04 Sep The Positioning Lie: Where’s the Brand?
Up Next: Safe Brands Finish Last
Playing it safe feels smart, but costs you leadership. And, how bold, clear positioning is the only way to win.
Up Next: Safe Brands Finish Last
Playing it safe feels smart, but costs you leadership. And, how bold, clear positioning is the only way to win.
Every repositioning, rebrand, or brand refresh starts with a brand audit; if it doesn’t, what are we even doing? What exactly gets audited varies widely: what’s being studied, how deep discovery goes, whether it follows a rigid checklist or a trail of breadcrumbs.
In the traditional, or what we’ve called the Flawed Model, the audit is often more like a snapshot than a portrait. Agencies and strategists focus on what’s easiest to measure: brand perception surveys, reviews, visual identity critiques, tone of voice, and product/service lineup. It provides a useful view of today but not the whole story.
It’s like looking at someone’s LinkedIn profile. You see their current role, photo, and skills endorsements, but you don’t see their struggles, values, or ambitions that actually shape who they are or where they’re headed.
This kind of audit often mistakes the now for the truth. It rarely asks: Why did this brand start? What promises were made at the beginning? Where does it want to go next? Feelings, too—how customers should feel, how employees should feel, how communities should feel—are often ignored because they’re harder to measure. Yet, those feelings are often the most honest signs of a brand’s strength.
To be clear, this isn’t a criticism of agencies as much as it is of the model itself. When positioning is built on a rigid process and tidy data points, the outcome is often shallow. Structure is good, but when the process becomes a formula, you end up checking boxes instead of uncovering the deeper meaning and story that gets people to fall in love with the brand.
When a positioning process’s primary goal is to hunt for “white space,” data ends up steering the story. And the first things to fall off the truck are what make a brand a brand: founding, core values, promise, purpose, mission, beliefs, and the bolder future it wants to create.
Sadly, ambition and purpose become mere footnotes at best or like an old almanac, full of vital information, only to be left on a dusty shelf unopened and pages unturned for years, unnecessarily wasting away.
There’s a reason why brands that have been around for decades or even centuries often reflect on their heritage when undergoing and successfully launching a rebrand; that’s where much of a brand’s story can be found. But, if we allow businesses to rebrand on fragile pillars, what, if any, heritage will remain for the next inevitable rebrand, if they even are able to make it another year, or fingers-crossed, another decade?
Simply put, the Flawed Model doesn’t work for startups or businesses that don’t have a brand. Why? Well, if you’ve been following along, it’s clear that the Flawed Model is reliant on data, capturing and analyzing, to conclude how to position a brand. And, if a business has no historical data, market presence, or customers, then what data is being used? Sure, you can define who the potential competitors are, and research can be done on the potential audience based upon who the competitors are or where the intended market is, but the major flaw is what about the data on the brand? Where’s that coming from? One would imagine you fill this gap in with items we discussed earlier — core values, promise, purpose, mission, beliefs, etc, but the unfortunate reality is the model tracks to the “white space.” The Competition is lacking in this area, that’s where the brand fits in. Now you’re letting the competition dictate who you are as a brand, driving your position in the market, defining your brand story, and it’s an ugly one. Not a great way to get your business and brand off the ground.
...you're letting the competition dictate who you are as a brand...
We’ve been harping on data-driven positioning hard in this series, but it’s not because we don’t like data. In fact, we are fans of great data points; they can lead to good insights and present legitimate arguments for the direction of a brand. However, data cannot declare who you are as a brand. It can reveal patterns and risks to which you can measure your brand and market.
Case and point, and a personal one to me. I’ll preface with, we all have our own brand as individuals, and it begins before we can even speak. The way people feel and interact with us is telling of who we are and of our personal brand. People on the outside will try to dictate to us who we should be, how we should act, where we should go, etc.
My daughter was born premature, and her first few weeks went well as she gained her strength in the NICU before being discharged into the world and into the care of two new parents. However, a few weeks later, she contracted a deadly virus that sent her back to the hospital. To keep a long story short, this resulted in her having a brain injury, among other severe complications and issues. The prognosis from a top-rated neurology team was that it was likely she would have epilepsy for life, learning disabilities that would set her back from her peers, and physical deficiencies — all data points and analysis. But my daughter had a different story she wanted to tell, a personal brand of perseverance, overcoming, and thriving. The prognosis was valuable information, but it could not define her, and it still does not define her. In the same way, data can help a brand understand its context, but it cannot lead the story. That role belongs to mission, values, and purpose.
In one widely cited Harvard Business Review study, 64% of consumers who say they have a brand relationship cite shared values as the primary reason — not promotions, not proximity. Purpose, not just presence, drives connection.
While it may be known to some, others may need this to be made clear: A name, logo, colors, and tagline are identity, not a brand. Why bring this up? Well, to properly audit and understand a brand, we should all be informed and on the same page about what a brand is.
By our definition, a brand is the all-encompassing, collective impression, feeling, and experience one has with a company or product. It goes beyond the identity. The identity is how people associate the brand. A brand cannot be fabricated, but it can be influenced by a business’s mission, values, promise, purpose, principles, etc. You can’t tell someone to feel happy, and they magically feel that way; you must provide a reason, an experience, for them to feel happy. A brand is formed in the hearts and minds of the collective people who interact with your business, and they will tell you what your brand is, whether it aligns with your strategy or not. Quick note, this is a great KPI for determining if your brand strategy is working (i.e., we want to be positioned as the athletic apparel company that empowers the underdog. If the audience’s view or perception aligns with this. Great, it’s working. If not, you may need to revisit your brand strategy).
So, back to the Flawed Model. When a positioning process fixates on the current market picture, finding the white space, and loses sight of what a brand really is, clients will walk away thinking they rebranded when all they got was a facelift. A repainted house looks great for a while, but if the termite damage and wood rot aren’t addressed, the real issues will fester and get worse until the house is in shambles.
...a brand is the all-encompassing, collective impression, feeling, and experience one has with a company or product.
In 2011–2013, JCPenney underwent a highly visible makeover under new CEO Ron Johnson. The company adopted a new logo, redesigned stores, and launched the “fair and square” pricing strategy. On the surface, it looked bold and modern. But beneath that exterior, it clashed with the brand’s foundational promise.
J.C. Penney’s origins were deeply rooted in what is commonly called The Golden Rule: “to treat customers as we would like to be treated.” That ethos—based on honor, service, fairness, and integrity—was central to “The Penney Idea,” and long guided how the company interacted with customers and associates. James Cash Penney believed that serving with fairness was not just ethical—it was good business.
The makeover execution, however, removed the very tools that customers associated with that fairness, where they felt in control of their shopping experience. While primarily driven by sales promotion, it wasn’t simply low prices and deals that got customers in the door and fans of the brand. It was the thrill of deal hunting and stacking coupons; it was an experience where shoppers felt empowered, and it created a value and belief that they were smart and savvy shoppers. The “fair pricing” strategy felt imposed; it stripped the smart and savvy shopper mentality out, and with it the customer experience. At face value, it appears this strategy aligns with their core values and ethos, but customers received it as patronizing or condescending. It felt disingenuous, going against the idea of honoring guests.
The results were swift and painful. Sales plunged by nearly 25%, losses neared $1 billion, and Johnson was out in just 16 months.
What this teaches us:
By 2014, Airbnb wasn’t just tinkering with design; it was reframing what the company stood for. Up to that point, the brand had largely been positioned as a scrappy, budget-friendly alternative to hotels. But as the platform grew, leadership recognized the bigger truth: Airbnb wasn’t only about saving money; it was about people opening their doors to strangers and creating connections through shared space.
Working with DesignStudio, the team articulated a central idea, “Belong Anywhere.” This became more than a slogan; it was a brand promise rooted in the human need for belonging. The now-famous Bélo symbol was introduced to represent people, places, love, and Airbnb itself. Importantly, the identity wasn’t designed as decoration, it was created as a vessel for the mission.
The shift moved the narrative from cheap stays to community, trust, and human connection. The rebrand threaded this purpose through every touchpoint: product design, customer experience, host engagement, and external communications. Media outlets from WIRED to Creative Review noted how the identity “centered people over properties” and successfully differentiated Airbnb from transactional travel platforms.
The results were tangible. Bookings soared, global recognition cemented, and “belonging” became synonymous with Airbnb’s story—a differentiator no hotel chain could copy.
What this teaches us:
As discussed in our previous post in this series, competitive intel is useful, but its natural home is campaigns, where you can exploit a short-term edge (e.g., “no loyalty program? let’s win on rewards this quarter”). That’s a smart tactic, not a brand.
Brand is the through-line, the mission, values, and promise that guide what you build and how you behave over the years. Campaigns flex; brand endures.
It’s easy to confuse the two and to utilize great insights in a not-so-great way. The question to ask before moving forward with a rebrand or a new brand is, “Are we leading the brand or is our competition?”
The model isn’t beyond saving; it just needs a new center of gravity. Start with the vision of the Brand (your Belief, Means, and Want), articulate the Pillars (Purpose, Positioning, Personality, Promotion, Product), and only then chart Brand/Market Positioning to see who’s encroaching on your space and how you’ll lead, not to hunt for gaps you can temporarily occupy.
That order matters. It keeps you from letting “today’s data” mute the story you’re meant to tell.
If the process starts by auditing the present and ends by chasing white space, don’t be surprised when the outcome feels generic. You didn’t build a brand; you optimized a snapshot.
Put the brand back in the room. Define what you believe, how you’ll deliver it, and why it matters. Then carry that into the market with conviction.
Up Next: Safe Brands Finish Last
Playing it safe feels smart, but costs you leadership. And, how bold, clear positioning is the only way to win.
© 2025 Barrett Reynolds, a Reynolds Family Brands LLC company. All Rights Reserved.
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