There's a positioning secret that turns underdogs into category champions.
And it's the opposite of what most people think.
Most companies try to position themselves as "better than" their competition. Faster service. Lower prices. More features. Better quality.
Here's the problem: when you compete on their terms, you're playing their game by their rules.
And they wrote the rulebook.
The positioning secret that changes everything? Don't try to beat them at their game. Create an entirely new game where you're the only player.
A few years back, we worked with a regional hot sauce company facing the ultimate David vs. Goliath challenge. Their competitor had just been acquired by one of the country's largest food companies with a marketing budget in the hundreds of millions.
Most agencies would have recommended competing on product features, shelf placement, or celebrity endorsements—battles they couldn't win.
Instead, we discovered something beautiful during our Brand Workshop: their customers weren't just buyers, they were fanatics. People had tattoos of the logo. Couples served it at weddings. Families passed down recipes like treasures.
We didn't position them as "better hot sauce."
We positioned them as a lifestyle choice. A community. A tribe of people who didn't just love flavor—they loved belonging to something special.
While the giant focused on shelf space and celebrity endorsements, we focused on the hearts already beating for the brand.
The result? They didn't just compete—they dominated. Consumer sales skyrocketed, exceeding goals within months of launching. They gained market share in several key markets across the country.
Here's the beautiful truth: You don't need to out-spend your competition. You need to out-position them.
When you stop trying to be "better than" and start being "different from," you create a category of one.
Your positioning isn't about what you do. It's about why you exist and who you exist for.
The companies dominating markets aren't necessarily the best at what they do. They're the best at being the only ones who do what they do the way they do it.
What game could your organization create where you're the only player?
