Trying to please everyone is a great way to disappear.

Let’s start simple:

What is positioning?

Positioning is the process of differentiating a product, service, or company in the mind of the customer to gain a competitive advantage. But more than a tactic, positioning is a commitment. A decision about who you are—and who you’re not.

In business, strategy is often taught like war: identify the enemy, outperform the competition, dominate the market. But what if the smartest strategy isn’t about defeating anyone? What if the brands that win… never enter the fight at all?

The most resonant companies don’t chase trends, competitors, or universal appeal. They take a side and ignore the rest. That’s not just branding. That’s strategy.

Most brands avoid this. They try to be open to everyone—broad, flexible, adaptable. They end up tracking competitors just to imitate them. It’s a trap—and it keeps them permanently behind.

Trying to be everything at once only leads to one outcome: confusion and loss of identity. If your brand tries to please everyone, it will be remembered by no one.

“If we weren’t criticised, we wouldn’t be doing our job.” — Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate, in an interview with the Financial Times

Balshaw’s words summarise a truth most institutions avoid: taking a position inevitably comes with resistance. But neutrality, in the long run, leads to irrelevance.

As she explains in the same interview:

“Clearly, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. But whether it is the 2023 ‘rehang’ of the Tate Britain collection, which placed historical works in a ‘social context’, or the omission of certain artists from Tate Modern... can a museum director ever do anything without upsetting somebody, somewhere?”

“The critics are not supposed to like everything that Tate does. They never have,” Balshaw says, firmly. Visitors expect to be challenged by what they see and experience when they visit a Tate museum. “What is definitely working for the audiences is when we hold to that sense of being adventurous and bold.”

By embracing criticism and choosing boldness over comfort, Tate demonstrates what it means to take a side—not only artistically, but institutionally.

Real strategy means making hard choices. It’s not just about who you want to attract. It’s about what you refuse to become. That’s the turning point—where clarity starts.

And with clarity, content becomes easy. You stop hesitating. You know what fits, and what doesn’t.

When you commit to a position, you draw a line. You choose a focus. You create meaning.

You’re no longer chasing someone else’s map. You’re in your own boat. In your own waters. On your own terms.

Take a side. Your side.

And that’s not just good branding.
It’s a winning strategy.