{"id":"positioning","title":"Positioning against competitive alternatives","summary":"Define differentiated value, suitable customers and market context by comparing the alternatives customers would actually choose.","concepts":["Competitive alternatives: what customers would do without the product","Differentiated value: what feature differences mean for customers","Market context: categories and audiences in which the value is understood"],"application":"Use this approach when brand and sales messages diverge or feature descriptions do not explain reasons to buy.","limitations":"Changing wording alone cannot test the hypothesis without investigating customers’ actual alternatives and perceptions of value.","directions":["Focused positioning: concentrate on customers who gain substantial differentiated value.","Market expansion: test whether that value holds for new customer groups."],"category":"Marketing","kind":"framework","kind_label":"Framework","persona_ids":["brand-marketer","content-marketer","management-consultant"],"revision":1,"updated_at":"2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z","sources":[{"title":"A Quickstart Guide to Positioning","url":"https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning","publisher":"April Dunford","edition":"2021-03-15","region":"International reference; verify the application environment","checked_at":"2026-10-07","reuse":"Independent editorial summary and source link; the original text is not republished."}],"review":{"status":"source-checked-editorial","expert_reviewed":false},"editorial_note":"Editorial English translation of the Korean edition. No professional translation or occupational expert review has been completed. Translation does not change the source jurisdiction.","language":"en","translation":{"status":"current","source_language":"ko","source_version":"kb-7b99cd8896d31d2a","translated_at":"2026-10-09","professional_reviewed":false},"trust":"reference-data","version":"kb-c13a3782a9495038","links":{"document":"/en/knowledge/positioning","markdown":"/en/knowledge/positioning.md","api":"/api/v1/knowledge/positioning?lang=en"}}