WHAT IS BRAND POSITIONING?

Positioning is one of those things that, when you finally get it right, makes everything else easier. Your decisions, marketing, messaging and even your confidence as a business.

But first, let’s strip it back.

Positioning is simply how you are perceived. The simplest way to think about positioning is by asking one question:

“What do you want to be known for?”

That’s it. Nothing fancy, and most people understand that concept instantly.

What’s harder, is doing it well or even at all. There are a lot of moving parts to think about, and because of that, most businesses skip this step altogether and jump straight into activity and exciting tactics. A website, a brand refresh, more content, a random campaign. All tactics but not anchored to anything.

 Give me just one thing you want to be known for…

Not ten. Not “we do everything”. One clear association you want people to hold in their mind when they think of you.

And here’s the important bit. That thing doesn’t always have to be about what you do.

It could be a belief you stand for. A value you champion, a stance you take, even something that deliberately divides opinion.

Take LUSH for example. (One of our favourite brands)

They’re not positioning themselves as “people who sell soap”. They lean heavily into ethics, activism, and consumer beliefs. Handmade, fresh, anti-testing, values-led.

• Fresh, handmade, ethical cosmetics.

That positioning does a huge amount of work for them before you even walk into a shop and guides every decision they make.

Or think about brands that choose to own price.

Being the cheapest or the most premium. That single decision shapes everything else. Product, language, experience.

Monzo is another good example.

Banking is, let’s be honest, not the most exciting category. Their positioning wasn’t about better interest rates. It was about transparency, simplicity, and doing things differently to the traditional way. They chose to make banking feel clear and human. That gave people a reason to care.

At this point, most businesses push back and say, “But that’s not all we do.”

And they’re right.

But positioning isn’t about telling people everything. It’s about knowing what you are all about in your market and giving your audience a reason to notice you in the first place. You earn the right to be more nuanced later.

Your job is to be specific, distinctive and doing it coherently. If you’re not, people simply won’t pay attention.

Once you’re clearly associated with one thing, other associations can build around it. But they need a starting point.

That’s why positioning sits at the foundation of brand strategy. It informs the signals you send out. Those signals are your visuals, your tone, your messaging, even the choices you make and, just as importantly, the ones you don’t.

Start small. Be intentional. Build from a clear core.

The bigger the business, the harder this becomes. Which is exactly why it matters.

Get clear on your position and own it like a boss. Lean in and everything else has something to connect to.

And that’s when brand starts doing the heavy lifting.

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