Strengthening strategic positions

The pace of change always seems to get faster. Models for institutions and business morph overnight; boundaries blur; constituents' expectations shift. It's hard for organizations to find and keep a foothold.

With so much movement, defining (and living) a distinctive position in the competitive landscape is critical if you're to be understood and valued on your terms—if you're to be top-of-mind and relevant—and successfully compete for attention and dollars. Understanding what you can "own," and what makes you valuable to your constituents, can make the difference between competing on your own terms and losing on someone else's.

Our approach

Creating a strategic position requires the right offerings and brand meaning, combined with the perceptions and buzz to generate interest and demand. It's the intersection between rational needs for programs and products and emotional needs for a shared vision—and association with an organization that makes a customer or donor feel good. Gaining attention and building credibility require disciplined use of what you own—such as your name and trademarks—and strategic use of what you can't own: ideas, stories, colors, imagery, visual design... the building blocks that help you communicate in a distinctive and compelling voice.

In practice …

MIT Sloan School of Management needed to re-draw its position relative to other top-shelf schools using messages and metrics consistent with their strengths, capabilities, and culture—and to reinforce their unique position at the center of a world-class research and innovation institution. Sametz Blackstone worked with MIT Sloan to create a brand identity and communications strategy that articulates a distinctive and very relevant competitive position.

In drug discovery and clinical testing, the stakes are high and the margins for error slim. We worked closely with one of the world's leading clinical research organizations to define a new position and to develop messages and communications to reach critical audiences. This new initiative helped the CRO to grow significantly.

Own your piece of the pie

Defining—and communicating consistently—your competitive position can help you shorten sales cycles, grow relationships, and be a must-have partner, provider, and resource during times of change. Sametz Blackstone Associates works with organizations to discover, articulate, and prove optimal strategic positions so that you can succeed in a changing landscape.