resonates across audiences.

Case Studies: Integrating Vision and Product

Salesforce

• Vision: “Customer success through innovation.”
• Product: Initially positioned as “No Software,” Salesforce’s early messaging targeted businesses frustrated with on-premise CRM systems.
• Integration: While its product messaging focused on solving operational pain points, its vision communicated a broader aspiration of transforming customer relationships. This consistency allowed Salesforce to scale while maintaining clarity.

Tesla

• Vision: “Accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
• Product: Tesla’s cars are marketed as high-performance, premium electric vehicles.
• Integration: Customers don’t just buy a car; they buy into Tesla’s mission of sustainability and innovation. Investors see the same narrative, reinforcing confidence in Tesla’s ability to scale.

Slack

• Vision: “Making work simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.”
• Product: Initially focused on team communication, Slack’s messaging highlighted ease of use and productivity.
• Integration: Its vision created a broader context for product features, allowing customers to see Slack as more than just a messaging tool.

Practical Framework: Unifying Vision and Product Messaging

Start with Identity
Positioning begins with a singular idea that integrates vision and product messaging. This core identity must resonate across audiences and guide all communication.

Ask: What is the one idea we want to own in our customers’ and investors’ minds?

Example: Stripe positioned itself as “the economic infrastructure of the internet.” This identity resonated with developers, businesses, and investors alike.

Tailor by Audience, Not by Message
The message should remain consistent, but its expression should adapt to the audience’s needs.

Customers:

Focus on functional benefits but anchor them in the broader vision.

Example: “Automate workflows to save time and focus on growth.”

Investors:

Emphasize the vision but tie it to practical outcomes.

Example: “Our platform automates workflows for SMBs, unlocking a $50B market opportunity.”

Validate with Teams
Ensure that all teams (product, marketing, and leadership) are aligned around the same positioning. Misalignment creates disjointed messaging that confuses both internal and external audiences.

Test for Resonance

• Conduct surveys to gauge whether customers and investors associate your brand with the desired identity.
• Example: Ask, “What three words come to mind when you think of our brand?” (More on this in the next section.)

Why This Matters

The separation of vision and product messaging is a false dichotomy that creates unnecessary complexity and weakens a brand’s positioning. Successful startups don’t choose between vision and product; they integrate both into a cohesive narrative that resonates across stakeholders.

By anchoring messaging in a singular identity, startups can align their teams, build trust with customers, and inspire confidence in investors. Vision provides the why, product provides the how, and together, they create the foundation for long-term success.

The ChatGPT Validation Problem

Positioning is not a game of linguistic word association, yet this seems to be the underlying approach in Anthony’s use of ChatGPT to validate positioning. His methodology, relying on prompts like “finish the sentence” (e.g., “Salesforce is ______”), attempts to extract the mental associations people have with brands. While this may surface broadly recognized patterns, it fundamentally misses the deeper purpose and strategic essence of positioning.

The Problem with “Finish the Sentence” Prompts

Using ChatGPT as a positioning validator highlights several critical flaws:

Reinforcing Surface-Level Associations
ChatGPT generates responses based on linguistic patterns derived from its training data, not on human truths or nuanced decision-making. If you ask it to “finish the sentence” for a brand like Salesforce, it might respond with “CRM” because that’s the most common label associated with the company in its dataset. However, “CRM” doesn’t capture the strategic depth of Salesforce’s positioning as an enabler of customer success or its ability to inspire trust in enterprise innovation. Reducing positioning to such labels confines it to shallow recognition rather than emotional or aspirational resonance.

Example: ChatGPT might say, “Nike makes shoes,” but Nike doesn’t sell shoes; it sells human potential. The expression “Just Do It” isn’t about laces and soles. It’s about empowerment and self-belief.

Confirmation Bias in Prompts
Prompts like “What do people associate with X?” often reinforce pre-existing biases rather than challenging them. The result is a self-fulfilling loop where you validate assumptions without questioning whether they resonate emotionally or strategically with the target audience.

Failure to Distinguish Target Segments
Positioning must account for specific audiences, yet ChatGPT responses are agnostic to your target context or demographic. What resonates with an executive deciding on enterprise software will differ from the mental shortcuts frontline employees use.

Why Linguistic Patterns ≠ Positioning Strength

Positioning is about the unique mental territory a brand occupies, not the most common words associated with it. Linguistic patterns are just that — patterns. They reflect frequency, not depth, nor do they account for the following:

• Emotional Drivers: Trust, confidence, and transformation are the forces behind brand loyalty, none of which ChatGPT can infer from linguistic analysis.
• Aspirational Alignment: Customers don’t just buy products; they invest in futures. Whether it’s Stripe enabling global commerce or Tesla revolutionizing transport, great positioning reflects where customers want to go, not just what they need today.
• Contextual Nuance: Positioning must resonate differently across altitudes in an organization (frontline employees, middle managers, executives). ChatGPT lacks the context to navigate these distinctions.

The Danger of Surface-Level Validation

Relying on superficial validation tools like ChatGPT creates positioning problems that compound over time:

• Shallow Positioning: Brands risk being seen as interchangeable commodities because their positioning lacks depth.
• Reactive Strategies: Surface-level validation fosters a “follow the trend” mentality, leading to reactive decisions rather than proactive differentiation.
• Missed Emotional Connection: By focusing on recognition rather than resonance, brands fail to build loyalty and advocacy among customers.

A Better Way to Validate Positioning

Instead of relying on AI-generated word patterns, founders and marketers should pursue methods that capture the human truths behind decision-making:

Qualitative Research

• Conduct interviews with customers to uncover what they truly value and why.
• Ask open-ended questions: “What does our brand mean to you?” or “Why do you trust us?”
• Example: Stripe’s positioning as the “economic infrastructure of the internet” emerged from understanding developers’ frustrations with fragmented payment systems and their desire for seamless scalability.

Behavioural Analysis

• Observe how customers interact with your product or service in real-world contexts.
• What actions suggest trust or advocacy? What features do they highlight when recommending your brand?

Customer Journey Mapping

• Identify emotional and functional touchpoints across the buyer’s journey.
• Understand what drives decisions at different stages — from initial consideration to long-term loyalty.

Brand Association Research

• Go beyond “finish the sentence” to explore deeper associations.
• Example: Instead of asking, “What does Salesforce mean to you?” ask, “What problem does Salesforce help you solve, and how does that make you feel about your work?”

Why Positioning Must Go Deeper

ChatGPT’s ability to reflect linguistic patterns may serve as a starting point for exploring brand associations, but it is no substitute for the nuanced insights needed to create impactful positioning. Great positioning emerges from understanding the human motivations that drive loyalty and trust, not from counting how often a word appears in a dataset.

In the end, positioning isn’t what people recognize; it’s what they remember and care about. And that requires going far beyond the limits of AI-generated prompts into the realm of authentic human connection.

Missing the Human Element

At the heart of positioning lies one unchanging truth: brands are built on trust, emotion, and transformation, not on algorithms or linguistic associations. This is where ChatGPT-based validation methods fundamentally fall short. Positioning isn’t a game of recognition—it’s about resonance. And that resonance stems from understanding human motivations at a deeper level.

Positioning and Emotional Drivers

Every purchase, whether B2B or B2C, is driven by a mix of functional needs and emotional aspirations. As Antonio Damasio’s research in Descartes’ Error highlights, even the most logical-seeming decisions have emotional underpinnings. Yet ChatGPT lacks the ability to uncover these drivers because:

• It doesn’t feel emotion. It can predict word patterns, but it cannot interpret the emotional context behind why someone chooses Salesforce over HubSpot or Nike over Adidas.
• It ignores context. Customers don’t operate in a vacuum; their decisions are shaped by their experiences, goals, and fears.

For example, consider a CTO deciding on a software solution. While functionality is critical, the real drivers might include:

• A fear of reputational damage if the system fails.
• The trustworthiness of the vendor to deliver.
• The aspiration to align with an innovative, future-proof brand.

ChatGPT cannot uncover these nuanced motivations, leaving brands with shallow insights that fail to inform positioning.

The Role of Trust in Positioning

Trust is the cornerstone of brand loyalty, especially in high-stakes enterprise environments. Companies like IBM and Stripe understand this well. Their positioning doesn’t just highlight features. It reassures customers of reliability, scalability, and shared values.

Stripe

• Functional: Stripe’s API simplifies payment processing.
• Emotional: Stripe’s ethos of being developer-first creates trust among its core audience.
• Aspirational: Stripe positions itself as the backbone of global commerce, aligning with customers’ ambitions to scale seamlessly.

Contrast this with ChatGPT’s approach, which might capture the functional aspect of “payments” but entirely misses the emotional and aspirational dimensions.

Why Transformation Matters

Beyond solving immediate problems, great positioning helps customers see how their lives or businesses will improve. It provides a sense of purpose and direction.

Salesforce’s positioning as an enabler of customer success isn’t just about CRM software. It’s about transforming businesses to be more customer-centric and innovative. This idea resonates across organizational levels.

• Frontline employees appreciate tools that simplify workflows.
• Managers value insights that enhance team performance.
• Executives align with strategic outcomes like revenue growth and long-term competitiveness.

Positioning that emphasizes transformation creates emotional stickiness, something ChatGPT’s pattern recognition cannot replicate.

Why Recognition is Not Enough

Anthony’s reliance on surface-level validation assumes that if a word is commonly associated with a brand, it reflects strong positioning. But recognition and positioning are not synonymous. Recognition tells you what people notice; positioning tells you what people believe.

Consider this:

• Recognizing Salesforce as “CRM” doesn’t capture its positioning as a partner in customer success.
• Associating Nike with “shoes” misses its positioning as a symbol of empowerment and achievement.

This disconnect underscores the danger of equating recognition with resonance. Customers don’t stay loyal to brands they recognize; they stay loyal to brands they trust, admire, and connect with emotionally.

Practical Steps to Avoid Shallow Positioning

Embrace Qualitative Insights

• Conduct deep-dive interviews with customers to understand their fears, goals, and aspirations.
• Ask probing questions: “Why did you choose us?” “What emotional value does our brand provide?”

Map the Emotional Journey

• Identify the emotions customers feel at every stage of the buying journey.
• Example: Anxiety during initial evaluation, trust at purchase, pride during use.

Test for Transformation

• Evaluate whether your positioning inspires a sense of improvement or progress.
• Example: “How has our product made your work easier or your business more successful?”

Integrate Across Altitudes

• Ensure that your positioning resonates with all organizational levels, from frontline users to executives.
• Tailor messaging to their priorities without losing the central identity.

The Human Advantage

Positioning isn’t just about being seen; it’s about being felt. It’s about building a connection that goes beyond functionality into the realm of trust, loyalty, and aspiration. ChatGPT, for all its linguistic prowess, can’t access the human truths that make great positioning stick.

If positioning were just about recognition, any brand could win by plastering its name on billboards. But to own a meaningful place in the minds of your customers, you need to dig deeper. Resonance beats recognition every time.

Systemic Issues Creating Positioning Problems

A: The VC Growth Trap

The modern startup ecosystem is driven by one unrelenting force: growth. But while the allure of rapid scaling and outsized returns might excite investors, it often creates structural distortions in how companies approach positioning. The pressure to appease venture capitalists and show immediate traction frequently leads to flawed strategic decisions that prioritize short-term wins over long-term stability.

The TAM Trap

One of the most significant distortions introduced by VC-led growth is the obsession with Total Addressable Market (TAM). Startups are often incentivized to claim as large a TAM as possible to justify their valuation, even if it means diluting their focus.

Here’s how this plays out:

• Broad Messaging: To appeal to a massive audience, companies craft messaging designed to resonate with everyone. In doing so, they resonate with no one.
• Feature Overload: Products become bloated with capabilities to serve multiple segments, often sacrificing usability or coherence.
• Positioning Drift: A lack of clarity in whom the company serves and why leads to frequent shifts in messaging, confusing both customers and internal teams.

Example: WeWork positioned itself as a tech company with an unlimited TAM that spanned anyone seeking “space as a service.” By trying to serve everyone, it alienated core customers who valued flexible, community-driven workspaces. The result was skepticism, loss of trust, and an eventual collapse in valuation.

Short-Term Thinking and Positioning Debt

Another systemic issue tied to VC pressure is short-termism: the focus on hitting the next revenue milestone at all costs. While this might generate immediate gains, it often creates what can be called “positioning debt.”

Positioning debt occurs when companies compromise their strategic identity to achieve near-term goals. Over time, this debt accumulates and requires costly rebranding, repositioning, or even product overhauls to correct.

Case Study: Early on, Peloton positioned itself as “fitness for everyone” despite its high price point and niche audience of affluent, tech-savvy consumers. The result was a mismatch between its product and its messaging. Peloton eventually had to course-correct, leaning into its premium, community-driven identity, but not before significant brand confusion and market challenges.

The Cost of Misaligned Positioning

The consequences of these systemic pressures extend beyond confused customers and missed opportunities. They manifest in measurable financial and operational costs:

Customer Attrition
Misaligned positioning creates unmet expectations, leading to higher churn rates. Customers buy into a promise the company cannot deliver.

• Example: A customer expecting “affordable and flexible” from a SaaS startup positioned broadly may be disappointed by its enterprise-focused pricing model.

Internal Misalignment
Teams lack a unified understanding of the company’s identity, resulting in conflicting priorities across product, marketing, and sales.

• Example: Marketing creates campaigns targeting SMBs while the sales team focuses on enterprise accounts.

Rebranding Costs
Correcting misaligned positioning often requires significant investments in new campaigns, customer re-education, and sometimes even product redesigns.

A Better Approach: Focus Over Broad Appeal

The antidote to these systemic issues is intentional focus. Instead of chasing a broad TAM or short-term metrics, startups should narrow their positioning to own a singular idea that resonates deeply with a specific audience.

Stripe as a Model
Stripe began with a laser focus on developers, positioning itself as the easiest payment API to integrate. This narrow focus didn’t limit Stripe’s growth; it created a foundation of trust and loyalty that allowed the company to expand into adjacent markets like fraud prevention, analytics, and carbon removal tools.

Three Principles for Avoiding the VC Trap

Anchor in Identity

• Define what your company stands for beyond its features or workflows.
• Example: Tesla doesn’t just build electric vehicles. It embodies the future of sustainable transport.

Resist the TAM Temptation

• Focus on owning a small, well-defined segment first. Market expansion can come later.
• Example: HubSpot started with “inbound marketing” for small businesses before expanding into a broader CRM platform.

Prioritize Clarity Over Growth

• Ensure your messaging reflects your identity, even if it limits initial appeal. Long-term trust is worth more than short-term attention.

finally

VC pressure can distort positioning, but it doesn’t have to. By resisting the lure of broad TAMs and milestone-based positioning, startups can build brands that stand the test of time. Success isn’t about being everything to everyone; it’s about being indispensable to the right people. While rapid growth may look good in the short term, only clear, identity-driven positioning creates the foundation for enduring success. And let’s face it, if you’re building your company to last, isn’t that the kind of positioning you’d rather have?

B: The Execution Crisis

Execution is where good strategies either come to life or crumble under misalignment. While Anthony Pierri emphasizes execution as critical for early-stage startups, his framework overlooks a foundational issue: when positioning is not clearly defined, even flawless execution leads to mediocre outcomes. This systemic crisis is compounded by common failure patterns that plague startups trying to bridge the gap between ambition and reality.

Tactical Over Strategy

Many startups conflate positioning with messaging, leading them to prioritize tactical adjustments rather than strategic clarity. This is like polishing a car’s exterior without addressing engine problems. Good optics, but no long-term reliability. When execution drives strategy, companies risk missing the bigger picture.

Symptoms of the Problem:

Campaign-Driven Identity: Instead of building a cohesive brand, startups pivot messaging with every campaign.

• Example: A SaaS company markets itself as an “all-in-one solution” one quarter and a “specialized platform” the next, confusing its audience and internal teams.

Feature-Centric Messaging: Startups often focus their messaging on what their product does today, rather than the broader problem it solves.

• Example: Highlighting a dashboard’s features without connecting it to how it transforms decision-making.

Why It Fails:

• Tactical execution without strategic positioning creates fragmented narratives.
• Customers fail to see the bigger picture of why the company exists and what makes it indispensable.

The Failure to Align Teams

When positioning isn’t anchored in a clear identity, different teams interpret it in conflicting ways. Sales targets quick wins. Marketing focuses on awareness. Product development chases trends. The result? Misalignment that erodes trust, both internally and externally.

Case Study: Peloton’s early struggles highlight how execution without clear alignment can lead to mixed signals. Initially marketed as “fitness for everyone,” its premium pricing and niche audience contradicted this positioning. Internally, teams lacked a unifying narrative, which led to inconsistent messaging and brand perception. Once Peloton embraced its identity as a high-end, community-driven fitness brand, its messaging aligned across all departments, from product design to advertising.

The Remedy:

1. Establish a central positioning that aligns all teams.
2. Tie execution metrics to this core identity to ensure consistency.

Overcomplicating Execution

Startups often overcomplicate execution, creating elaborate go-to-market strategies that collapse under their complexity. This happens when companies try to serve too many segments, address too many use cases, or cater to conflicting customer priorities.

What Works Better:
Simplicity. Narrowing focus to a single segment, use case, or core promise allows startups to execute effectively without diluting their identity.

Example: Stripe started with a clear focus: developers. Stripe avoided feature bloat and complicated messaging by positioning itself as the easiest payment API for developers. Over time, this simplicity allowed it to scale into broader markets like fraud prevention and carbon removal tools without compromising its core identity.

Common Patterns of Execution Failure

Misaligned KPIs

Marketing optimizes for leads, sales for conversions, and product teams for usability, leading to fragmented priorities.

Trend-Chasing

• Companies pivot to match the latest industry trend, diluting their core identity.
• Example: Startups slapping “AI-powered” onto their messaging without meaningful differentiation.

Customer Disconnection

Execution focuses on features rather than the emotional or aspirational drivers that make customers stay loyal.

Impact:
These patterns don’t just undermine campaigns—they erode long-term trust and brand equity, creating positioning debt that’s costly to repay.

Reframing Execution as Strategic Alignment

Execution isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing the right things in the right way. Positioning should serve as the North Star for all execution efforts, ensuring every decision reinforces the company’s identity.

Three Principles for Strategic Execution:

Start with Clarity: Ensure teams deeply understand the company’s positioning before executing campaigns.

• Example: Before launching any initiative, ask: “Does this reinforce our singular idea in the customer’s mind?”

Simplify to Scale: Avoid feature bloat and overly complex campaigns. Focus execution on what reinforces the company’s core promise.

• Example: Instead of adding more features to compete with rivals, double down on the ones that deliver the most impact for your audience.

Measure for Resonance, Not Volume: Metrics like retention, advocacy, and emotional connection matter more than vanity metrics like clicks or leads.

finally

The execution crisis in startups is a symptom of deeper positioning issues. Tactical brilliance can’t save a misaligned identity. Startups must shift their mindset: execution is not the destination but the vehicle that carries a well-defined strategy. When a clear, identity-based positioning drives execution, it becomes a powerful force that scales trust, loyalty, and growth.

Execution, when unmoored from strategy, is just noise. When aligned with a strong positioning foundation, it becomes music.

The Reality of Positioning

a. Identity as Foundation

Positioning that endures is rooted not in fleeting comparisons or transactional differentiation but in identity. At its core, positioning answers this: who are you in the minds of your customers, and why do you matter? Identity is not just the foundation of positioning. It is its entire structure.

Moving Beyond Comparison to Ownership

Anthony Pierri’s focus on differentiation assumes positioning succeeds when customers view your product as distinct from competitors. While differentiation matters, it is not the goal of positioning. Comparison reduces your brand to a relative player in someone else’s narrative. Identity, on the other hand, removes competitors from the equation entirely.

Why Comparison Fails:

Anchoring to Competitors: Positioning as “better than X” reinforces the competitor’s relevance.

• Example: If you position as “Tesla but cheaper,” you validate Tesla as the benchmark.

The Commoditization Trap: Features and workflows are easier to replicate than an owned identity.

• Example: Many companies have copied Slack’s features, but no one has replicated Slack’s identity as a champion of simplified team communication.

What Works Better:
Positioning succeeds when your audience stops thinking about alternatives and starts associating your brand with a singular, irreplaceable concept.

Volvo doesn’t position itself as “better than BMW in crash tests.” It owns the concept of safety outright. Every decision Volvo makes, from its product designs to its advocacy for stricter road safety laws — reinforces this identity

Integration Across Organizational Levels

Great positioning isn’t just consistent across levels of an organization; it resonates with each stakeholder based on what they value most. Bain’s Value Pyramid provides a helpful framework for understanding how value ascends from functional benefits to emotional and strategic outcomes:

Frontline Employees: Functional Value
Frontline employees prioritize usability and efficiency. Positioning at this level must clearly articulate what the product does and how it simplifies daily workflows.

Salesforce ensures its intuitive CRM enables sales representatives to log data and access insights without friction quickly. This functional clarity supports its broader identity of enabling customer success.

Middle Management: Emotional and Team Enablement
Managers need to see how the product empowers their teams, improves performance, and provides visibility into operations. Emotional value emerges here, as they look for tools that reduce stress and make their teams more productive.

Salesforce’s dashboards help managers track sales pipeline performance while connecting those metrics to broader business goals. The platform isn’t just a tool. It’s a way to ensure their teams succeed.

Executives: Strategic Value and Vision Alignment
Executives prioritize why the product matters to the company’s strategic direction. Positioning must connect the product to outcomes such as revenue growth, market leadership, or customer retention.

Salesforce frames its identity around customer-centric growth, aligning its tools with executives’ goals of scaling operations while building strong, long-term customer relationships.

Why Bain’s Value Pyramid Is Essential

By using Bain’s framework, companies ensure their positioning scales across all organizational levels without fragmenting the brand’s identity. Each layer reinforces the same core idea but adapts how it is communicated to meet the unique needs of different stakeholders.

This framework also addresses one of Anthony’s oversights, failing to bridge tactical functionality and aspirational resonance. Bain’s Pyramid shows that a singular identity like “customer success” can simultaneously address frontline needs (functionality), managerial goals (team enablement), and executive strategy (market leadership).

Incorporating Bain’s Value Pyramid ensures your positioning isn’t static or one-dimensional. It evolves dynamically across your organization, connecting operational simplicity to emotional resonance and strategic outcomes. When identity is the foundation, it becomes the common thread that ties every level together, creating a unified and scalable narrative.

Balancing Clarity with Resonance

Positioning must unite functional clarity (what you do) with emotional resonance (why it matters). Companies often fail because they overemphasize one while neglecting the other.

Functional Clarity

• Customers need to understand your product’s capabilities and benefits. This creates the “what” of your positioning.
• Example: Stripe communicates functional clarity by emphasizing its simplicity and developer-friendly APIs.

Emotional Resonance

• Emotional resonance creates loyalty by addressing aspirational and emotional needs.
• Example: Stripe doesn’t just process payments. Its positioning as “the economic infrastructure of the internet” inspires trust and aligns with customers’ ambitions to scale globally.

The magic of positioning lies in the balance. Functional clarity creates trust. Emotional resonance creates loyalty. Together, they make positioning unforgettable.

The Power of a Singular Idea

Strong positioning is like a prism: the singular clarity of your identity refracts into different messages for different audiences while maintaining its core. This unity across touchpoints is what makes great positioning scale.

Examples of Singular Ideas That Scale:

• Tesla: The future of sustainable transport.
• Red Bull: Human potential.
• HubSpot: Inbound marketing.

These brands don’t compete on features or price. They compete on identity, creating a resonance that their competitors cannot touch.

finally

Identity is the foundation of enduring positioning. It removes competitors from the narrative, aligns messaging across organizational levels, and balances functional clarity with emotional resonance. Companies that anchor their positioning in identity don’t just win markets — they define them.

Would you rather be the best in someone else’s category or the only one in your own? Positioning rooted in identity makes the answer clear.

B: Breaking False Divisions

One of the most persistent errors in modern positioning theory is the creation of false dichotomies. Anthony’s framework exemplifies this with two specific divides: the supposed chasm between B2B and B2C positioning and the artificial separation of brand and product positioning. Both are distractions that miss the larger truth: positioning transcends these boundaries. Let’s dismantle these misconceptions and build a more cohesive understanding.

The Myth of B2B vs. B2C

Anthony asserts that workflows and categories define B2B, while emotional resonance is the domain of B2C. On the surface, this feels logical. After all, purchasing accounting software for your company is hardly the same as picking out a new pair of sneakers. But this division oversimplifies how humans make decisions — regardless of context.

Why This Distinction Fails

Humans Buy, Not Enterprises
Whether a customer is buying for themselves or their organization, decisions are still made by humans. And humans, as neuroscience research repeatedly confirms, are driven by a mix of emotion and logic. Antonio Damasio famously stated, “We are not thinking machines that feel, we are feeling machines that think.”

• Example: A CTO doesn’t just evaluate Salesforce based on features. They also consider trust, reputation, and the risks of failure.

The Role of Trust and Anxiety Reduction
In B2B, purchasing decisions often carry significant financial, reputational, and operational risks. Reducing anxiety and inspiring confidence is not a “nice-to-have” but a core component of effective positioning.

• Case Study: IBM’s pivot to “Think” wasn’t about features but about building trust as a partner in innovation. It reassured decision-makers at all levels, from IT managers to CEOs.

Emotional Resonance Isn’t Just About Aspirations
Emotional resonance in B2B often focuses on practical transformation: making someone’s job easier, helping them achieve a promotion, or ensuring their team succeeds.

• Example: Stripe’s “economic infrastructure of the internet” speaks to developers’ pride in building scalable systems while addressing executives’ aspirations for growth and innovation.

The Real Truth
Positioning that works doesn’t distinguish between B2B and B2C. It aligns functional clarity with emotional resonance across audiences. Customers want to trust you, believe in your vision, and feel confident in their choice whether they’re buying software or sneakers.

The Arbitrary Brand vs. Product Split

Another glaring divide in Anthony’s framework is the separation of brand and product positioning. This idea suggests that a company’s overarching identity (brand) can be divorced from how its products are positioned. It’s a tempting simplification, but it’s fundamentally flawed.

Why This Separation Creates Problems

Positioning Is Singular
Al Ries, one of the original thinkers on positioning, argued that positioning is about owning a concept in the prospect’s mind. Whether you’re talking about the company or its products, that concept must remain consistent.

• Example: Volvo owns safety. Whether it’s the Volvo brand or the XC90, the positioning doesn’t change — it’s simply applied at different levels.

Brand and Product Are Intertwined
A brand’s identity shapes how its products are perceived, and its products reinforce its brand identity. Splitting these creates cognitive dissonance.

• Case Study: Tesla’s identity as the future of sustainable transport is reflected in every product it offers, from cars to batteries. You can’t separate the two without diluting its position.

Confusion Leads to Weakness
When brands attempt to create separate narratives for their products and themselves, they risk fragmenting their positioning. Customers need clarity, not a collection of disconnected stories.

• Failure Example: WeWork’s attempt to position itself as a tech company rather than a flexible workspace provider created confusion, skepticism, and, ultimately, loss of trust.

Breaking the False Divisions

The strength of great positioning lies in its universality. It doesn’t bend or break when applied to different contexts. It adapts while staying true to its core identity.

Case Studies:

Salesforce

• Position: Customer success.
• Product: Tools that enable customer-centric growth.
• Result: Whether targeting executives or frontline users, Salesforce’s positioning remains consistent, reinforcing trust and transformation.

Nike

• Position: Empowerment through sport.
• Product: High-performance gear that enhances potential.
• Result: Nike’s messaging resonates equally with casual joggers and Olympic athletes, proving that a singular identity can scale.

HubSpot

• Position: Inbound marketing and customer-centric growth.
• Product: Tools that simplify and scale customer engagement.
• Result: HubSpot’s identity anchors every product, ensuring consistency across offerings and markets.

Finally

Positioning that works isn’t defined by false divisions. It recognizes that humans buy based on trust and emotion, regardless of context. It integrates brand and product into a unified narrative that resonates at every level.

Instead of debating whether you’re better at workflows or concepts, B2B or B2C, brand or product, ask yourself this: What singular idea do you want to own in the minds of your customers? Everything else flows from there.

C: Evolution with Consistency

One of the most misunderstood aspects of positioning is its dynamic nature. Positioning is not a rigid concept; it evolves as a company grows, markets shift, and customer needs change. However, this evolution must remain anchored to a company’s core identity. Without that anchor, positioning becomes adrift, resulting in confusion and diminishing trust.

The Need for Evolution in Positioning

As companies scale, they face new audiences, enter new markets, and introduce new products. This natural progression demands that positioning adapts, but adaptation should never come at the cost of identity.

Static Positioning Creates Obsolescence
A positioning strategy built solely on immediate workflows or features will eventually run its course. When customer needs evolve or competitors innovate, companies with rigid positioning struggle to stay relevant.

• Example: Blockbuster’s inability to pivot from its identity as a DVD rental giant to the emerging world of streaming ultimately sealed its fate.

Evolution Enables Relevance
Companies that evolve their positioning while maintaining their identity can meet changing demands without losing the essence of what makes them unique.

• Example: Amazon’s positioning has always centred on being “customer-centric.” It began as the “Earth’s biggest bookstore,” delivering unparalleled convenience and selection to readers. Over time, Amazon expanded this same promise to include everything from cloud computing (AWS) to grocery delivery (Amazon Fresh), showing how consistent positioning can unlock new markets without losing its core identity.

Consistency as the Anchor of Evolution

While positioning must evolve, consistency ensures that customers recognize the brand regardless of its growth or market diversification.

Identity Anchors Trust
When companies maintain a consistent core idea, they build trust over time. Customers know what to expect and associate the brand with specific outcomes or emotions.

• Example: Volvo has consistently owned “safety” for decades. Whether promoting new electric models or traditional sedans, safety remains its central promise.

Fragmentation Erodes Loyalty
Without consistency, companies risk creating fragmented narratives that alienate their audience. Customers value predictability in what a brand stands for, and a lack of clarity can push them toward competitors.

• Failure Example: Yahoo’s frequent shifts in strategy and identity, from a search engine to a media company to a tech incubator — left customers and investors uncertain about its purpose, contributing to its decline.

Framework for Evolution with Consistency

How can companies evolve their positioning without losing sight of their identity?

1. Audit Identity Regularly
   Periodically reassess the core idea your brand owns. Ask: Does it still resonate with our customers? Does it align with where we are headed?
2. Adapt Messaging by Audience
   Different audiences require different expressions of your positioning. While frontline employees might care about tactical benefits, executives want strategic outcomes. Ensure all messaging ladders back to the same identity.
3. Scale Thoughtfully
   Expand your positioning to accommodate new products, services, or markets without diluting your core promise. This requires careful alignment between innovation and narrative.
4. Reinforce Through Actions
   Words alone don’t solidify positioning. Reinforce your evolution through consistent product decisions, customer experiences, and cultural values.

FINALLy

Positioning isn’t static. Companies must evolve to stay relevant, but evolution without consistency is a recipe for confusion. Positioning balances adaptability with an unshakable identity.

Great companies don’t just change what they offer but how they express the same promise. Whether it’s Amazon’s “customer obsession,” Tesla’s “sustainability innovation,” or Salesforce’s “customer success,” evolution succeeds when it reinforces, rather than replaces, the core idea.

The challenge for founders and marketers is clear: as your business grows, ensure your positioning remains dynamic and consistent. After all, the only thing worse than being outdated is being unrecognizable.

Practical Implementation

A: For Early-Stage Companies

Balancing Focus and Identity
Early-stage companies often struggle with the temptation to chase immediate wins. They try to appeal to broader markets, tack on features to win more customers, or overly customize messaging for short-term gains. While this approach might generate some early revenue, it sacrifices the clarity and resonance needed for long-term positioning.

Instead, startups must narrow their focus. Define the single, irreplaceable idea you want to own in your target customer’s mind. This is not just about differentiation or solving a problem but about embodying an identity that aligns with their functional needs and emotional aspirations.

Stripe didn’t start by saying, “We’re a better payment processor.” Its early messaging revolved around “developer-first simplicity,” making Stripe synonymous with ease of integration for engineers. This clear focus created a foundation for trust, allowing Stripe to grow into “the economic infrastructure of the internet” without losing sight of its core identity.

Steps for Early-Stage Founders:

1. Clarify Your Identity: Ask: “If we could own only one concept in our customer’s mind, what would it be?”
2. Focus on One Market Segment: Instead of targeting all potential customers, identify the one segment where your value proposition has the most resonance.
3. Say No to Complexity: Resist the urge to overbuild features or craft overly broad messaging. The discipline to focus pays dividends in clarity and loyalty.

Building Authentic Positioning
Authenticity is not a marketing buzzword. It’s the glue that binds your positioning to your company’s product, culture, and execution. Customers can spot a disjointed message from a mile away, especially in the early stages when trust is fragile.

What Authentic Positioning Looks Like:

• Your product delivers exactly what your messaging promises. No exaggerated claims, just consistent delivery.
• Your internal culture reflects the promise you make to customers. If you position yourself as “customer-obsessed,” your customer support and onboarding must reflect that.
• Your team understands and embodies the identity you’re building. Authenticity starts from within.

Slack’s early positioning as “making work simpler and more pleasant” wasn’t just a tagline. The product’s playful design, ease of use, and delightful notifications all reinforced this message. This alignment made Slack stand out in a crowded field of communication tools.

Measuring Effectiveness
Positioning may seem abstract, but its impact is measurable. Startups should regularly evaluate whether their positioning is resonating with customers and aligning with business objectives.

Metrics to Track:

1. Customer Feedback: What words do customers use to describe your product? Do they align with your intended identity?
2. Retention Rates: Strong positioning creates loyal customers who return repeatedly.
3. Referrals: Are your customers actively advocating for your brand? Advocacy is a sign of resonance.
4. Win Rates: When competing for deals, is your differentiation clear enough to close prospects?

Pro Tip: Use customer interviews and surveys to validate your positioning. Ask them not just what they think about your product but why they chose it and how they perceive its value.

B: For Growing Companies

Evolving While Maintaining Identity
As companies scale, the pressure to expand into new markets and add features can dilute their positioning. Growth should be additive, not transformative. The identity you establish at the start must remain intact, even as your messaging adapts to new audiences.

HubSpot began by owning “inbound marketing,” a concept that differentiated it from intrusive advertising tools. Over time, it expanded into customer-centric growth strategies but never lost sight of its roots. Every new product (whether CRM or email automation) was built on the promise of helping customers attract, engage, and delight their own audiences.

Steps to Maintain Identity While Growing:

1. Anchor New Products in Core Identity: Ask, “Does this new product or feature reinforce our positioning, or does it create dissonance?”
2. Evolve Messaging Gradually: Adapt your language to address new audiences without alienating your existing base.
3. Avoid Positional Drift: If you start as “developer-first,” don’t pivot to “enterprise-ready” overnight. Gradual evolution maintains trust.

Scaling Positioning Across Markets
As you expand globally or enter new industries, your positioning must scale without fracturing. A unified identity helps ensure consistency, even as local teams adapt messaging to cultural and market-specific nuances.

What Scalable Positioning Looks Like:

• A clear, singular concept anchors the global narrative (e.g., “Apple = creativity”).
• Regional teams localize the message without altering the core identity (e.g., different advertising styles for different cultures but with the same essence).

Nike’s positioning, “inspiring human potential,” translates across markets. While the specific campaigns vary, localizing heroes like LeBron James in the U.S. or Cristiano Ronaldo in Europe, the message of empowerment remains universal.

Success Metrics and Validation
Growing companies must continuously validate their positioning to ensure it resonates as they scale. Here’s how to track success:

1. Global Consistency: Can customers in Tokyo, Berlin, and New York describe your brand similarly?
2. Market Penetration: Are new products or features being adopted by the same types of loyal customers who defined your early success?
3. Employee Alignment: Do your teams across geographies and functions understand and embody your positioning?
4. Customer Perception Surveys: Are customers’ perceptions evolving in alignment with your growth strategy?

Pro Tip: Host regular workshops with leadership and regional teams to align on positioning, ensuring no one deviates from the core identity.

This dual framework, tailored to early-stage and growing companies, shows that positioning isn’t static. It evolves with your business but must remain anchored in a clear, authentic identity that resonates with customers.

Positioning as a Lens

Positioning is not a formula, a tagline, or a one-time exercise. It is the backbone of a business, aligning every decision, from product development to customer experience — around a singular, resonant identity. It transcends categories, workflows, and competitive comparisons, establishing a connection with customers that is as functional as it is emotional.

Anthony Pierri’s tactical frameworks have undoubtedly provided clarity for early-stage startups. Yet, his approach misses the deeper strategic value of positioning by prioritizing differentiation over identity and short-term wins over long-term resonance. Founders who adopt this approach may find temporary clarity but risk creating positioning debt. Misalignments that accumulate and ultimately hinder growth and scale.

Insights from the Best Minds

Christopher Lochhead, co-author of Play Bigger, highlights the importance of creating and dominating a category, rather than competing within existing paradigms. He argues, “Category kings don’t just capture market share; they redefine how people think about a problem and its solution.” This perspective reinforces the idea that effective positioning is not about differentiation or incremental improvements but about owning a singular, resonant idea that reshapes customer expectations entirely.

“The mind has no room for two ideas.”

This insight from Al Ries and Jack Trout in Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind is foundational. Great positioning requires focus and clarity. It’s not about listing features or chasing every customer segment; it’s about planting a singular idea in the customer’s mind.

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

Simon Sinek’s Start With Why emphasizes the importance of purpose in creating loyalty. Products change, markets shift, but a purpose-driven identity provides the north star for growth.

“When your customers hire your product, they’re hiring it to do a job.”

Clayton Christensen’s Competing Against Luck reinforces that customers buy products to fulfill functional and emotional jobs. Positioning that ignores this emotional layer misses the deeper connection customers seek.

“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”

Michael Porter’s perspective from Competitive Strategy reminds us that positioning requires making tough choices. Trying to appeal to everyone dilutes your narrative and diminishes your ability to resonate deeply with your ideal customer.

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say no to other things.”

Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People echoes the importance of focus. The courage to say no to short-term gains often defines long-term success in positioning.

Key Principles: A Final Framework for Founders and Leaders

Own Identity Over Comparison
Positioning rooted in identity establishes your brand as irreplaceable. Comparison-based positioning confines your narrative to competitors’ shadows. Ask yourself, “What do we stand for that no one else can?”

Integrate Across Levels
Effective positioning resonates with stakeholders at every altitude. Frontline employees appreciate usability, middle managers value enablement, and executives prioritize strategic outcomes.

Evolve Without Losing Identity
Brands that scale successfully don’t pivot away from their core—they expand while remaining true to their identity.

Additional Thought Leaders and Concepts to Explore

• Seth Godin: In This Is Marketing, Godin argues for creating tribes—communities of shared purpose—that connect deeply with customers’ identities.
• Marty Neumeier: The Brand Gap provides a framework for integrating logic and emotion into branding and positioning.
• Antonio Damasio: In Descartes’ Error, Damasio demonstrates how emotions play a critical role in decision-making, even in seemingly rational contexts like B2B.
• Rita McGrath: Her book Seeing Around Corners highlights the importance of anticipating market shifts without losing sight of core positioning.

Positioning is not an event but a discipline requiring continuous refinement. To ensure your positioning creates clarity, trust, and growth, founders must take deliberate steps:

Audit Regularly
Revisit your positioning every six months. Ask, “Does this still represent who we are and where we’re going?”

Validate Continuously
Engage with customers, employees, and stakeholders to ensure your positioning resonates. Surveys and qualitative interviews can uncover gaps and opportunities.

Inspire Internally
Make positioning part of your organizational culture. Employees should not only understand your positioning but live it in their interactions with customers.

Relax, it’s not rocket science

Positioning is like light passing through a prism. Your singular identity refracts into different dimensions, functional benefits, emotional resonance, and aspirational value, depending on who perceives it. But the light source, your identity, remains constant.

When you own your identity and align every element of your business around it, you don’t just compete. You redefine what the category means. And as Ries and Trout said, “The mind has no room for two ideas.” Make your idea the one that matters.

(Anthony’s image source)