• Table of Contents

  • The Power of Positioning: How to Stand Out in Saturated Markets
  • Why Most Brands Are Just Wallpaper
  • The Positioning Equation: Relevance + Differentiation = Obsession
  • Case Study: Liquid Death
  • Framework: The 4 Laws of Strategic Positioning
  • 1. Own a Sharp Point of View
  • 2. Create a Category—or Redefine One
  • 3. Speak Human, Not Corporate
  • 4. Be Consistently Bold
  • Truth Bomb
  • How to Audit Your Current Positioning
  • Positioning in Action: Real-World Examples
  • 1. Notion: The Tool That Replaced 5 Others
  • 2. Oatly: Milk, But Make It Punk
  • 3. Tesla: Not Just a Car, a Mission

The Power of Positioning: How to Stand Out in Saturated Markets

In a world where every brand is screaming for attention, positioning isn’t just a marketing tactic—it’s your survival strategy. If your brand sounds like everyone else, congratulations: you’ve just become invisible. The truth? Most companies don’t have a positioning problem—they have a courage problem. They’re too afraid to be different, so they settle for being forgettable. This article is your wake-up call. We’re going to dismantle the myths, torch the templates, and show you how to build a brand that doesn’t just compete—it dominates. Welcome to the power of positioning.

Why Most Brands Are Just Wallpaper

Let’s start with a hard truth: most brands are indistinguishable from their competitors. They use the same language, chase the same trends, and cling to the same tired playbooks. The result? A sea of sameness where nobody wins.

Here’s what’s really going on:

• Fear of alienation: Brands try to appeal to everyone and end up resonating with no one.
• Over-reliance on data: Data tells you what people want now—not what they’ll crave tomorrow.
• Copycat syndrome: If your strategy starts with “Let’s do what they’re doing,” you’ve already lost.

Positioning is not about being better. It’s about being different in a way that matters. And that takes guts.

The Positioning Equation: Relevance + Differentiation = Obsession

Let’s break it down. Great positioning lives at the intersection of two things:

• Relevance: Solving a real, urgent problem for a specific audience.
• Differentiation: Doing it in a way that no one else can—or dares to.

When you nail both, you don’t just get attention—you earn obsession. Your audience doesn’t just buy from you; they evangelize for you.

Case Study: Liquid Death

It’s just water. But positioned as “murder your thirst” in a tallboy can, it became a $700M brand. Why? Because it dared to be different in a category that was drowning in purity and wellness clichés.

Read more about Liquid Death’s strategy

Framework: The 4 Laws of Strategic Positioning

Want to build a brand that stands out? Follow these four laws:

1. Own a Sharp Point of View

If your brand doesn’t stand for something, it stands for nothing. Your POV should be polarizing enough to attract die-hards and repel the wrong audience.

Example: Patagonia doesn’t just sell outdoor gear—it sells environmental activism. That’s not a feature. That’s a movement.

2. Create a Category—or Redefine One

Don’t play in someone else’s sandbox. Build your own. Or at least bring a new toy to the party.

Example: HubSpot didn’t just sell marketing software—they created “inbound marketing.” That’s category creation 101.

3. Speak Human, Not Corporate

Jargon is the enemy of clarity. If your positioning statement sounds like it was written by a committee, it probably was—and it probably sucks.

Example: Mailchimp built a billion-dollar brand by being quirky, clear, and unapologetically human.

4. Be Consistently Bold

Positioning isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s a daily commitment. Every touchpoint should reinforce your difference—from your homepage to your hold music.

Example: Ryanair doesn’t pretend to be luxurious. It leans into being cheap and unapologetic—and it works.

Truth Bomb

If your brand doesn’t piss someone off, it’s probably not positioning—it’s pandering.

How to Audit Your Current Positioning

Before you can fix your positioning, you need to know where it’s broken. Here’s a quick audit:

• Can you explain your brand’s unique value in 10 words or less?
• Would your customers describe you the same way?
• Do you sound like your competitors? (Be honest.)
• Are you solving a problem that actually matters?
• Is your tone of voice consistent across all channels?

If you answered “no” to more than two of these, it’s time for a positioning intervention.

Positioning in Action: Real-World Examples

1. Notion: The Tool That Replaced 5 Others

Notion didn’t just say “we’re a productivity tool.” It said, “We’re the all-in-one workspace.” That’s a positioning masterclass in collapsing categories.

Explore Notion’s positioning

2. Oatly: Milk, But Make It Punk

Oatly took oat milk—a boring health product—and gave it a rebellious, anti-dairy attitude. The result? A cult following and a $10B IPO.

See Oatly’s brand in action

3. Tesla: Not Just a Car, a Mission

Mark Gabrielli
Founder, Mark CMO
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/marklgabrielli