Glossary of brand and positioning

Brand archetype

A universal character — the Hero, the Sage, the Explorer… — that gives the brand a recognizable, consistent personality. Read more →

Brand architecture

The way a company organizes its brands: a single brand, separate brands, or families of brands under a parent brand.

Brand equity

The value a brand adds to a product: awareness, associations, perceived quality, loyalty.

Brand identity

What a brand is and wants to be: mission, vision, values, personality, tone of voice. Read more →

Brand image

How the market actually perceives a brand. Brand work often consists of narrowing the gap between identity and image.

Positioning map

A chart that places the brand and its competitors on two perceived axes, to see clusters and open spaces. Read more →

Mission

Why the brand exists and what it does for whom.

Positioning statement

An internal sentence that says who the brand is for, which category it belongs to, what sets it apart and why to believe it. Read more →

Positioning

The place a brand wants to occupy in an audience’s mind, relative to competitors. Read more →

Points of difference

What makes a brand preferable to competitors, matters to the customer and can be sustained by the brand.

Points of parity

What a brand must have to be considered in the category, on a par with competitors.

Semiotic square

A framework that starts from a pair of opposing values and derives four positions of meaning from it, used to read a category. Read more →

Reason to believe

The proof that makes a brand promise credible: an ingredient, a process, a result, a story.

Tagline

The short line that accompanies the brand and expresses its positioning.

Tone of voice

The way a brand speaks: register, rhythm, the words it uses and the ones it avoids.

Vision

The future the brand wants to help create.

Written by the MAPS editorial team with the help of AI, checked and reviewed by the team.