Brands Risk Losing Competitive Advantage Without a Clear Cost or Value Strategy, Says Info-Tech Research Group

Many organizations struggle to stand out because their investments, operations, and brand messaging support competing priorities. A new blueprint from Info-Tech Research Group outlines a three-step approach to help leaders choose between cost and value leadership, address capability gaps, and strengthen their competitive position.

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations that lack a clear strategic position often spread resources across competing priorities, create inconsistent market messaging, and struggle to establish a meaningful competitive advantage. To help leaders address this challenge, global research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has published its new blueprint, Position Your Brand Strategically as a Cost or Value Leader. The research provides a structured approach for choosing how the organization will compete and turning that decision into a focused action plan.

The firm's resource explains that cost and value leadership require different operating models. Cost leaders depend on efficiency, standardization, and disciplined cost control to serve price-sensitive markets. Value leaders rely on innovation, customer experience, and brand strength to earn premium pricing. Organizations that try to pursue both approaches without making clear tradeoffs can become "stuck in the middle," without a sustainable cost advantage or meaningful differentiation.

"Clear strategic positioning is essential for creating alignment and focus across the organization," says Nathalie Vezina, a research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "When leaders do not explicitly choose between cost and value leadership, teams can pull in different directions, investments become diluted, and customers may struggle to understand what the brand stands for. A unified strategy helps organizations direct resources toward the capabilities that will strengthen their competitive position."

Info-Tech Outlines Three Steps for Establishing a Clear Strategic Brand

The Position Your Brand Strategically as a Cost or Value Leader blueprint includes practical assessments and planning tools to help organizations move from strategic ambiguity to focused execution.

In the blueprint, the firm recommends the following three steps:

• Step 1: Diagnose the Organization's Current Position. A clear strategic position starts with determining whether the organization's strengths are better suited to cost efficiency or differentiated value. Info-Tech's assessment examines factors such as operational costs, pricing, profit margins, innovation investment, standardization, product quality, and target customers. The results help reveal whether the organization has a clear position or is still balancing conflicting priorities.
• Step 2: Make the Strategic Tradeoff Explicit. Organizational leaders then compare their cost structure and level of differentiation with relevant competitors. Info-Tech advises leaders to benchmark against companies with similar capabilities, scale, and target audiences instead of automatically comparing themselves with the largest brands in the market. This analysis can also reveal underserved customer needs or less crowded markets where the organization has a stronger opportunity to compete.
• Step 3: Identify Gaps and Build an Action Plan. After selecting a strategic position, leaders identify the capabilities and practices that must change. Cost leaders may need to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, standardize offerings, refine pricing, or simplify the supply chain. Value leaders may need to strengthen research and development, product differentiation, brand perception, customer experience, and communication of their unique value. The action plan should prioritize the gaps that directly affect the organization's ability to succeed with its chosen strategy.

Info-Tech's blueprint further emphasizes that the chosen strategic position should shape organizational culture.

The firm advises that cost leadership requires accountability for efficiency and precise operations, while value leadership depends on creativity, customer understanding, and continued investment in differentiated offerings. Aligning culture, resources, and decision-making with the chosen strategy helps turn strategic clarity into consistent execution.

For exclusive commentary from Info-Tech's experts, including Nathalie Vezina, or to access the complete Position Your Brand Strategically as a Cost or Value Leader blueprint, please contact pr@infotech.com.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is the "get things done" partner for over 30,000 IT, HR, and marketing leaders worldwide. The fastest growing research and advisory firm, Info-Tech enables leaders to make well-informed decisions and transform their organizations through AI, strategic foresight, step-by-step methodologies, practical tools, industry-leading advisory, and training programs. For nearly 30 years, tens of thousands of private and public organizations have trusted Info-Tech to lead their most important initiatives through periods of change and deliver outcomes that truly matter.

To learn more about Info-Tech's HR research and advisory services, visit McLean & Company, and for data-driven software buying insights and vendor evaluations, visit the firm's SoftwareReviews platform.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

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SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group