April Dunford · 8 min read · Product Strategy
Positioning in the Age of AI
Read the original on aprildunford.substack.com →
AI is accelerating shifts in product positioning, affecting your product, competitors, and market at once. The article argues that effective positioning now requires a clear future-oriented point of view, a concrete roadmap for customers, and a plan to beat the perception of competitors already in buyers’ minds while anticipating future entrants. Without a strong hypothesis about the future, teams risk appearing lost as buyers demand clarity and direction.
Key Takeaways
- Maintain a strong, future-oriented point of view to guide positioning, because buyers need a clear vision of where the tech is headed and how to get there.
- Position against the real competition in customers’ minds, not just the loudest future threats, while also planning for possible future entrants.
- Align messaging with AI-driven shifts across product changes, competitors, and market forces—treat AI as a multi-dimensional disruptor, not a single trend.
- Provide explicit questions and roadmaps about how AI capabilities affect your product’s form (e.g., chat interfaces, automation, integration) and what customers should do today to prepare.
Excerpt
I’m often asked how a company will know that its positioning needs to change. My answer is that there are categories of changes that will require you to shift your positioning: Your product changes - unlocking new value for existing or potentially new customers Your competitors change - closing the gap or leap-frogging your capabilities in a way that changes what you can claim as “differentiating.” The market changes - This can include regulatory changes (that force buyers to prioritize capabilities differently), economic changes (where companies shift from growth to cost-cutting, or the reverse), unpredictable world crises (Covid, war, weather…