Brand Positioning: Like a Duck on Water, Success Lies Beneath the Surface

CEOs and entrepreneurs often focus on the numbers that define success—revenue growth, market share, and customer acquisition. 

However, the real strength of a brand isn’t always in what’s immediately visible. It’s in the strategic groundwork laid beneath the surface. Clear and compelling brand positioning delivers a competitive advantage and helps to underpin a strong business and brand.

Having worked with dozens of B2B SaaS companies, I understand the importance of effective brand positioning.

Success isn’t simply about having a great product. It’s about knowing who you are, why your customers should care, and what makes you different, better or unique in an ultra-competitive, volatile and rapidly evolving market. 

When most people think about positioning, they imagine clever taglines or cool logos. But that’s just scratching the surface. Brand positioning goes much deeper.

It’s about defining how you want to be perceived and why customers should pick you over the competition. The visible parts—your value proposition, competitive analysis, and brand voice—are just the tip of the iceberg. They show the world what your business stands for.

But the real work, the stuff that drives lasting success, happens behind the scenes.

It is where research, competitive analysis, and countless feedback loops come into play. For SaaS companies especially, the below-the-surface strategy sets apart fleeting success from sustained growth. 

The Duck on the Water Metaphor in Brand Positioning

Think of your brand like a duck floating on a pond or lake.

What’s above the water? Your outward-facing messaging—the value proposition, the visuals, the story. Like a duck, this message appears efftortless. 

What's below the waterline? Like a duck's furiously moving feet, a lot is happening.

Brand positioning involves gathering customer insights, conducting a deep competitive analysis, and testing your messaging until it hits home.

For business leaders, focusing on the visible side of the equation is tempting—product launches, campaigns, and polished messaging. But if you want to build a brand that stands out, you need to invest in the behind-the-scenes work.

A strong positioning strategy involves intimately understanding your audience, discovering what makes you different, and fine-tuning your message until it resonates.

Every company claims to be innovative, efficient, and customer-focused. So, how do you break through? Successful brands take the time to dig deep—understand their market and unique value, and communicate in a way that truly cuts through. That’s where brand positioning becomes invaluable.

An Ongoing Process, Not a One-Time Exercise

I’ve learned that brand positioning isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it proposition.

It’s a dynamic, ongoing process of refining and adapting. Markets shift, customer needs evolve, new competitors emerge out of nowhere, and what worked a year ago might not resonate anymore.

That’s why constant testing and validation are important. Whether through customer surveys, focus groups, or pilot campaigns, the smartest brands always check to ensure their messaging still hits the mark.

The most successful brands embrace this process. They aren’t afraid to dig in and continually refine their positioning. They make difficult choices about what to focus on and what to walk away from, which is a huge challenge when you have operated with a specific narrative for a long time.

Brand positioning is about more than just how your company looks.

It’s about crafting a story that aligns with your vision and resonates with your customers, team, and partners. It's about building a strong foundation to support growth growth.

Next time you think about your brand (which you must do frequently!), don’t just look at what your brand says about you today. Consider how it needs to evolve to meet tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.