The difference between positioning and proposition

In strategy, and especially in sales, many terms are often used interchangeably. Proposition, pitch, slogan, and positioning alternate, and everyone understands them differently. The meaning we assign to these terms often depends on the context. In this article, we will discuss the terms positioning and proposition, how they differ, and how they complement each other.

Do you know which brands belong to these propositions?

Within 30 minutes a pizza.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
We try harder.

The first is, of course, Domino’s Pizza, the second is from M&M’s, and the last is from the worldwide number 2 in car rental; Avis. You probably knew which company belonged to at least two of the three statements. Now think about it, what is your proposition actually? Is it just as short and powerful?

Many companies have a proposition consisting of a few sentences, full of buzzwords like customer focus, service, quality, and innovation. These are catch-all terms that lead to a weak proposition that no one can remember. In that case, the proposition misses its goal because no clear choice is made for one characteristic. A weak proposition and an unclear and unremarkable positioning often go hand in hand, but why is that? Let’s compare the definitions.

What is a proposition – definition

“An easy-to-understand reason why a customer should choose a specific brand, product, or service now, over all competition and alternatives.”

The statement that convinces people by emphasizing the truly distinctive strength of an offer and creating urgency.

What is positioning – definition

“The purposeful association of a brand with such a collection of characteristics, associations, and attributes that the brand acquires a unique place in the mind of the customer compared to competing brands.”

We write extensively about the meaning and definition of positioning in our article: The meaning and definition of positioning.

Proposition and positioning, the difference

Now that we have both definitions side by side, the difference quickly becomes clear. Positioning aims to differentiate the offer from the competition, while the proposition aims to make a sale. In fact, the proposition stems from the positioning and is primarily a crystallized message that contains the absolute core of the distinctive power. A company or brand can include several characteristics or attributes in its positioning, but the proposition must choose one aspect.

The easiest way to think about it is that the proposition is the actual offer a company or brand makes. Incidentally, that is where it comes from, propositio in Latin means to put forward or propose.

Proposition in practice

We strongly prefer to first develop the positioning and then derive the proposition from it. Simply because you only know the core of your distinctive power once you have worked out all its aspects. Starting with a proposition buries another sales argument or less obvious characteristic, while this might need to be central for your target audience!

In communication to the target audience, you then reverse this; a first impression is often a short pitch or a slogan on a website. The proposition then aims to sufficiently trigger the visitor or contact so that they want to learn more about you. Then the positioning comes into play.

The proposition and the positioning are indeed different, even though they are closely related. By consciously working on both tools, your people always have the right tool for the right situation. Want to know more about positioning and how to get started yourself? Read our page positioning and find, besides in-depth articles, dozens of examples and models for every possible positioning challenge.