Brand Positioning · The positioning statement · Component
The reason to believe
What makes the claim credible — the part usually missing, and the part that turns a position into something arguable.
The deliverable
What it is
A position without a reason to believe is a preference expressed confidently. It cannot be defended in a competitive comparison and it cannot be briefed usefully.
The strongest reasons are structural: something about how the organisation is built that a competitor would have to change their business to match.
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 verification
Whether the basis has been checked by anyone outside.
3 attributes: Source · Verified · Strength
LearnThe durability
How long the reason to believe will remain true.
3 attributes: Expected hold · What would end it · Confidence
Learn
The strongest reason to believe is structural: something a competitor would have to change their business to match.
The other components in the positioning statement
The statement
The sentence itself, with its four parts — target, frame, difference and reason to believe — written for the organisation rather than the market.
LearnThe version record
How the position has changed, and why — because a position that moves with each planning cycle never accumulates.
Learn