Positioning—The Red Tie Analogy

“Confident yet classic.” you think.

Then, to your horror, you’re seated with all the other candidates who made the same bold, unique decision as you. It’s red ties and dresses all the way down the line.

“Unoriginal,” you think.

You expected to create one impression, but because you didn’t know what you were up against—what the interviewer’s other options were—you ended up making the opposite impression.

The problem isn’t the tie, but a poor understanding of your competitive context. Such is the life of a brand that has a great product but no positioning strategy. The experience your brand offers will always be interpreted in comparison with other options that your audience considers to be in the same category.

You cannot position in a vaccum.

In this context, the worst thing that can happen is that there is no relevant, meaningful difference between you and the competitor. Your brand becomes commoditized and you are forced to compete with race-to-the-bottom pricing or thin differentiators that quickly wear out.

To avoid commoditization, you must occupy a mental space where you have no close neighbors. That space needs to matter to your audience, and it needs to be reinforced thoroughly through your entire brand identity and messaging.

This is what a positioning strategy does—it creates space where only your brand exists, which in turn supports brand preference.

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Now, let’s reimagine that palm-sweating interview with a positioning strategy. This time, you have photos, bios, and even the planned wardrobes of every other candidate that will be interviewed that day. You glance through your intel.

“Definitely no red tie” you mutter to yourself.

As you begin to understand your context, you realize that even though there are thirty other candidates, they’re all playing one of three basic cards—”hard-worker,” “young blood,” and “the veteran.”

These are the occupied positions in your market.

You re-work your resume, your look, and your whole approach to provide a 4th option, “the strategist.” Now, all things being equal, rather than having a 1/30 chance of getting the job, you have a 1/4 chance, because you are the only candidate representing your position.

But all things aren’t equal—your newfound focus becomes an advantage.

You rehearse topics relevant to your position, don horn-rimmed glasses and a professorial jacket and your resume emphasizes your strategic experience. So you now have two layers of advantage: a clear position and better execution within that position.

You crush the interview. You get the job.

With the power of positioning, you can elevate yourself even in a crowded market. Time to start standing out.

This article is based on one I originally wrote for Vigor’s Insights blog.