When was the last time you completed a thorough competitive analysis on behalf of your brand? We’re talking: a brand differentiation review, product or pricing, geographical/territory, direct versus indirect competitors, even a SWOT.
A competitive analysis is the process of researching how competitors position, price, and prove their value, then using that evidence to find the white space a brand can credibly own. At COHN, it’s not a one-time report; it’s the foundation competitive research feeds directly into brand strategy.
We would wager that it’s been quite a while because they can be horribly time-consuming and don’t always yield actionable results. Usually, our clients come to us when it’s been several years since they conducted a thorough review.
At COHN, we believe that any competitive analysis should make decisions clearer. That’s the entire point. The process should help a company choose a position, refine an offer, prepare for a pitch or anticipate where a competitor is headed. In fact, we think the research actually earns its value when leaders use it.
Which is why competitive analysis is part of brand strategy from the beginning. The exercise gives us the context to identify meaningful white space and the evidence to decide whether a brand can credibly own it. The depth of the work depends on the stakes. A focused market scan may answer the question. A consequential decision may require a deeper investigation of offers, leaders and strategic movement.
Both approaches begin in the same place: The decision you’re struggling to make.
Start With the Decision
A competitor list can grow quickly, especially once you start including indirect competitors. But a decision creates boundaries. Before gathering screenshots or filling in a messaging matrix, we want to define the actual business question, the audiences involved and the consequence of getting the answer wrong.
A company refreshing its positioning may need to understand which benefits have become category conventions and which customer needs remain available to own. A team entering a new market may need to identify entrenched relationships, local credibility signals and likely competitive responses. A high‑stakes pitch may require a precise understanding of what the incumbent provides at each service level and who influences the buying decision.
This framing determines the competitors, evidence and level of effort. It keeps the research centered on strategy.
What a Focused Competitive Analysis Covers
The most important part of any analysis is to STAY FOCUSED! You will surely uncover a fascinating thread in your research that you begin to pull at, then suddenly your work will spiral out of control. COHN reviews pricing and packaging, messaging, positioning, audience priorities, website structure, content and visible proof. We examine how each competitor describes its value, which claims appear repeatedly across the category and how well those claims are supported by case studies, testimonials, credentials or results.
We also look at the experience surrounding the message. Search visibility, media coverage, social channels, review platforms and sales materials reveal how a competitor reaches the market and where its story gains or loses credibility. A SWOT can organize the findings when each conclusion carries evidence and a business implication.
The result is a useful baseline. It shows the language a category has trained customers to expect, the standards a brand must meet and the openings it can pursue. This level works well for periodic check‑ins, early positioning conversations and projects with a defined market question.
Higher Stakes Require a Deeper Read
It’s almost always a catalyst that sparks a competitive analysis. A major pitch, market entry, board decision or significant investment raises the cost of a shallow assumption. In those situations, COHN expands the analysis beyond the visible marketing layer. We study how the competitor’s value changes by audience and offering tier. We also research the people and signals that can reveal strategic direction.
The deeper work follows an evidence hierarchy:
- Public facts come first: product documentation, filings, leadership biographies, board rosters, interviews, job postings and partnership announcements.
- Corroborated patterns come next.
- Strategic implications follow after the pattern is clear.
- Separating observation from inference gives leadership a clear view of confidence and risk.
The Competitive Analysis Limbo Dance (aka How Low Can You Go?)
A homepage usually presents the broadest and most attractive version of a company’s value. Or at least it should. (By the way, if yours DOES NOT, then give COHN a call. We can help.)
Going one layer deeper, you can find operational and more meaningful differences if you just reach a little further.
COHN maps the advertised promise, included benefits, proof, constraints and audience consequence at each relevant level. This exposes the architecture of the brand. It can show where a competitor has a meaningful advantage, where multiple tiers use the same claim with different substance and where a client can create a simpler or more valuable choice.
Tier‑by‑tier analysis also improves messaging. A brand can lead with a benefit that matters to the buyer and support it with the right proof. Sales teams gain sharper responses to objections. Leadership gains a clearer view of where investment could create separation.
Leadership and Executive Research Can Reveal A Lot
Public brand messaging explains the position a company wants the market to understand today. Leadership activity can reveal what the organization is preparing to value next.
For a client recently, we reviewed executive backgrounds, board appointments, public interviews, investor communications, partnerships and open roles. A cluster of enterprise‑sales hires can signal a move upmarket. A board connection may reveal industry relationships or a governance priority. Repeated executive language around a capability can show where investment is accumulating.
These signals require discipline and tools to uncover the insight. A single board seat proves an affiliation. It does not prove a future transaction or strategic plan. COHN looks for convergence across multiple sources and labels inference clearly. The goal is a defensible view of trajectory, including the evidence that supports it and the conditions that could change it.
Don’t Forget The Time
A website scan captures one moment. Strategy becomes more visible when the evidence is placed in sequence.
COHN compares changes in leadership language, offers, proof points, partnerships, hiring and channel investment over time. Movement matters. A benefit promoted for several years may be established equity. A newly introduced message supported by new hires and partner announcements may indicate a strategic shift.
A claim that disappears across several channels may signal a change in priorities or an unmet promise.
This timeline helps clients prepare for the competitor they are likely to face next. It also creates a practical watchlist of meaningful signals for ongoing monitoring.
Choose the Level That Fits the Decision
Focused analysis
A focused analysis fits general positioning work, campaign planning, annual brand reviews and periodic market check‑ins. It establishes the category baseline, identifies credible white space and gives teams a shared view of the current competitive story.
Deep‑dive analysis
A deep dive fits high‑stakes pitches, major investments, market entry, product restructuring and board‑level decisions. It maps value by tier, studies leadership and strategic signals, evaluates change over time and documents the confidence behind each conclusion. This work requires more time because the decision carries more weight.
From Competitive Research to Brand Strategy
COHN’s work with digital infrastructure developer Rowan shows how competitive analysis supports a broader brand decision. After stakeholder discovery, our competitive analysis identified the white space Rowan could credibly own. That foundation led to four brand pillars grounded in the company’s actual operating model: Speed, Alignment, Accountability and Ingenuity. The research informed positioning, audience messaging, visual identity and the website that expressed the strategy.
That connection is central to COHN’s approach. Competitive research influences the choices that follow, from a value proposition and sales story to customer experience and creative execution. Every interaction carries the position into the market, so the position needs to be both distinctive and true.
Build Competitive Intelligence Around the Choices Ahead
The strongest competitive analysis gives leadership a clearer view of the landscape and a practical course of action. It identifies where competitors are investing, which claims carry proof and which openings align with the client’s strengths.
COHN calibrates the research to the decision. We can provide a focused assessment for a defined strategic question or build a deeper intelligence program for a moment with significant consequences. In both cases, the work serves the same purpose: helping your brand make a smarter move and carry it confidently into the market.
Ready to see where the white space is in your category? Talk to COHN about a competitive analysis →
