Brand Positioning · Points of difference · Component
The differences
What the brand is meant to be believed better at, tested on all three criteria — matters to them, deliverable by us, hard for others to claim.
The deliverable
What it is
A point of difference has to pass three tests. Failing any one makes it an assertion, and assertions do not survive contact with a buyer comparing two options.
Two out of three is the normal state of a first draft, and identifying which one is missing tells you whether the work is communication, delivery or positioning.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The claim
What the brand is meant to be believed better at.
3 attributes: Difference · Priority · For segment
LearnThe three tests
Relevance, deliverability and defensibility, assessed separately.
3 attributes: Test · Result · Reason
LearnThe reason to believe
What makes the claim credible to someone who has no reason to trust it.
3 attributes: Reason to believe · Evidence type · Proof
Learn
Substitute a competitor’s name into the claim. If it still reads as true, you have described the category.
The other components in points of difference
The parity points
What the brand must be credibly adequate at to be considered — because most positioning failures are parity failures.
LearnThe accepted trade-off
What the brand deliberately does not compete on — because a position with no trade-off is not a position.
Learn