---
name: brand-positioning-statement
description: "Crafts brand positioning statements with target audience, category, point of difference, reason to believe, and competitive context. Use when defining how your brand stands apart."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Brand Positioning Statement

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Define or refine your brand's positioning in the market
- Create a positioning statement for internal alignment
- Differentiate your brand from competitors
- Establish a foundation for marketing messaging and brand strategy

**DO NOT** use this skill for taglines, ad copy, or full brand strategy documents. This is for the core positioning statement that guides all downstream messaging.

---

## Core Principle

POSITIONING IS NOT WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT — IT IS THE SPACE YOU OWN IN YOUR CUSTOMER'S MIND. A POSITIONING STATEMENT DEFINES THAT SPACE WITH PRECISION.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Product/brand** | "What are you positioning?" | Must be provided |
| **Target audience** | "Who is your ideal customer? Be specific." | Must be provided |
| **Category** | "What market category do you compete in?" | Must be provided |
| **Competitors** | "Name your top 3 competitors and what they are known for." | Must be provided |
| **Key benefit** | "What is the #1 benefit you deliver that competitors do not?" | Must be provided |
| **Proof points** | "What evidence supports your claim? (data, features, experience, testimonials)" | Must be provided |

**GATE: Confirm brief before drafting.**

---

## Phase 2: Draft

### Positioning Statement Framework

Use this classic structure:

**For [target audience] who [need/want], [brand] is the [category] that [key benefit] because [reason to believe].**

### Drafting Process

1. Write 3 versions using different angles on the key benefit
2. Test each version against the competition — does it clearly differentiate?
3. Check for specificity — replace any word that could apply to a competitor
4. Verify the claim is believable and defensible

### Supporting Elements

Beyond the core statement, also draft:
- **Brand promise** — the one-sentence commitment to customers
- **Point of difference** — the single most important differentiator
- **Reason to believe** — proof that the difference is real
- **Brand personality** — 3-5 adjectives that define the brand character

**GATE: Present 3 positioning statement options and wait for selection.**

---

## Phase 3: Refine

### Deliverables

**1. Final Positioning Statement**
- Core statement polished and finalized
- Each component labeled (target, category, benefit, proof)
- 25-word and 50-word versions for different contexts

**2. Competitive Positioning Map**
- 2x2 matrix plotting your brand vs. competitors on the two most relevant dimensions
- Clear visual showing the space you own

**3. Messaging Hierarchy**
- How the positioning flows into headline-level messages
- 3 supporting messages that ladder up to the core positioning
- Proof points mapped to each supporting message

**4. Usage Guide**
- Where to use the positioning statement (internal only — not customer-facing verbatim)
- How it translates to customer-facing copy (website, ads, sales conversations)
- What it means for product decisions and partnerships

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### Validation Questions

Before finalizing, test the statement against:
- Does this describe ONLY your brand, or could a competitor say the same thing?
- Would your ideal customer care about this positioning?
- Can you deliver on this promise consistently?
- Does it still work if your product line expands?

### Review Cadence

Revisit positioning annually or when: entering a new market, launching a major new product, or when a competitor shifts the landscape.

---

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**For** busy professionals **who** want to eat well without meal planning, **FreshPlate** is the **meal kit service** that **delivers chef-designed meals ready in 15 minutes with zero prep** because **every recipe is tested by professional chefs for speed without sacrificing restaurant-quality flavor.**

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Positioning as everything** — "The best, fastest, cheapest, most innovative" is positioning as nothing. Choose one dimension to own.
- **Generic benefit claims** — "High quality" and "great customer service" are not differentiators. Everyone claims them.
- **Ignoring the competition** — positioning exists relative to alternatives. If you do not know your competitors, you cannot differentiate.
- **Customer-facing verbatim** — the positioning statement is an internal strategy tool. It should inform copy, not BE the copy.
- **Positioning to impress, not to clarify** — jargon-filled statements impress nobody. If your team cannot repeat it from memory, simplify.

---

## Recovery

- **Cannot identify a differentiator:** Ask "Why did your last 5 customers choose you over alternatives?" The answer is usually your positioning.
- **Differentiator is easily copied:** Look for compound differentiators — the combination of two things that individually are not unique but together create a defensible position.
- **Positioning feels too narrow:** Narrow is good. You can always expand later. Trying to appeal to everyone results in appealing to no one.
- **Team disagrees on positioning:** Run the exercise independently with each stakeholder, then compare. Overlap areas are your strongest positioning candidates.
