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Direction · 3 of 12

Positioning

What makes this different, said plainly enough that one sentence does the work.

Sounds like what you need?

  • Stand apart in a crowded space
  • Say what we do in one sentence
  • Make it land without someone walking people through it
  • See clearly where we sit among the competition
  • Words that sound as good as the product

What the Direction Sprint looks like

The questions this sprint answers

  • What problem are we actually solving, and for whom does it hurt most?
  • Who is the one person we're building this for first?
  • What's our point of view on how things should be?
  • What's the core job someone hires this for?

Decisions we'll make together

  • Whether it's worth building, and for whom first
  • The one opportunity to go after
  • Who the first customer is
  • What they need most from you

Your week

  1. MonWorkshop — We confirm the scope, check the foundation, and agree what we're testing and how.
  2. TueExplore — Two or three directions for opportunity, audience, positioning and job.
  3. WedDirection lock — We review the directions together and choose one.
  4. ThuMake — The chosen direction, built out.
  5. FriDelivery — A walkthrough, and everything lands in your Hub.

You leave with: A competitive 2x2 · An opportunity brief · Personas · Their words for the problem · A positioning statement · Your promise and personality · Job & scope · A "won't do" list

Every sprint follows this shape; yours is written around your project when you start.

In a real project

Miles

What positioning produced in a real engagement, exactly as the client has it. See the whole Hub

Statement

Teen driving isn't about control — it's about confidence.

  • Point of view

    Driving can be less stressful with thoughtful technology. The worst doesn't need to happen, and owning a car doesn't need to be in the dark, burdensome or scary.

  • Promise

    Miles coaches, it doesn't punish.

  • Value proposition

    Turns OBD-II trip data into something a parent can act on, without it feeling like surveillance — for both sides.

  • The one bet

    We believe people will choose Miles when it's framed as the expert riding shotgun, because knowing what's going on can be calm and simple.

Personality

  • Formal
    Casual
  • Reserved
    Expressive
  • Authoritative
    Approachable
  • Technical
    Plainspoken
  • Conventional
    Disruptive
  • Calm
    High-energy

Kill risks

What would make someone walk away — tested in the workshop so the positioning can steer around it

  • Creepy or invasive — secretive, shady, collecting information for reasons nobody explained.
  • Cheap or unreliable — bulk, excess, false positives.
  • Overkill — information overload, "it can do this and this and this", too-cute features that add cognitive load.
  • "This won't help me" — too playful about serious things, too many what-ifs, or "my smart car already does this."

Brand bet workshop

The Brand Bet Statement from the Brand Foundation Sprint board (December 22, 2025 – January 2, 2026): the template sentence, filled in live.

  • Brand Bet Statement
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