Traditionally, market research looks at 'direct competitors' – companies offering similar products or services within the same industry. For example, if you're selling a project management app, you might see other apps like Asana or Trello as your primary competitors.

But consumers don’t always think in terms of categories. Instead, they look for the solution that best fulfills their need, regardless of what that solution technically is. That’s where messaging competition comes in – and it often exists well outside the expected competitive set.

Think beyond your industry

If a customer is trying to “feel more organized,” they may not only consider your productivity app. They might also:

• Watch time-management videos on YouTube
• Buy a paper planner or journal
• Use the notes app already installed on their phone
• Join a peer support group for accountability

None of these are 'direct' competitors, but they are solving the same underlying problem. This is messaging competition – the different narratives, products, or tools consumers weigh when choosing a solution. If you only analyze direct rivals, you're likely missing the real picture of what customers are comparing your messaging against.

Why this matters for your brand strategy

Understanding where your audience shifts their attention – and why – is crucial for shaping effective brand messaging. If you position your offering strictly against similar products, you may fail to speak to the broader emotional or functional needs consumers are trying to meet.

By recognizing real-world alternatives that fall outside your category, you can:

• Craft messages that address unmet consumer needs
• Differentiate your brand in less expected and more compelling ways
• Build deeper relevance by aligning with how customers define success

To do this effectively, we need a mindset shift – and that’s where Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) comes in. JTBD provides a framework to understand the 'why' behind consumer choices, helping you identify who and what you're truly competing with in the messaging space.

At its core, the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is built around a simple idea: people “hire” products or services to make progress in their lives. This progress can be functional (e.g., managing time better), emotional (e.g., feeling confident or in control), or social (e.g., appearing organized to others).

When you apply this framework in market research, it helps you uncover why customers choose one solution over another – even if those solutions come from very different categories.

Understanding the real job to be done

Let’s return to the example of a productivity app. The job customers are trying to get done isn’t “use a project management tool.” It could be:

• “Stay on top of my workload so I don’t feel overwhelmed.”
• “Prove to my team, or my boss, that I’m organized and reliable.”
• “Finish tasks faster so I can spend more time with my family.”

Once you understand this deeper job, your brand messaging can be more precise and impactful. You're now positioning your product as the answer to a life problem – not just a category tool.

How does JTBD reveal unseen competition?

In consumer insights research, the JTBD framework guides interviews or surveys to focus on triggers, context, and motivation:

• What happened in the customer’s life that made them seek a solution?
• What alternatives did they consider?
• Why did they choose what they did?

The answers here often contain surprises. A customer might reveal they were choosing between hiring your app – or simply waking up an hour earlier. That’s real competition outside your category. And knowing that helps you reframe your message effectively.

Benefits of using JTBD in brand strategy and messaging

When used well, JTBD insights can power stronger competitive messaging strategies by:

• Revealing what customers value most in a solution
• Highlighting emotional or interpersonal drivers you may have overlooked
• Pinpointing common workarounds or substitutions that are competing with your offer

By integrating JTBD framework for brand messaging into your research approach, you align your marketing with what truly motivates consumer behavior – not just what competitors are saying, but what people need.

In short, using JTBD to understand consumer decisions helps brands talk less about product features and more about life outcomes. That shift in focus allows your messaging to stand out in the places where decisions are really being made.

One of the most eye-opening aspects of the Jobs To Be Done framework is how it helps brands identify unexpected messages consumers are weighing – often far outside the product category you’d consider your competition. Instead of just comparing similar products, JTBD research reveals what specific “job” the consumer is trying to get done and all the different ways they explore to meet that goal. These competing messages become visible only when you look at consumer decisions through the lens of motivation and need rather than category.

Let’s look at a few simple examples of competing messaging uncovered through JTBD research:

• A meal delivery service vs. a gym membership: For a customer who says they want to “feel healthier,” two very different categories might have competitive messaging. A meal kit may focus on better nutrition, while a gym focuses on physical activity – both messages compete for the same underlying job: get healthier.
• A meditation app vs. a comfortable mattress: If the core job is “get better sleep,” consumers might compare a calming app that reduces anxiety to a mattress that supports deeper rest. Both offer pathways to the same end result, though they sell very different solutions.
• A project management tool vs. hiring a virtual assistant: For busy professionals trying to “feel more in control of my workload,” the competition may stretch from software solutions to actual human help – even if those options aren’t considered head-to-head in traditional market research.

These examples highlight how messaging competition is not always product-to-product. It’s about which solution the customer believes will best help them accomplish the task or outcome they care most about.

Using the JTBD framework in market research encourages teams to listen closely not just to what customers do, but why they make the choices they do. The insights gathered help uncover meaningful competitive messaging – even when it’s coming from outside your direct industry or expected rivals. This guides brand strategy in a much more relevant and consumer-aligned direction.

Instead of asking, “How do we beat our closest competitor on features?” – JTBD asks, “What message wins when a customer decides how to solve their problem?” That slight shift in perspective uncovers real competition you can prepare for and respond to with precision.

Once you’ve identified the deeper motivations behind customer decisions through the Jobs To Be Done framework, the next step is turning those insights into messaging that truly resonates. That’s where the real value emerges: crafting a brand story that directly addresses what your customers are trying to achieve, not just touting what your product can do.

JTBD market research helps you reframe your consumer messaging around outcomes and emotional triggers, rather than specs or surface-level benefits. This helps shift messaging from “what we offer” to “what you can accomplish.”

Here’s how applying JTBD insights improves your brand strategy:

1. Align messaging with customer intent. When you understand the primary job customers are hiring your solution for, your messaging can reflect that directly. You speak in their language – focusing on outcomes like “make parenting easier” instead of product features like “simple scheduling tool.”

2. Differentiate your brand across solutions, not categories. By knowing what other messages compete for your customer’s attention – even across different industries – you can position your brand uniquely. You’re no longer limited to battling brands in your same vertical, but instead claiming space among all the options customers are considering.

3. Create job-specific campaigns or segments. Different customer groups may be hiring your product for different reasons. JTBD insights can help you customize communications for each major job, making your brand feel more relevant across multiple use cases.

4. Uncover emotional drivers that power better storytelling. JTBD doesn’t just look at functional needs, it also uncovers emotional and social jobs – like “feel confident in my expertise” or “avoid wasting time.” These unlock more meaningful, human messaging that builds trust and emotional connection.

In short, using the JTBD framework for brand messaging infuses your content with purpose. You’re not guessing what matters to customers – you’re responding to real data and language gathered from those making the decisions. That clarity can guide everything from ad copy and web strategy to UX and long-term customer loyalty initiatives. It’s marketing rooted in empathy and insight, not just sales goals.

By making the shift from product-centered messaging to outcome-oriented storytelling, brands position themselves not just as suppliers of goods – but as enablers of success. That’s the power of JTBD-driven marketing strategy.

Like any market research tool, the Jobs To Be Done framework is most effective when applied at key stages of your business decision-making cycle. It’s especially valuable when you need to go beyond surface data and understand the why behind customer behavior – giving you deeper insights that inform both strategy and execution.

Here are a few ideal moments to incorporate JTBD into your consumer insights strategy:

1. Early in product development or innovation planning. Before you invest in building a new feature or product, JTBD research helps reveal what consumers are really trying to solve – allowing teams to deliver solutions that meet actual needs, not just assumed ones.

2. When refining brand positioning or messaging. If your current messaging isn’t connecting–or if conversion rates are stagnant despite a strong product–JTBD helps redirect communications based on how your audience frames their problems and the types of messages they find compelling.

3. When facing unexpected competitors. Are customers choosing something else, but you can’t figure out why? JTBD uncovers the alternate solutions they use, helping you recalibrate your market perspective and address true competitive messaging.

4. During customer segmentation efforts. Instead of segmenting only by demographics, JTBD allows you to group audiences by the job they’re trying to accomplish – offering a more functional and emotional view that supports more tailored marketing strategies.

5. In growth or market expansion plans. When entering a new vertical or market, JTBD helps you anticipate what customers in that space are hiring solutions for, enabling proactive messaging alignment as you scale.

By weaving Jobs To Be Done into your broader consumer insights approach, you gain access to a more human-centered analysis of behavior. It aligns perfectly with other marketing research tools – such as qualitative interviews or survey analysis – by providing the foundational framework for asking better questions and interpreting results through a more action-oriented lens.

At SIVO Insights, we often integrate JTBD with other qualitative and quantitative methods, tailoring research designs that move beyond data and into strategic clarity. Ultimately, if you're trying to understand not just what your customers do, but why they do it – and how to speak more effectively with them – JTBD is a powerful addition to your consumer behavior toolkit.