"When I first studied marketing, the definitions felt abstract-all funnels and frameworks. Years later, at ZOOM Marketing, a positioning agency where I serve as CEO, we came up with a mantra that still feels true: Marketing is the process of owning a hill. Positioning is figuring out which hill to own. The Point That Matters is the reason you deserve to own it."
"Category leadership isn't about a clever tagline; it's about shaping how customers see the market. When you own the hill, you gain three powerful advantages: * A Sharper Internal Focus: A clear category acts as a compass. It helps you prioritize where to invest, align teams and stay ruthlessly efficient. * Being In The Consideration Set: Buyers and competitors measure against you. Prospects may not always choose you, but they'll always consider you."
Marketing is framed as the process of owning a hill, with positioning selecting which hill and the Point That Matters providing the reason to claim it. Market-defining companies secure category leadership by defining and creating unique hills, exemplified by Apple assembling device hills into an ecosystem, Amazon expanding from books to e-commerce and cloud, and Google extending Search into adjacent products. Owning a hill delivers sharper internal focus, consistent consideration by buyers, and the authority to set product road maps and pricing. Achieving category leadership begins with defining a market shift, as shown by Rivian reframing electric vehicles toward electric adventure.
Read at Forbes
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