I often hear different questions that highlight the exact same problem in executing Positioning effectively.

Such as:

• How does our positioning change as we scale?

• How do we adapt our positioning to market changes?

• Should we have different positioning in different countries?

• Should we adapt our positioning to suit different buyer roles?

• Do we need to adjust our positioning as our customer moves through our funnel?

• If we change our positioning frequently, how will customers know what we are all about?

The problem these questions highlight is confusion over the adaptability and versatility of Positioning.

Namely, what to change and how to change it, in any given circumstance.

They are good questions.

Positioning is sometimes thought of as a one-dimensional rigid thing.

In practice, there are four layers that help balance the competing priorities of a) Positioning an idea in the mind, b) Building long-term mental ownership over that idea, c) Being agile in dealing with market mind changes, and d) Adapting to localised or individual prospect perceptions.

Let’s quickly run through the 4 layers in bullet points, then I’ll go into each a little more afterwards.

4 Layers of Positioning

The metaphor I use for the 4 Layers of Positioning is an onion because each layer builds upon the next, sequentially, from the Core.

They have to operate in synchronisation and harmony, otherwise, the Positioning is weakened or confusing in the mind of the prospect.

Here they are:

Core. This is the unique Positioning idea you want to own in the minds of prospects over the immediate and long term. It’s the perception that instils buying behaviour.

Strategic. This is your strategy for establishing and reinforcing your unique Positioning idea in the near to mid-term; quarterly, annually, or multi-year (depending on the size and stage of the company or division).

Tactics. These are the tactics you utilise to deliver upon the strategy at a go-to-market level.

Individual. These are the tactics you utilise to deliver upon the strategy at a localised or individual level.

The most powerful, longer-term, perceptions exist in the centre. It gets weaker and increasingly transient as you move towards the outer layer of the onion.

Tieing all the layers together is differentiation. This points back to the Positioning idea at the Core, with all of the prospect’s perceptions accumulating there.

The prospect will then hang this accumulation of perceptions onto an identity that represents the Core idea (your brand) and will form an overall consensus of it.

Next, I’ll detail what this all means in practice, using Volvo as a semi-hypothetical case study. 👇

Core

The Core represents the unique Positioning idea you want to own in the minds of prospects. For context on why this matters check out this and this.

For example, Volvo may want to own the mental category of ‘safe cars’ in the minds of prospects (i.e. nervous parents).

Why? At the point of need — when a nervous parent wants to buy a car they perceive to be ‘safe’ — they will think of Volvo first.

The Core Positioning is the long-term, all-in bet. It’s the primary perception you are known for. It’s what instils buying behaviour.

A validated Positioning idea creates and occupies a new schema or mental category in the minds of prospects.

Therefore, the beginnings of mental category strategy, prospect segmentation, and differentiated value come into play at this layer; matching a strong need with a strong benefit.

Strategic

The strategic layer represents the strategy you will use to build and grow the Core Positioning idea in the minds of prospects.

For example, Volvo could decide to focus on entering wealthy geographic markets with higher-than-average car passenger mortality rates; where its ‘safety’ Core idea is more likely to be adopted by the minds of safety-conscious parents.

This is the layer where strategic focus comes into play, along with a greater emphasis on category and brand strategy.

Tactical

The tactical layer represents the go-to-market tactics you will utilise to deliver upon the strategic layer.

For Volvo, this could be specifically choosing which geographic markets it should enter. Then, developing a unique selling proposition (USP) that channels its ‘safety car’ perception.

Its USP could be a ‘four-point seatbelt’ as standard in all models. Volvo could then develop and activate sales and marketing assets that primarily reinforce the ‘safety’ perception, utilising the USP as a mental concept to drive the idea that Volvo is at the forefront of passenger safety design into the mind.

This is the layer where product, pricing, distribution, messaging, sales, marketing, brand, packaging, design, customer support, ops, etc, come into play. All the execution stuff.

Individual

This layer is also tactical, but the focus is more on a local or individual level than broad go-to-market cohorts. It’s concerned more with the unique experience of each prospect.

For example, Volvo could decide to segment prospects in its CRM into different buckets based on their behaviour and characteristics. There could be a bucket called ‘A’ and another bucket called ‘B’.

Based on this, they each receive a different email marketing experience, which slightly alters how they perceive Volvo as a car brand to buy from in the short term (e.g. different pricing or feature emphasis).

📘 Playbook

Let’s revisit those FAQs, reapplying the 4 Layers of Positioning:

How does our positioning change as we scale?

Three layers of the onion are going to change significantly: Strategic, Tactical, and Individual. Some more than others. As the company or brand grows and steamrolls through the adoption curve, these Positioning layers need to adapt to facilitate growth accordingly — particularly as more products, capabilities, and features are added.

How do we adapt our positioning to market changes?

You primarily adapt at the Tactical and Individual layers by developing product, marketing, sales, and all other business functions to support the Core idea. From the example above, Volvo might need to develop a different USP if 4-point seatbelts become standard in the industry (it did this after 3-point seatbelts — which it pioneered in the 1950s — later became standard). The Strategic layer will also need to adapt from time to time, but this is less often.

Should we have different positioning in different countries?

Yes, but only slightly and if needed. The optimal approach here is to start off at the outside of the onion and work your way in towards the Core — one layer at a time — making and testing changes until you have a strong Positioning. Most successful approaches do not go beyond the tactical layer. The further you go towards the centre the more complicated it gets and the more likely it is to fail. The layer you don’t mess with is the Core. This stays the same.

Should we adapt our positioning to suit different buyer roles?

Yes, if needed, but only at the Individual layer. This is commonplace in B2B, where the exact messaging delivered to an Economic Buyer may be different to a Champion. In this scenario, the other three Positioning layers remain the same. Both the Economic Buyer and Champion essentially perceive the same Positioning idea and differentiated value right through from the Core to the Tactical layer; albeit through slightly different lenses at the Individual.

Do we need to adjust our positioning as our customer moves through our funnel?

Yes, if you need to, and only at the Individual layer. For example, it may be beneficial to adjust how a product or service is presented to a prospect in order to increase the likelihood they will convert into a customer (e.g. assigning a dedicated account manager if it is not normal practice).

If we change our positioning frequently, how will customers know what we are all about?

The Core Positioning idea should stay the same. This is how a prospect categorises in their mind what you are all about.

That’s it for today! I’ll be back in your inbox again soon.

Martin 👋

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