# Brand positioning theory Human Guide

## What This Is For
Quick reference for positioning a brand using methodologies from Al Ries, Jack Trout, and Marty Neumeier. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand positioning theory agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand positioning theory.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand positioning theory guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Positioning happens in the mind**: You don't position products; you position perceptions. The only reality that counts is what's already in the prospect's mind.
- **The mind is limited**: In an "over-communicated society," the mind can only hold a few brands per category. Simplicity wins.
- **First is powerful**: Being first to get into the prospect's mind is more vital than having a superior product. "It's better to be first than it is to be better."
- **Own a word**: Successful positioning means associating your brand with a specific word. Volvo owns "safety." FedEx owns "overnight." Crest owns "cavities."
- **Find the hole (Cherchez le Creneau)**: Look for an unoccupied position in the marketplace. "To find a creneau, you must have the ability to think in reverse, to go against the grain."
- Target market (don't appeal to everyone)
- Constant change (maintain consistency)
- **Focus**: Narrow your offering
- **Differentiation**: Be radically different
- **Trend**: Ride a wave of change
- **Communication**: Surround your zag with compelling messages
- What wave are you riding? (trends)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Ries & Trout's 5 Core Principles, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Most Critical Laws for Positioning, Neumeier's ZAG Methodology, The Four Core Elements, The 17 Checkpoints (3 Phases), Positioning Statement Formula, Onliness Statement Formula (Neumeier), The Ladder Concept, Cherchez le Creneau (7 Types of Holes).

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- **Positioning happens in the mind**: You don't position products; you position perceptions. The only reality that counts is what's already in the prospect's mind.
- **Find the hole (Cherchez le Creneau)**: Look for an unoccupied position in the marketplace. "To find a creneau, you must have the ability to think in reverse, to go against the grain."
- | 13 | **Sacrifice** | You must give up something to get something |
- **Law of Sacrifice**: "The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position." Three things to sacrifice:
- Target market (don't appeal to everyone)
- Avoid the four deadly dangers of brand portfolios
- **The Test**: "If you can't keep it brief or use the word 'only,' then you don't have a zag."
- │ #2 - Challenger │ ← Must position as alternative

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Brand positioning theory human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the mike-coulbourn/claude-vibes skill entry for `brand-positioning-theory`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Brand Positioning Theory Framework

Quick reference for positioning a brand using methodologies from Al Ries, Jack Trout, and Marty Neumeier.

> "Marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle of perceptions." — Al Ries & Jack Trout

> "When everybody zigs, zag." — Marty Neumeier

---

## Ries & Trout's 5 Core Principles

1. **Positioning happens in the mind**: You don't position products; you position perceptions. The only reality that counts is what's already in the prospect's mind.

2. **The mind is limited**: In an "over-communicated society," the mind can only hold a few brands per category. Simplicity wins.

3. **First is powerful**: Being first to get into the prospect's mind is more vital than having a superior product. "It's better to be first than it is to be better."

4. **Own a word**: Successful positioning means associating your brand with a specific word. Volvo owns "safety." FedEx owns "overnight." Crest owns "cavities."

5. **Find the hole (Cherchez le Creneau)**: Look for an unoccupied position in the marketplace. "To find a creneau, you must have the ability to think in reverse, to go against the grain."

---

## The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

| # | Law | Core Principle |
|---|-----|----------------|
| 1 | **Leadership** | Better to be first than to be better |
| 2 | **Category** | If you can't be first, create a new category you can be first in |
| 3 | **Mind** | Being first in the mind trumps being first in the marketplace |
| 4 | **Perception** | Marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products |
| 5 | **Focus** | Own a word in the prospect's mind |
| 6 | **Exclusivity** | Two companies cannot own the same word |
| 7 | **Ladder** | Strategy depends on which rung you occupy |
| 8 | **Duality** | Every market becomes a two-horse race long-term |
| 9 | **Opposite** | If you're #2, position as the alternative to #1 |
| 10 | **Division** | Categories divide into two or more over time |
| 11 | **Perspective** | Marketing effects take place over extended time |
| 12 | **Line Extension** | Extending the brand dilutes its power *(most violated law)* |
| 13 | **Sacrifice** | You must give up something to get something |
| 14 | **Attributes** | For every attribute, there's an opposite effective attribute |
| 15 | **Candor** | Admitting a negative earns you a positive |
| 16 | **Singularity** | Only one bold stroke will produce substantial results |
| 17 | **Unpredictability** | You can't predict the future |
| 18 | **Success** | Ego is the enemy of successful marketing |
| 19 | **Failure** | Failure should be expected and accepted |
| 20 | **Hype** | Situation is often the opposite of how it appears in press |
| 21 | **Acceleration** | Build on trends, not fads |
| 22 | **Resources** | Without adequate funding, ideas won't get off the ground |

### Most Critical Laws for Positioning

**Law of Sacrifice**: "The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position." Three things to sacrifice:
- Product line (stay narrow)
- Target market (don't appeal to everyone)
- Constant change (maintain consistency)

**Law of Line Extension**: "The most violated law. When you try to be all things to all people, you wind up in trouble."

**Law of Focus**: The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect's mind.

---

## Neumeier's ZAG Methodology

**Core Philosophy**: In an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough. You need "radical differentiation."

### The Four Core Elements

1. **Focus**: Narrow your offering
2. **Differentiation**: Be radically different
3. **Trend**: Ride a wave of change
4. **Communication**: Surround your zag with compelling messages

### The 17 Checkpoints (3 Phases)

**Part 1: Finding Your Zag**
- What wave are you riding? (trends)
- Who shares the brandscape? (competitors)