How Brands Use De-Positioning to Outthink and Outmaneuver Their Competition
NEW YORK, October 20, 2025 (CarryOnHarry.com)
– 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.
Portland, OR, November 27, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– The FAN EXPO Portland celebrity guest list has always featured great variety, and five new additions to the 2026 lineup for the pop culture extravaganza are further proof of that. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard), Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Star Wars: The Acolyte) and “Peggy the Dog” (Deadpool & Wolverine) will now attend the event set for January 16-18 at the Oregon Convention Center.
Elwes gained wide acclaim for his portrayal of “Wesley” in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride and reached new audiences by headlining the Mel Brooks spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights and later Saw. He also recently appeared in the Tom Cruise features Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and portrays “Mayor Larry Kline” in Stranger Things 3.
McFadden had the key role of “Beverly Crusher” in TNG, reprising the role in Picard, Prodigy and other iterations of the franchise. She is also a stage actress, choreographer, director, teacher, and was the host of more than 300 episodes of the podcast “Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?”
Koenig is best known for his recurring television portrayals both of the hated, intensely driven “Alfred Bester” (Babylon 5) and the likable, perpetually cheerful “Pavel Chekov” (Star Trek). Koenig’s film work includes the first seven Star Trek feature films, for which he earned two Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor nominations. His many other films have been independent projects with challenging roles.
Jacinto played “Jason Mendoza” on the full four-season run of The Good Place (2016-20) and later appeared as “Lt. Fritz Avalone” in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Also among his more than 50 TV and film credits are runs on the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers and the animated series Hailey’s on It!
Peggy, earning the title of “Britain’s Ugliest Dog” in a national competition there, has gone on to stardom as “Dogpool” in the Marvel Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine. A portion of proceeds from her appearance at FAN EXPO Portland will support a local charity in the Pacific Northwest.
The five bolster an already impressive FAN EXPO Portland celebrity roster that includes: • The Lord of the Rings headliners Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan • Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³) • Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone) • Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation) • Harry Potter duo of Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright • Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Armageddon) • Robbie Rist (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Brady Bunch) • Ernie Reyes Jr. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) • Brian Tochi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Revenge of the Nerds) • Kenn Scott (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, director/Adventures of Johnny Tao) • François Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lost) • Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, American Dad) • Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911!, The Goldbergs) • My Hero Academia standouts Eric Vale, David Matranga, J. Michael Tatum, Brandon McInnis and Clifford Chapin • Hazbin Hotel regulars Christian Borle, Joel Perez and Krystina Alabado
More FAN EXPO Portland guest announcements will follow from the worlds of film, television, streaming, art, literature, gaming, cosplay, anime, animation and more in the coming weeks.
Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now at www.fanexpoportland.com. Advance pricing is available until January 1.
Portland is the second event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.
About FAN EXPO HQ FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, FAN EXPO Cleveland, MEGACON Orlando, Toronto Comicon, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Canada, FAN EXPO Dallas, VIDCON Anaheim, EDMONTON EXPO, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and FAN EXPO San Francisco. The latest schedule of events is available on the website, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.
Nashville, TN, November 20, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– A fourth-generation U.S. Virgin Islander who has called Nashville home since 1993, de Lugo transitioned from an award-winning career in music publishing and feature film producing, with Platinum and Gold Albums, Arista Records A-Team Award, BMI #1 and more, to lavender farming in 2018. Focusing exclusively on Peace Tree Farm’s trademarked, heat- and humidity-tolerant hybrids—Lavender Phenomenal®, Sensational!®, and Exceptional!®—she has proven these cultivars are the definitive choice for Southern growers.
Lloyd Traven, President of Peace Tree Farm, the original breeder of these global-standard varieties, praises de Lugo’s early foresight and influence:
“Over a period of the last decade, Gigi has been highlighting our introductions that have become the Gold Standard for lavender worldwide, and she was an early proponent because she saw the extra value of these introductions… Once she knew the plants were different and far superior, she committed to making the right choice for her customers. She can now proudly say that she has started over 30 new farms on their journey across an area ranging from Virginia through to Iowa!”
From its original rented fields in Whites Creek—Gigi’s Lavender, was celebrated by “Garden & Gun” magazine as one of the South’s top lavender destinations—the licensed nursery has supplied thousands of Peace Tree-bred plants throughout Tennessee and beyond. In 2019, de Lugo founded “The Lavender Exchange (TLx),” an exclusive membership alliance offering ongoing technical support, resource sharing, cooperative marketing, and agritourism promotion to farms that source their plants exclusively from Gigi’s Nursery.
Traven also highlights the impact of this network: “Gigi also knows the great importance and value of marketing with expression of clear benefits and a clear message. She created the Lavender Exchange with this in mind—to provide an outlet for cooperative marketing and sharing of equipment and machinery and product ideas.”
This strengthened ownership ensures continuity for de Lugo’s research, educational outreach, and product innovation at the Joelton location, including her newest Patent Pending offering, “ZWave Mg”—a topical magnesium spray infused with pure Phenomenal lavender hydrosol steam-distilled exclusively from flowers grown by TLx member farms. Designed for relaxation, muscle relief, and better sleep, ZWave Mg showcases the wellness potential of Southern-grown lavender.
“This milestone gives us the stability and security to continue investing in our Southern lavender research, development, product distribution, and growing community of the farms we support through The Lavender Exchange (TLx),” said Gigi de Lugo. “From the beginning I set out to prove lavender could become a viable cash crop for Tennessee and Southern farms—not only a pretty agritourism field, but a real harvestable commodity built on Phenomenal®. It took courageous pioneers willing to bet on the unproven and stay the course with me. These years, alongside the extraordinary farmers of our TLx family, have been one of the greatest adventures of my life.”
Experience the pure essence of Southern lavender: Gigi’s premium products, including the breakthrough ZWave Mg, are available exclusively through her website, and retail partners across Tennessee. Gigi is in discussion with a Nashville based manufacturer to expand her ZWave Mg production capacity for 2026.
About Gigi’s Lavender Nursery & Farm Gigi’s Lavender Nursery & Farm is a Tennessee-licensed grower and an exclusive Southeast source for Peace Tree Farm’s Phenomenal®, Sensational!®, Exceptional!®, Inspirational!® lavender cultivars. It serves as headquarters for The Lavender Exchange (TLx), a premier network advancing lavender agriculture and agritourism across the South and Midwest.
