A positioning brief should help a buyer understand why this offer fits their situation and what evidence supports the difference. “Best quality and great service” cannot guide a channel or a creative decision.
Make four choices explicit
- Audience in a decision moment: name the person and the situation, not “everyone in MENA.”
- Problem or desired progress: describe what is hard today in the buyer’s own terms.
- Alternative: include doing nothing, an internal workaround, or a competitor—not only a product category.
- Difference with proof: say what the offer does differently and what verifiable evidence makes that believable.
Then write one sentence: “For [specific buyer] facing [situation], [offer] helps them [progress] through [distinct mechanism], supported by [evidence].” Delete the bracketed phrase if you cannot substantiate it.
Pressure-test with a real alternative
Suppose an analytics consultancy says it helps ecommerce teams “make better decisions.” Ask what a team currently does instead—export reports manually, trust platform conversions, or wait for a monthly dashboard. A meaningful position might focus on connecting inquiry stages to operational outcomes, but only if the service actually implements and checks that chain. If every competitor could claim the same difference, it is not distinctive yet.
Use the brief to choose channels
The brief is a filter: which audience question belongs in search, which process benefits from a demonstration, and which decision needs a direct conversation? Do not select channels before the buyer task and proof are clear. Revisit the brief when customer interviews or sales objections contradict the assumed problem.
Optional AI-assisted work brief — Positioning decision brief
Summarize the audience, urgent job, alternatives currently used, cost of the problem, credible difference, proof, and deliberate non-target. Compare the proposed claim with evidence and competitor language. Reject vague superlatives and differences any competitor could claim. Produce a one-sentence positioning statement plus the proof still needed to publish it responsibly.
Worked scenario — Compare the claim with the alternative
A service may say “personalized marketing,” but every competitor can say that. A more useful difference could be a defined operating method—for example, auditing the handoff from ad click to attended appointment—if the portfolio actually demonstrates that method. The positioning brief should connect a specific buyer problem to verifiable work samples. If no proof exists yet, describe the capability honestly and build a demonstration before claiming market distinction.
AI disclosure: AI tools assisted with drafting. The scenario is illustrative and not a client position or result.