Strategic Mapping : How to Find Your Place in the Market

Imagine a graph with two axes. On one, you have, for example, “low price” vs. “premium”, and on the other, “standard” vs. “customized”. Your job? Place your brand (and those of your competitors) on this map to see where you stand, like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” business version.

How it helps :

Master your market: Understand the dynamics of supply and demand.

• Analyze competitors: Get a clear picture of both direct and indirect competitors.
• Understand demand: See how it’s currently distributed in your industry.
• Assess blue and red oceans: Identify untapped opportunities and highly competitive spaces.

Result: you identify opportunities, saturated areas, and gaps to exploit. In short, it’s your marketing GPS.

You see, it’s pretty useful anyway. Let’s add a little depth to all this.

To know if your positioning is good, answer these questions :

First, if your positioning is unclear. Check what speaks to you:

• I have trouble presenting the added value of my product/service.
• My competitors say the same thing as me.
• My customers often hesitate between me and a direct competitor.
• I don't know where to determine the brand image.

If you ticked at least two boxes, it’s time to map things out! And lucky you, this article is here to walk you through it step by step so you can fully understand your market and logically (and effortlessly) stand out.

Understanding Strategic Mapping

Strategic mapping is an essential tool to position your brand against competitors. It helps visualize crowded spaces and untapped opportunities by showing the strengths and weaknesses of each player in your market.

Step by step, did we say? Here we go!

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Step 1 : study your global market from top to bottom, your direct and indirect competitors

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Based on your current offer, make a list of your competitors without excluding any player. From the most expensive to the least expensive.

Your direct competitors are those who respond exactly to the same problem that you are trying to solve by offering a product similar to yours. Your indirect competitors are those who respond to your problem differently.

Take a look at this fashion mapping : 

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To do this, analyze their offer, their marketing positioning, their price range, and their clientele and position them one by one on your mapping.

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Step 2 : take possession of this first mapping and understand the dynamics of your market

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What are the major trends in my market: is the offer segmented, is it international, or local? Draw as many conclusions as possible before moving on to the next step.

How does the offer work? Are there market opportunities, blue oceans? Are they risky? Have previous players tried to conquer this market and failed, if so, why?

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Ask yourself the right questions to be better safe than sorry.

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Step 3: Create a more focused mapping with only your direct competitors

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By now, you should have a clearer understanding of supply and demand in your industry. This gives you an initial overview of your market’s state.

• Analyze their added value: what makes them attractive? Price, image, innovation?
• Identify their best practices and mistakes: what works for them? Where are the flaws?
• Find your own niche: no question of copying. Identify the free space where your offer makes sense.

Less intuition, more analysis. That's how you build a solid positioning.

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Step 4: The Right Questions to Ask

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Before placing your business on these different mappings, reflect on the following:

• What’s my product’s added value?
• Should I enter a competitive market head-on, or is it wiser to differentiate and carve out a more open, accessible niche?
• Why are these blue oceans (empty markets) actually empty?
• Are there overlooked market opportunities worth considering?
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⚠️ Your mappings aren’t set in stone!

Many businesses create a map once and let it collect dust. Bad idea! Markets constantly evolve, new trends, new players, shifting consumer expectations… If you don’t stay alert, you’ll quickly get overtaken.

Take AI (yes, again). If you knew how many new startups are popping up, you might panic. But if you stay sharp, eyes wide open, you’ll keep the lead. (Come on, you’re not about to let some nerdy engineers snatch your market share, are you?)

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The solution ?

Analyze your market at least once a month and stay on top of it:

• Track competitors’ movements → Set up alerts (competitive watch, Google Alerts, social listening).
• Analyze market trends → See where consumer expectations are shifting.
• Make continuous strategic adjustments → Move your positioning before competitors do.

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A Real-World Example: Tesla & Evolving Mapping

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Mapping is not something you carve in stone.

Look at Tesla : 

in 2010, it was the total outsider with its luxury electric cars.  Except that in 2024, everyone is going electric.  If they had stuck to their first positioning, they would have been eaten alive.

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Instead, they moved their pawns: Autopilot, software innovation, more accessible models... In short, they understood that mapping is a chess game, not a frozen photo.

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So now, grab a sheet of paper, draw two axes, and place your mark. And if you want a cash opinion, contact us, we love to dissect all that!

Now that you know why and how to create a mapping, it’s time to take action. Grab a sheet of paper, draw two axes, and place your brand.