Brand Positioning is one of the most commonly misunderstood terms in marketing. 

Most define brand positioning as the unique value that a brand presents a consumer or the position a brand represents in the mind of your customer. 

Neither definition addresses ‘position’. A ‘position’ can only be explained relative to another. In that context, brand positioning should be thought of as: 

Brand Positioning: “the unique space a brand occupies in a market relative to others.”

The state of the news industry has captured America’s attention with perceived ‘inherent bias’ carried out by the news media.  

In reality, the proliferation of news outlets is a fight for market position. News is filling space along a political spectrum, positioning their brand to cater to specific audiences in order to steal market share and viewership from others. 

We visualize this below: 

When you are thinking of your brand position, you should consider the state of the market. Where are incumbents positioning themselves? Where is the white space? What position can we take?

That white space, where there are underserved consumers, offers the best position for your brand to take and thereby grow.

3 Stories Dominating Media and Tech Headlines

INSIDE THE MELTDOWN AT CNN. Instead of simply running one of the biggest news companies, this week CNN’s CEO Chris Licht actually is the news. The Atlantic published an in depth profile detailing the struggles and turmoil of the CEO’s first year at the helm. Licht resigned this week as the CEO of CNN.

Why it matters: Dealing with new executive appointments from Warner Bros. Discovery, to internal firestorms amongst staff, and the departure of Don Lemon, the fascinating expose is worth the 15,000 word read. Any executive can learn from the machiavellian politics that plague one of America’s biggest news networks. 

Binance, US affiliate hit by net outflows of $1.43b since SEC lawsuit, data shows. Crypto investors have withdrawn over $1.4 billion from Binance and its U.S. affiliate following the SEC’s filing of a lawsuit against the company. The SEC lawsuit alleges that Bianance inflated trading volume, diverted customer funds, and misled investors regarding its market surveillance controls. 

Why it Matters: Coinbase suffered the second lawsuit in two days, slapped with a similar but slightly less extensive suit from the SEC, claiming unregistered securities. Both companies face major civil fines in the millions. 

Amazon is joining the wireless race by offering free mobile service to Prime customers. The potential plan would most likely be a partnership with one of the major mobile providers like AT&T or Verizon offering Prime customers wireless service for $10.

Why it Matters: Amazon is always looking to innovate and increase subscriptions, especially considering increased competition from Walmart+. The addition of a competitive cellular service would bring more value to the Prime membership and potentially increase long-term subscriber retention.

Stat of the Week - Crypto Market Cap

In the past year, the global crypto marketplace has been rocked by the FTX bankruptcy scandal, and now the Binance SEC lawsuit. 

Crypto has always been a wild ride, just look at the overall market cap over the years. Since 2017, the market cap across all crypto currencies has grown from just over $16 billion to well over $1 trillion in 2022. 

Volatility in the crypto realm is constant as it deals with scandals, increased regulation and oversight from world governments. 

Despite the obstacles, adoption and new applications have only increased worldwide.

One Fun Thing - American Healthcare Jargon 

The American healthcare system is designed to be confusing. 

While most marketing aims to explain, simplify, or inform about a consumer benefit, some aims to obfuscate. This is the case in the American healthcare system, where a complex web of medical jargon seeks to confuse the consumer. 

HMO, Copays, HDHP, PPO, Premiums, VSP, Deductibles, Coinsurance, Out-of-pocket, Qualifying life event, In-network, Out-of-network, FSA, HRA, QLE, you know me!

Learn all about it in a hilariously sad expose produced by Brian David Gilbert - A terrible guide to the terrible terminology of U.S. health insurance.