Newsletter No. 17 | Rethinking Positioning – In Which Pond Do You Fish?

Positioning is something they teach in marketing class. But I disagree with how narrowly it’s often framed. Positioning isn’t just about marketing—it plays a huge role in innovation. It’s about understanding where you stand today and deciding where you want to go next. When I do market analysis for companies, the conversation about competition usually begins the same way:

• Who are we alike?
• How can we beat them?

These are good questions—depending on your goal. If you’re looking to outperform others in a crowded market, you need to know the competition inside and out. But if you’re trying to create something new, these questions aren’t enough.

The better question is: In which pond do you fish? Are you casting your line where everyone else is already fishing? Or are you looking for a new pond, one that might seem less obvious but holds far greater potential?

Positioning, when done right, isn’t about beating competitors at their game. It’s about shifting the game entirely. It’s about identifying your strengths, understanding the ecosystem, and focusing on opportunities others haven’t seen yet.

One Insight from Me

When you focus only on competitors, you’re stuck playing their game. Instead, step back and ask:

• What’s happening in the broader market?
• What are we uniquely equipped to solve?

Take the ICT market, for example:

• Legacy players dominate with reliable but rigid systems. They focus on beating one another with incremental improvements to, performance, cost or reliability.
• Startups, on the other hand, aren’t competing on the same terms. They’re solving problems differently—embracing cloud-based infrastructure, AI, and modular systems—and creating ecosystems of partners to shape the future.

Even if legacy players think they’re not directly competing, are they truly analyzing where the market is heading? Are they preparing for shifts in customer needs, technologies, and partnerships?

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1 | Ecosystem Thinking Helps You Find Untapped Opportunities

Don’t limit your view to your immediate industry. Think about interconnected markets and ask, What problems can we solve that no one else is addressing?

Example: A hotel could move beyond being just a place to sleep, repositioning itself as a hybrid space for coworking, wellness, and local collaborations. This broadens its relevance and defensibility against disruptors like Airbnb.

2 | Your Biggest Defensibility Comes from Focusing on Your Strengths

Forget about beating competitors at their game. The question is, What do we do better than anyone else? Build your positioning around those strengths and amplify them.

Example: A legacy ICT provider might not innovate as fast as startups, but it can position itself as the most reliable partner for enterprise clients who value stability and expertise.

3 | Positioning Isn’t Static—It Evolves with the Market

Digitalization, shifting customer expectations, and emerging technologies are reshaping ecosystems. Positioning must adapt to remain relevant. 

Positioning Beyond Competition: A Framework

Here’s how to think bigger and position yourself effectively in an evolving ecosystem:

1 | Understand the Ecosystem

Your market is part of a larger network of industries, technologies, and customer behaviors. Map the key players (not just competition), disruptors, and trends shaping your space. The space is often bigger than you think. Opportunities are endless.

2 | Focus on Your Strengths

Stop asking, “How can we beat the competition?” and start asking, “What value do we uniquely offer?” Double down on that value.

3 | Reevaluate the Market

Benchmarking against similar businesses limits your perspective. Consider broader trends, shifts in adjacent industries, and alternative solutions meeting customer needs. New ideas request broadening your horizons.

One Question for You

Are you fishing in the same pond as everyone else, or are you exploring broader ecosystems to position yourself for the future?

One Opportunity for Us

If you’re a regular reader of the 1-1-1 newsletter, you know what’s next: my next roundtable lunch is scheduled for February 7th, 12:00–14:00 at La Fontana. Mark you calenders! But this newsletter opportunity isn’t just about lunch—it’s about creating space for new ideas.

So here’s my offer: share where your business is fishing right now—by tonight—and I’ll give you three new ideas to explore. These could be opportunities you haven’t considered, partnerships worth exploring, or ways to position yourself differently in your ecosystem.