What Startups Get Wrong About Comparative Positioning Our team has lost count of how many ads we’ve seen recently that all leverage the same comparative positioning structure, despite showcasing completely different products or services from entirely separate companies. The copy in question?
Counterproductive Comparative Positioning We completely understand the rationale behind “It’s Duolingo, but for X.” After all, comparative positioning can be a worthwhile strategy, and it’s worked well for many companies. Take Slack, for instance. In its early days, it was touted as “email, but better,” when the team spoke to investors and the media. Although never an official tagline, it is a prime example of how to leverage familiarity to define what makes a product valuable effectively. The Duolingo comparison attempts to do the same, and it may work for some products. Unfortunately, for most of the brands running those ads, results are going to be disappointing at best and, in some cases, downright detrimental. Let’s talk about some of the reasons why.