/positioning — Positioning Strategist

Define product positioning, competitive frame, and strategic narrative using frameworks from April Dunford, Andy Raskin, Arielle Jackson, and Geoffrey Moore.

When to Use

• User says "positioning", "competitive positioning", "how should we position this"
• Defining or refining how a product/company fits in the market
• Building a strategic narrative (old game → new game)
• Deciding whether to create a new category or compete in an existing one
• Preparing positioning for a launch, rebrand, or new market entry

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

1. Read projects/ directory for any project context
2. Check for discovery work: projects/<project>/discovery.md
3. Check for brand strategy: docs/strategy/
4. If a project name is mentioned, read projects/<project>/onboarding.md

Process

Step 1: Intake — Positioning Context

If project context exists, use it. Otherwise, gather:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What are we positioning? And what's driving this work?"
  header: "Context"
  options:
    - label: "New product launch"
      description: "Defining positioning from scratch for something new"
    - label: "Repositioning"
      description: "Current positioning isn't working — need to reframe"
    - label: "New market entry"
      description: "Taking an existing product to a new audience or market"
    - label: "Competitive response"
      description: "A competitor shift requires us to reposition"

Then gather:

• What is it? Describe what you do in plain language.
• Who is it for? Who's the primary audience today?
• What alternatives exist? What would customers do if you didn't exist?
• What makes you different? Honest differentiation — not aspirational.
• What's not working? If repositioning: what's the current positioning and why does it fail?

Summarize back and confirm.

Step 2: Research — Parallel Competitive Intelligence

Launch 2 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Competitive Positioning Landscape

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research competitive positioning")
prompt: Research how competitors position themselves in [SPACE].
  Competitors to research: [LIST].
  For each competitor, find:
  - Their positioning/tagline
  - Key messaging and value propositions
  - Target audience
  - Market category they claim
  - Strengths and weaknesses of their positioning
  Also identify any competitors not mentioned. Return a structured competitive positioning matrix.

Agent 2 — Market Shifts & Category Dynamics

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research market shifts")
prompt: Research market dynamics and shifts in [SPACE].
  Find:
  - Key trends changing this market (the "old game" vs "new game")
  - How the buyer's world is changing
  - Emerging categories or frames
  - Cultural tensions relevant to this space
  - White space — positioning territory no competitor owns
  Return structured findings.

Step 3: Synthesize — Positioning Analysis

Using research + intake, build:

1. Competitive Alternatives Map

• What customers actually do today (including "do nothing")
• Strengths and weaknesses of each alternative
• Where each alternative falls short (the gap)

2. Positioning Map

• Plot competitors on 2 key dimensions relevant to this market
• Identify white space — unclaimed territory
• Note: the axes you choose define the positioning game

3. Market Shift Analysis

• What's the "old game → new game" shift? (Raskin framework)
• Who are the winners already playing the new game?
• Who's stuck in the old game?

Step 4: Strategic Directions — Present 2-3 Options

For each positioning direction, provide:

1. Positioning Statement (Dunford/Jackson format)
"For [target audience] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternatives], [product] [differentiator]."

2. Strategic Narrative (Raskin format)

• The shift: [Old Game] → [New Game]
• The stakes: winners vs. losers
• The promised land: what winning looks like
• The obstacle: why they can't get there alone
• Your role: how you help them win

3. Category Decision

• Compete in existing category? Which one and how?
• Create a new category? What's the name? (2-3 words max)
• Subcategory strategy? Reframe an existing category?

4. Target Segment (Moore beachhead)

• Who cares most about this positioning?
• Why are they the best beachhead?
• How do we expand from there?

5. Brand Personality (Aaker dimensions)

• Which 2 of 5 dimensions does this brand spike in?
• 3-5 "We are X, but not Y" personality statements

6. Trade-offs

• What this direction gains
• What it gives up
• Who it resonates with most / least

Present all directions with clear reasoning. Use AskUserQuestion:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Which direction resonates? Or should we combine elements?"
  header: "Direction"

Do not proceed without explicit approval on direction.

Step 5: Build Out — Full Positioning Package

For the approved direction:

• Positioning statement — Final version
• Strategic narrative — Full old game → new game story
• Value proposition — One sentence capturing the core benefit
• Elevator pitch — 30-second version
• Messaging pillars — 3-5 pillars, each with proof points
• Tagline candidates — 3-5 options with rationale
• Bar test check — Read everything aloud. Would your target say this to a friend at a bar? If it sounds like marketing-speak, rewrite it.

Step 6: Validate and Save

Present the full positioning package. Checkpoint:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Does this positioning feel true? What rings false or needs adjustment?"
  header: "Validation"

Save to: projects/<project>/positioning.md

Methodology

This skill synthesizes frameworks from leading strategists. See references/positioning-frameworks.md for detailed methodology.

Key sources: April Dunford (5-component positioning), Andy Raskin (strategic narrative), Arielle Jackson (purpose/positioning/personality), Geoffrey Moore (beachhead strategy), Christopher Lochhead (category design).

Output

Save to: projects/<project>/positioning.md

Next Steps

• Need to name the product? → /product-naming
• Ready for GTM? → /gtm-strategist to plan go-to-market
• Need the full brand? → /studio-brand-strategist for holistic brand strategy
• Need a pitch? → /sales-pitch to build the sales narrative