In many organisations, communication receives significant attention. Channels, formats, frequency and budgets are discussed in detail. Visibility is planned, reach is measured and campaigns are optimised. Yet despite this effort, sustainable brand impact often remains elusive.
The reason is rarely execution. It almost always lies further upstream.
Positioning is still treated as a marketing topic. In reality, it is a strategic leadership decision that must be made long before any communication begins. When positioning is delegated to marketing, its full strategic relevance is underestimated and long term relevance is put at risk.
“We see that embedding branding at the top management level delivers long-term impact. There, the brand is not understood as a short-term marketing activity, but as a strategic governance framework. This allows decisions to be communicated and supported consistently through positioning and brand, both externally and internally.”
Laura Westerheider
Founder
Positioning creates strategic clarity
Positioning does not define how a company communicates. It defines what it stands for. It establishes a clear place in the market, among competitors and in the minds of relevant audiences.
Clear positioning answers fundamental questions. Who the organisation is relevant for. What value it creates. Why this value matters more than alternatives. Without these answers, communication becomes reactive. It follows trends and competitors instead of a coherent strategic direction.
Positioning functions as an internal and external orientation system. It reduces complexity, aligns decisions and creates consistency across the organisation.
Why positioning is a leadership responsibility
Positioning influences far more than messaging. It shapes product and service portfolios, pricing logic, customer selection, brand architecture and growth strategy. These are leadership decisions with long term consequences.
When positioning is treated as a marketing exercise, strategy and communication become disconnected. The result is inconsistency, internal friction and a brand that appears unclear externally despite high internal effort. Leadership must therefore own positioning and use it as a decision framework across the organisation.
70 % of European companies centralize brand positioning strategy at the corporate or headquarters level, underscoring that positioning is treated as a strategic leadership responsibility rather than an operational marketing task.
State of Marketing Europe Report 2026, McKinsey & Company
Why positioning is a leadership responsibility
Positioning influences far more than messaging. It shapes product and service portfolios, pricing logic, customer selection, brand architecture and growth strategy. These are leadership decisions with long term consequences.
When positioning is treated as a marketing exercise, strategy and communication become disconnected. The result is inconsistency, internal friction and a brand that appears unclear externally despite high internal effort. Leadership must therefore own positioning and use it as a decision framework across the organisation.
Visibility without positioning fails to create relevance
In saturated markets, attention can be bought. Relevance cannot. Companies without clear positioning often increase activity and budgets while losing differentiation and facing growing price pressure.
More visibility does not solve this problem. It amplifies it. Without a clear brand core, growth exposes ambiguity instead of strength. Positioning acts as a filter. It focuses resources, increases efficiency and prevents costly misalignment.
Positioning is not a creative exercise and not a marketing measure. It is a deliberate leadership decision about focus, consistency and consequence.
Companies that treat positioning as a leadership responsibility build the foundation for long term brand strength and sustainable growth. Those that do not may achieve visibility, but they lose impact.
