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Part of Validate Startup Ideas With AI Research

Marketing Blueprint

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Define Market Positioning Strategy

0May 2026

Market positioning using April Dunford's framework, stress-tested with Neumeier's Onliness Test and Moore statements.

What problem does this solve?

Builds a defensible market position grounded in 5+1 components: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value themes, best-fit customers, market category, and trend overlay. It avoids aspirational positioning (positioning on what you hope to become) and forces precision through the Onliness Test. If you cannot complete 'the only [category] that [differentiator]' convincingly, the positioning is too weak. Produces positioning documents, messaging implications, a competitive alternatives map, and market category analysis.

How does it work?

  1. Describe your product, problem, and alternatives, or point it at prior startup-design or startup-competitors output. 2. The skill runs 2 research waves: competitive alternatives plus customer context, market category analysis plus trends. 3. Builds positioning through Dunford's 5 components plus trend overlay, then stress-tests with Onliness and Ries/Trout mental ladder tests. 4. Produces positioning statement (Moore plus Neumeier plus extended Onliness), competitive alternatives map, market category analysis, and messaging implications. Output: a clear positioning statement and the reasoning behind every component.

Included Skills

No skills in this group

What's required to run this?

Lower token consumption than design or competitors. Web search for market category and trend research (knowledge-based fallback available). Can read startup-design or startup-competitors output and layer positioning on top.

Key Features

Dunford framework

5+1 components with evidence: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value themes, target customers, market category, trend overlay

Onliness Test

Validates positioning with basic and extended forms; if you cannot fill it honestly, the position is too weak

Multiple statement formats

Moore template, Neumeier Onliness, elevator pitch, tagline candidates, channel variants

JTBD discovery

Maps what job customers hire your product for and what alternatives they would use instead

Messaging implications

Bridge from positioning to copy: messaging hierarchy, category label, value anchor, customer language map

About This Blueprint

Industry
Technology

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