Veelgestelde vraag

What is a positioning?

Q: What is a positioning?

A positioning is the actual or the desired position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer. The word positioning is used to indicate both the actual and the desired position of a brand. This can sometimes be confusing, which is why in practice we often use internal and external positioning to distinguish the difference. Internal positioning is then the position the brand wants to take, external positioning is the position the market currently assigns to the brand. Internal positioning Internal positioning refers to the desired position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer. This is the positioning the brand must adopt under the influence of efforts in marketing, communication, and sales. Usually, this at least includes a corporate story, but in practice it is often supplemented with a positioning report containing, for example, strategic framework, market, internal analysis, and other information. External positioning External positioning refers to the actual, current position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer. In practice, this is often difficult for organizations to separate from the desired, internal positioning due to the proverbial blinders brands wear when it comes to their own market position.

Beantwoord door het team van Merkelijkheid Bijgewerkt op 9 October 2026

A positioning is the actual or the desired position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer.

The word positioning is used to indicate both the actual and the desired position of a brand. This can sometimes be confusing, which is why in practice we often use internal and external positioning to distinguish the difference. Internal positioning is then the position the brand wants to take, external positioning is the position the market currently assigns to the brand.

Internal positioning

Internal positioning refers to the desired position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer. This is the positioning the brand must adopt under the influence of efforts in marketing, communication, and sales. Usually, this at least includes a corporate story, but in practice it is often supplemented with a positioning report containing, for example, strategic framework, market, internal analysis, and other information.

External positioning

External positioning refers to the actual, current position of a brand relative to the competition in the mind of the customer. In practice, this is often difficult for organizations to separate from the desired, internal positioning due to the proverbial blinders brands wear when it comes to their own market position.