Category language sets the battlefield

The language used to describe a market is not merely explanatory. It determines what customers compare.

If a new product accepts the incumbent’s category, it may also accept the incumbent’s criteria for winning. The conversation becomes a checklist built for someone else’s strengths.

Strong positioning can change the question. It helps the customer see a different problem, a different alternative, or a different reason to care.

This is not wordplay detached from reality. The product must support the claim.

But before a company can win a market, it often has to decide what kind of market the customer believes they are in.