Points of parity and points of difference

Points of parity and points of difference together form positioning's grammar. Points of parity are the attributes on which you must be equivalent merely to compete: the category requirements and the competitor strengths you neutralise. Points of difference are the attributes on which you win and that justify the choice. The order is the lesson most often skipped: without parity nobody buys the difference; a unique advantage on a product missing the basics does not persuade. Strong positioning therefore first earns the parity it needs, and only then claims its difference.

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