# Positioning Frameworks Reference

## April Dunford's Obviously Awesome Framework

**Full framework in 5 components:**

1. **Competitive Alternatives** — What customers would do if you didn't exist
2. **Unique Attributes** — Capabilities/features only you have
3. **Value** — Customer outcomes enabled by unique attributes
4. **Best-Fit Customers** — Segments that value your unique attributes most
5. **Market Category** — Context that makes your value obvious

**Key insight:** Work through these in order. Each component depends on the previous.

## Category Design Principles

**Existing Category:**
- Pros: Customers understand it, existing budget
- Cons: Crowded, hard to differentiate

**Adjacent Category:**
- Pros: Leverage existing understanding + show uniqueness
- Cons: Requires education on "why different"

**New Category:**
- Pros: Own the space, define the rules
- Cons: Expensive, requires market education

**Default to existing or adjacent unless you have budget for category creation.**

## Common Positioning Mistakes

1. **Claiming "better, faster, easier" without specifics**
   - Bad: "The better project management tool"
   - Good: "Project management for creative teams that syncs with design tools"

2. **Listing only direct competitors**
   - Missing: Status quo, manual processes, adjacent tools

3. **Attributes that aren't actually unique**
   - Test: Would your product still work if you removed this?

4. **Value that's too generic**
   - Bad: "Save time"
   - Good: "Eliminate 5 hours/week of status meetings"

5. **Target = "everyone who needs [thing]"**
   - Narrow to who values your unique attributes MOST

## Positioning Examples by Product Type

**Horizontal SaaS (broad appeal):**
- Category: Well-established (e.g., "CRM")
- Differentiation: Specific audience or use case

**Vertical SaaS (industry-specific):**
- Category: "[Industry] [horizontal category]"
- Differentiation: Industry-specific features

**Platform / API:**
- Category: Developer tools, infrastructure
- Differentiation: Technical architecture, performance

**Marketplace:**
- Category: Two-sided, define supply + demand
- Differentiation: Quality, curation, network effects

## Further Reading

- *Obviously Awesome* by April Dunford
- *Play Bigger* (category design) by Al Ramadan et al.
- *Crossing the Chasm* by Geoffrey Moore