How Brands Use De-Positioning to Outthink and Outmaneuver Their Competition

NEW YORK, October 20, 2025 (CarryOnHarry.com)
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Branding strategist and Fazer founder Todd Irwin announces the release of his debut book, De-Positioning: The Secret Brand Strategy for Creating Competitive Advantage, a groundbreaking framework that challenges decades of conventional marketing wisdom and exposes why differentiation no longer drives growth in today’s hypercompetitive markets.

For years, companies have been told to “differentiate,” meaning to stand out by being faster, cheaper, or better. In De-Positioning, Irwin argues that in oversaturated markets, companies can no longer win through strategies that emphasize “different.” Different isn’t enough. Irwin’s proprietary methodology reveals how the world’s most successful brands, such as Apple, Volvo, and Tesla, win by subtly redirecting the positions of competitors to strengthen their own.

“For years, I watched traditional positioning fail brands in the real world,” Irwin says. “De-Positioning was born out of the need for a strategy that actually works in today’s brutally competitive markets. It challenges the old playbook and shows how brands can dominate by turning customer pain into their greatest competitive weapon.”

Rooted in behavioral science and the Engel-Blackwell-Miniard model of consumer behavior, Irwin’s methodology turns decades of academic theory into a practical, repeatable system for winning market share. In accessible and engaging language, the book outlines six principles that define this approach, championing the customer, solving “hero” pain points, understanding competitor weaknesses, and building coherence and integration across every brand touchpoint.

The book has already drawn praise from industry legend Jon Bond, cofounder of the trailblazing agency Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, whose work helped define modern advertising. Bond, who penned the book’s foreword, calls De-Positioning “a rare combination of strategic depth and real-world clarity” and credits Irwin with articulating what marketers have long felt but couldn’t name.

De-Positioning has also received early endorsements from some of the world’s foremost marketing thinkers beyond the advertising world. Erich Joachimsthaler, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Business School, CEO of Vivaldi Group, and co-author of Brand Leadership, writes, “Irwin is a master brand strategist. He shows how brands, when viewed as mental real estate in consumers’ minds, deliver competitive advantage and enormous financial value for firms. Brilliant.”

With a mix of strategic insight, case studies, and actionable frameworks, De-Positioning offers business leaders a practical roadmap to redefine their markets and create lasting competitive advantage.

De-Positioning: The Secret Brand Strategy for Creating Competitive Advantage is available now for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About Todd Irwin
Todd Irwin is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Fazer, a brand strategy firm that helps companies dominate in hypercompetitive markets. Over three decades, he has led strategy for Fortune 500 companies as well as venture-backed disruptors funded by Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and Google Ventures. Irwin pioneered the strategic methodology known as De-Positioning, a rigorous, customer-first approach that flips traditional branding on its head. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and MIT Technology Review. De-Positioning distills his three decades of experience into a playbook for leaders who want to stop competing and start controlling their markets.

About Fazer
Fazer is a new model, global brand strategy firm that helps companies outsmart, not outspend, their competitors. Its proprietary De-Positioning methodology builds brands around customer pain points-transforming competitive weaknesses into enduring advantage. Founded by veteran strategist Todd Irwin, Fazer combines the rigor of a consultancy with the creativity of a boutique. Its senior-only team partners with ambitious leaders at brands like Verizon, Bang & Olufsen, and SiriusXM to redefine categories and create brands that win by design, not by chance.

Learn more at fazer.agency.

Source: Fazer

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