The concept of Brand Positioning emerged in the early 1970s with the work of Al Ries and Jack Trout, who described positioning as the battle for the consumer’s mind. Their idea shifted marketing from focusing solely on product features to shaping perception, placing mental availability and differentiation at the core of brand strategy. Later, scholars such as Philip Kotler integrated positioning into the broader STP model—Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning—formalizing it as a foundational step of modern marketing management. In Contemporary Marketing Management, positioning evolves into a relational and meaning-driven process, where brands must articulate not only what they offer but why they matter, ensuring coherence between identity, purpose, and stakeholder expectations in an increasingly saturated and AI-mediated marketplace.

Brand Positioning delineates the specific cognitive and perceptual territory a brand occupies in the minds of consumers and stakeholders. Crucially, it cannot be predetermined or constructed solely at a conceptual or managerial level.

Positioning emerges from the empirical verification of market perceptions, and its validity depends on systematic investigation through methods such as brand perception studies, competitive benchmarking, qualitative interviews, semantic analysis, and quantitative market research.

In this sense, positioning reflects the actual mental representation of the brand held by the market, rather than the organization’s aspirational narrative.

A robust positioning framework integrates multiple dimensions—including functional relevance, symbolic and emotional meaning, and the articulation of the brand’s values and purpose—while requiring consistency across all brand touchpoints.

Furthermore, in contemporary environments characterized by digitalization, interactivity, and AI-mediated communication, Brand Positioning must be interpreted as a dynamic construct, subject to continuous evaluation and adaptation.

Within the theoretical architecture of Contemporary Marketing Management, Brand Positioning is intrinsically linked to the concept of Marketing Distinguo. While positioning outlines the perceived place of the brand within its competitive and cultural landscape, the Marketing Distinguo identifies the unique, defensible, and meaningful differentiator that enables the brand to maintain relevance and recognizability over time.

Together, they establish the epistemological and strategic basis for coherent branding, communicative alignment, and long-term competitive advantage.

A running shoe brand might position itself around injury prevention and biomechanical expertise rather than speed. By owning this specific mental territory, the brand becomes the preferred choice for runners seeking long-term performance and safety, reinforcing all marketing and product decisions around this core identity.