In our last article (🔗here), we asked whether your team would proudly use your brand—because internal belief is where authentic branding begins. But belief alone isn't enough. If you want your brand to lead, not follow, you have to take a stand. And that means declaring a war. A positioning war.
Every brand that wants to matter must pick a side not just in politics—but in purpose, tone, and belief. Positioning isn't just choosing where you stand. It's choosing what you're willing to stand against.
Branding means declaring war.
A war against sameness.
Against forgettable design.
Against category noise.
And make no mistake: if you're not willing to fight for your space in the market, someone else will claim it for you.
Positioning is Conflict—By Design
Let's stop pretending branding is about being "liked". Branding is about being chosen, which also means not being chosen by some. You can't claim space in a customer's mind unless you push other options out. That's not toxic. That's strategic. Your brand is not just a statement. It's a stance.
To position your brand is to enter the arena and declare, "This is who we are. This is who we're not. And here's why you should care." That's not a mood. That's a line in the sand.
Most Brands Are Still Trying to Be "Nice"
Here's what happens when you don't position with clarity:
- You say you're for "everyone", which means you're for no one
- You blend into your competitors—same fonts, same buzzwords, same promises
- You market like you're throwing glitter at fog
And let's face it—most startup branding looks like it was made by a committee of people who wanted to "play it safe" and ended up building a personality-free, AI-assisted blur. The only war they've declared is against memorability.
Positioning Is NOT Personality
Just because your tone is cheeky doesn't mean you're positioned. Just because your palette is neon doesn't mean you're different.
Positioning is not decoration. Its direction.
Your position is the hill on which your brand stands or falls. It's the story you'll repeat in every pitch, every ad, every product feature. It's the reason a customer will walk past five similar brands and still choose you.
And if you're afraid of turning people off… You'll never turn the right ones on.
Great Positioning Starts With Enemies
Yes—enemies.
Because every brand, whether it says it or not, is fighting something.
- Nike fights inertia.
- Apple fights complexity.
- Liquid Death fights corporate plastic and bland health culture.
- Patagonia fights climate apathy.
- Tesla (for better or worse) fights slow innovation.
With the correct positioning, you can win against big giants—and Dollar Shave Club proved it. They didn't quietly enter the market; they came out swinging at Gillette, the long-reigning king of overpriced, overengineered razors. In one legendary viral video, they declared war on unnecessary features, corporate fluff, and masculinity clichés. Their message? "You don't need a vibrating, LED-lit, ten-blade space tool to shave your face—you just need something that works and doesn't cost a fortune." By boldly positioning themselves as the anti-Gillette, they gave consumers a crystal-clear choice: slick marketing or honest simplicity. That clarity didn't just earn clicks—it built a billion-dollar brand. That's what happens when you stop trying to fit in and start drawing lines.
So what does your brand fight?
If you don't know, you're probably fighting for attention without purpose. That's a battle you'll lose.
Positioning is the Brand's Battle Cry
Your brand needs a cause. Not a vibe. Not a slogan.
Something to declare. Something that makes your audience say:
"Yes. That's what I believe, too."
"I want to be part of that."
"I'd go to war with them."
People don't follow brands. They follow movements that reflect their identity. If your brand isn't bold enough to stand for something,
It won't be strong enough to stand out.
Positioning is NOT About Being the Best
This is a trap. Too many brands position themselves like this:
"We're the most innovative."
"We have the highest quality."
"We're disrupting the industry."
Red light: everyone says that. And no one believes it. The real power lies in being different, not "better".
Better is subjective.
Different is defensible.
Don't try to own the top of the category. Try to own a corner no one else is touching—and make that corner yours.
Where Are You Planting Your Flag?
Positioning is the act of planting your flag somewhere real.
Here are positioning statements that actually work:
- "We're the only skincare brand for women in tech."
- "We're the minimalist productivity tool for chaotic creatives."
- "We're the agency that helps you scale without selling your soul."
- "We're the tea brand for emotionally intelligent rebels." ← Yes, that one's for you
They're not trying to please the masses. They're speaking to one group with so much clarity. It cuts through the noise like a knife through soft butter (organic, locally churned butter, of course).
The Cost of Not Positioning
Let's get brutally honest for a second.
If you don't position your brand clearly and courageously, here's what happens:
- You sound like everyone else
- You attract customers who don't really connect
- You discount to stay relevant
- Your team can't tell the story consistently
- You get overlooked, even when you're good
- You hire agencies that guess in your direction
- You slowly become forgettable
Positioning is the price of memorability.
Without it, your brand exists—
But it doesn't matter.
The Paradox: Founders Want to Be Chosen, But Hate to Choose
Want to know why most positioning fails? Because the founder doesn't want to make a choice.
They want to keep doors open.
They're afraid of alienating.
They want mass appeal before they have niche resonance.
But absolute positioning is an act of courage. It says, "This is the problem we solve. These are the people we serve. And these are the values we protect—at all costs."
And in doing so, it automatically says, "This is who we don't serve. This is what we won't compromise".
That's how you stop being generic.
That's how you become a brand.
Want to Start Positioning Right? Ask These:
- What are we fighting against in our industry?
- What's the belief that fuels our product or service?
- What do our competitors all sound like—and how can we say the opposite (truthfully)?
- Who would absolutely love what we do—and who wouldn't get it at all?
- What kind of future are we trying to create for our audience?
Answer those, and you're already 70% ahead of most startups.
Branding Means Declaring War
- Positioning is not a feature list. It's a fight.
- A fight for relevance, meaning, and mental real estate.
- It's how you differentiate, own space, and create movement.
- If your brand feels too quiet, it's probably because it's trying to be polite.
- But polite brands don't change anything. They just fade.
At Metaka Branding Studio, we don't do "safe". We do clarity, conviction, and category-defining brands.
We help founders stop blending and start battling, not out of aggression—but out of purpose.
We believe in brands that don't just play in markets.
We believe in brands that move them.
So, if you're ready to stop performing and start positioning—We're your war room. Let's define your space and declare it yours!
See it, feel it, experience it!
