Why Great Products Get Ignored: The Context Problem in Product Positioning (with April Dunford

Even world-class products can struggle when buyers don’t know where to place them. In this episode, Chelsey Reynolds sits down with globally renowned positioning expert, April Dunford, to unpack why great products get ignored and how positioning, when done well, sets the context that makes value instantly obvious. April shares how she defines positioning, why it’s more than messaging, and how misaligned context can flatten even the strongest product story. Drawing from her work with hundreds of technology companies and the expanded edition of Obviously Awesome, she breaks down what founders and leaders need to decide before they ever touch a positioning exercise, and how to avoid the traps that slow teams down or send them back to square one. You’ll hear practical guidance on how positioning evolves as products ship faster, markets change, and competitors multiply, plus how to know when it’s time to revisit your positioning and when to leave it alone. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why positioning is about context, not clever messaging The critical decisions to make before starting any positioning work How to choose between head-to-head, big fish small pond, or category creation strategies When positioning should change and when it should stay put What founders often miss when positioning for customers versus investors If this conversation resonates, follow or subscribe for more leadership-focused conversations on growth, positioning, and building products people understand and love. About our Guest: April Dunford is the world's foremost authority on product positioning. As a consultant, April helps companies make complex products easy to understand and love. After a 25-year career as a VP of Marketing at various rapidly developing technology firms, she has consulted with 300 technology companies, including Google, Epic Games, Postman, and others. April is the acclaimed author of the best-selling book, "Obviously Awesome," which delves into the art of positioning, and the newly released, "Sales Pitch," which unveils the secrets to crafting a winning sales narrative in the market. April's Website: https://www.aprildunford.com/ SubStack: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ Follow her on LinkedIn:   / aprildunford   Follow her on IG:   / aprildunford   Her Book, "Obviously Awesome!" Her fun book she's reading right now: Children of Time Growth Department slows the conversation down so founders and business leaders can go further, faster. If this episode helped you think differently, follow the show and share it with someone building alongside you. 00:00 Introduction to Positioning 01:50 Bad positioning changed everything 05:35 Obviously Awesome - why update the book now? 12:56 Before you start a positioning project 20:04 Three Positioning Strategies 28:49 Changes in AI-paced world 34:51 Positioning Your Personal Brand 40:25 Wrap up & takeaways