SKILL TO LEARN
A brand positioning statement is an internal line that articulates the value your brand brings to your target market. This short, but powerful, sentence creates focus—guiding what your brand says, makes (e.g. product, creative) and how it shows up over time.
A simple formula for writing a brand positioning statement is:
functional benefit + emotional benefit = outcome.
Note: There’s no required order here. Emotional or functional benefits can come first. This formula is a tool to help you get started writing brand positioning statements.
To use this formula, start by clearly defining who your brand is for (read more about target audiences here) and who you’re competing against (read more about conducting a competitive audit here). Positioning works hardest when it is grounded in both an audience and a point of difference.
From there, list all of your brand’s functional and emotional benefits. Then narrow that list by circling only the benefits that meet the following criteria:
What your brand does best: This helps you select RTBs (reasons to believe) that are credible and deliverable.
What your target audience wants most: This helps you select RTBs that are relevant and motivating.
What meaningfully differentiates you from competitors: This helps you select RTBs that are distinct and defensible.
Once you’ve identified the benefits at that intersection, use the formula to write your brand positioning statement.
Let’s do an example with Dove. Their brand positioning might be:
“Dove makes gentle, nourishing hygiene products that help women feel cared for so they can be confident in their own skin.”
Breaking that down using the formula above:
Functional Benefit: Gentle, nourishing hygiene products
Emotional Benefit: Feeling cared for
Outcome: Confidence in one’s own skin
⭐ Paid subscribers get a cheat sheet of 60 functional benefits, 40 emotional benefits and 2 bonus examples of brand positioning statements at the end of this post ⭐
1 ACTION TO TAKE
Let’s practice by writing a brand positioning statement for Skittles.
Normally, you’d conduct a competitive audit and target audience research. Since we’re focusing specifically on writing brand positioning statements, that work is provided for you below:
Key competitors and what they stand for:
Starburst: Big, juicy fruit flavor with a soft, chewy bite. Individually wrapped.
Mentos: Clean, refreshing flavor with a smooth chew. Associated with freshness and everyday utility.
Nerds Gummies: A playful mix of textures and flavors. Known for novelty, contrast, and sensory fun.
Sour Patch Kids: Sour-to-sweet flavor with a mischievous, rebellious personality.
Mike & Ike: Classic, straightforward chewy candy with familiar fruit flavors and broad appeal.
Target audience: Gen Z and younger Millennials who see candy as a quick hit of fun in their day. They prefer bold, fruit-flavored candy that delivers on taste, visual impact, and a satisfying eating experience.
Armed with the information above, follow these steps:
First, take 5 minutes and jot down every benefit that comes to mind for Skittles—both functional and emotional. Don’t edit yourself. Just write.
Benefits can include things like flavor, texture, variety, convenience, price, energy, vibes, or how the brand makes someone feel.
Second, review your list and organize the benefits into two buckets: functional benefits and emotional benefits.
Third, look at the competition. Which of these benefits are truly ownable for Skittles and not claimed by others?
Fourth, look at the target audience. Which benefits actually matter to them and align with why they choose candy? Feel free to do your own research (talking to people you know, scouring Reddit, pulling from your lived experiences, etc.).
By this point, you should have eliminated quite a few of your benefits. The goal is to get down to just two benefits (one functional benefit & one emotional benefit). If you haven’t arrived at two yet, that’s okay! Keep going and consider doing your own research to help you make decisions.
Now, write your brand positioning statement. Write several and iterate.
functional benefit + emotional benefit = outcome
Once you feel like you have the one, do one final gut check:
Could a competitor reasonably say this?
Would your audience care?
Can the brand actually deliver on it?
And with that, you’re done. Congrats!
1 QUOTE TO INSPIRE
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”— Leonardo da Vinci
