A talk I was invited to give at the AIGA earlier this year. The task was to help small agencies position themselves in a crowded and ultra-competitive market. A series of provocative thought starters, based on the traditional pillars of brand postioning to help businesses stand out.

1. OILTANKERS VS SPEEDBOATS
Positioning Your Studio - AIGA Breakfast Talk 04.14.15

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I’M JAMES, A STRATEGIST AT LARGE.

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WHAT DO I DO?
INVENTIVE DIGITAL STRATEGY AND
CONCEPTUAL CREATIVITY FOR
COMPLEX BUSINESS CHALLENGES.

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HELP BUSINESSES NAVIGATE AND CREATE
CULTURE BY CREATING IDEAS, PLATFORMS
AND STORIES THAT NAVIGATE A FAST
CHANGING WORLD.
HOW DO I DO IT?

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(THAT WAS SUPER DIFFICULT TO WRITE).

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POSITIONING YOUR STUDIO IS
POSSIBLY ONE OF THE HARDEST
THINGS YOU CAN DO STARTING OUT.
BECAUSE IT ASKS YOU TO TRULY,
D E E P L Y , Q U E S T I O N A N D
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DO, WHERE
YOU DO IT AND WHY YOU DO IT.

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POSITIONING - A SUPER BRIEF HISTORY

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1950’S - ROOTED IN BUDGET PLANNING AND
FINANCIAL CONTROL. AKA SUPER BORING

9. 1960’S - ADOPTED BY HARVARD BUSINESS
SCHOOL. ‘SWOT’ ANALYSIS IS BORN
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1980’S - EVERYONE READS “THE ART OF WAR”
AND LOSES THEIR MIND FOR STRATEGY

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1990’S - M&A’S MAKE EVERYONE CRAZY FOR
POSITIONING THAT LEVERAGE CORE COMPETENCIES

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2000’S - POSITIONING GOES MAINSTREAM. THE
RISE OF BRAND POSITIONING AND BECOMES A
COTTAGE INDUSTRY IN OF ITSELF.

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2010’S - DIGITAL CULTURE MOVES
POSITIONING FROM CORPORATE TO
CULTURE. PURPOSE OVER PROFIT

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WHY SPEEDBOATS AND OIL-TANKERS?

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WHY IS A POSITIONING SO IMPORTANT?

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A GOOD POSITIONING IS A
WAY TO REPEAT SUCCESS.

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WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? WE’RE FULL SERVICE!
WE’RE INTEGRATED! WE HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF
EXPERIENCE! WE’RE CREATIVE! WE’RE STRATEGIC! WE’RE
NIMBLE! WE’RE MEDIA NEUTRAL! WE’RE DEDICATED!
WE’RE YOUR MARKETING PARTNER! WE ASSIGN ONLY
SENIOR PEOPLE! WE GET RESULTS! WE’RE FUN!

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“THE COMMON FAILING AMONG AGENCIES SEEKING
N E W B U S I N E S S I S T H E I R I N A B I L I T Y , O R
WILLINGNESS TO NAME WHAT THEY STAND FOR”
Bob Lundin, R3/JLB
AND THE TRAP OF NOT TAKING A STAND

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WHAT DOES A POSITIONING LOOK LIKE?

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AKA - DO WHAT YOU DO BEST.
VARIETY-BASED

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EXAMPLE VARIETY BASED POSITIONING

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AKA - DO EVERYTHING, BUT ONLY FOR A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE.
NEEDS-BASED

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AKA - GO WHERE YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE.
ACCESS-BASED

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DEFINE A VALUABLE AND UNIQUE POSITIONING INVOLVING A
DIFFERENT SET OF ACTIVITIES TO MAKE YOU DISTINCT.
THE KEY?

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SO HOW DO I MAKE MY POSITIONING DISTINCT?

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YOU GOT INTO THIS FOR A REASON. TELL PEOPLE WHAT THAT IS.
BE YOUR PURPOSE.
LISTEN TO YOUR CALLING

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“THE ESSENCE OF STRATEGY IS DECIDING WHAT NOT TO DO”
Michael Porter - Harvard Business School
BE SELECTIVE

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DEFINE YOUR OPPOSITIONAL FORCE
STAY ON TARGET

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FOCUS ON FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE THAT FIT YOUR VALUES FOCUS
FOR WHAT TYPE OF CLIENTS YOU WANT RIGHT NOW
DON’T LOSE FOCUS

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“EVERYONE IS SO BUSY DOING WORK FOR THEIR CLIENTS
THAT THEY FORGET TO DO THE SAME WORK FOR THEMSELVES.”
UNAMED AGENCY CMO

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CONCENTRATE ON DEEPENING YOUR POSITION VIA YOUR
EXPERTISE, AND CONSTANTLY DEMONSTRATE AGAINST IT
GO DEEP

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BUILD CONSENSUS, AND COMMUNICATE YOUR POSITIONING IN
CLEAR, INSPIRING, AND COLLABORATIVE TERMS.
ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

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CLIENTS BECOME FELLOW TRAVELERS.
THESE TRAVELERS, BECOME YOUR GREATEST ASSETS.
BUILD THE FELLOWSHIP

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A SUSTAINABLE ADVANTAGE CANNOT BE GUARANTEED BY
SIMPLY CHOOSING A UNIQUE POSITION, AS COMPETITORS WILL
IMITATE A VALUABLE (IE. SUCCESSFUL) POSITION.
THEIR WILL BE COPIERS

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WRITE A SENTENCE THAT ARTICULATES YOUR DISTINCTIVE
ADVANTAGE, NOT JUST A BUNCH OF SUPERLATIVES. KEEP
HONING IT UNTIL IT'S CLEAR AND FEELS RIGHT. RUN IT PAST
WITH CLIENTS FOR CONFIRMATION THAT IT CONVEYS THE
COMPELLING REASON TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU.
STARTER FOR 10

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“KNOW THE USER, KNOW THE
MAGIC, CONNECT THE TWO”
GOOGLE CREATIVE LAB

40. THANKS FOR LISTENING!
40
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