At its core, brand positioning is about carving out a clear, meaningful role for your brand in the minds of your customers. It’s how you stand apart from the competition and explain – implicitly or explicitly – “why us.” But to position your brand effectively, you first need to understand what customers are trying to accomplish. This is where the concept of Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) becomes a vital part of the branding framework.

What Is a “Job” in JTBD?

In JTBD terms, a “job” is the goal a customer is trying to achieve when they turn to a product, service, or brand. Importantly, that job isn’t just about functionalities. It also has emotional and social components. For example, someone might choose a fitness app not only to log workouts (functionally), but to feel confident (emotionally) and be seen as health-conscious among peers (socially).

Connecting Customer Jobs to Positioning

When companies use market research to uncover customer jobs, they gain a clearer view of the real problems their offerings solve. This allows brands to shape brand messaging that goes far beyond product features, resulting in a more compelling brand identity. Rather than guessing how customers perceive your brand, you’re aligning your positioning directly with what matters most to them.

Let’s say your product is an all-natural skincare line. If research shows customers are “hiring” your product to feel in control of their health with fewer chemicals (emotional job), and to feel proud when sharing self-care routines on social media (social job), your brand positioning strategy can speak directly to those needs – not just promote ingredients or price points.

Benefits of Using JTBD for Brand Positioning

• Identifies real-world motivations behind buying behavior
• Highlights emotional branding opportunities
• Improves brand relevance by aligning needs and messaging
• Helps teams unify around a customer-centered strategy

Ultimately, customer jobs become the foundation for customer-centered brand positioning strategies. Instead of building a brand from the inside out, JTBD helps you craft it from the outside in – with your customer’s true goals in mind. This is especially meaningful during a new brand launch or when using JTBD for brand repositioning, where clarity and differentiation are critical to success.

Traditional market segmentation often looks at demographics, purchase history, or broad preferences. But those data points don’t always reveal why people truly make decisions. That’s where Jobs To Be Done stands apart – by exposing the deeper functional, emotional, and social drivers that influence brand choice and loyalty.

Understanding the Three Types of Customer Jobs

JTBD categorizes customer needs into three types:

1. Functional Jobs

These are the practical tasks customers need to accomplish. It could be commuting to work, managing time, or staying hydrated. Functional jobs are essential, but rarely sufficient on their own to trigger brand attachment.

2. Emotional Jobs

These relate to how people want to feel in a given context – safe, confident, relaxed, bold, or capable. Emotional branding taps into these desires, helping customers feel seen and understood.

3. Social Jobs

Social jobs are tied to how customers want to be perceived by others. They might want to appear responsible, innovative, stylish, or informed. Brands that align with social jobs easily become part of a customer’s identity.

How JTBD Reveals All Three

JTBD research often uses qualitative interviews, ethnographies, or task-driven surveys to dig into customer stories. By walking customers through their decision-making process, researchers can identify moments of friction, intention, and aspiration – illuminating the emotional and social contexts that ride alongside functional needs.

For example, if someone purchases a premium coffee maker, JTBD research might uncover more than just the desire for better-tasting coffee (functional). The buyer might describe feeling like a morning ritual helps them stay grounded (emotional) or that hosting guests with a stylish appliance makes them feel proud (social). None of this would emerge from looking at price sensitivity or age group alone.

Why These Drivers Matter in Brand Identity

Combining all three job types gives your brand a complete picture of your customer’s world. This insight lays the groundwork for more human, resonant brand messaging, especially around:

• Brand voice: Choose a tone that reflects how your customer wants to feel
• Visual identity: Align your branding with the aspirations or lifestyle they seek
• Content and campaigns: Speak to both utility and the feeling of belonging or empowerment

Effective brand development isn’t just about what your product does – it’s about what your brand means. By tapping into the social and emotional jobs in brand development, companies can create deep, lasting customer relationships. At SIVO, we often combine JTBD with broader consumer insights to give organizations a complete, people-first view that informs market research, innovation pipelines, and branding at every level.

In short, JTBD transforms your view of the customer – shifting the conversation from "what can they buy from us" to "what are they really trying to resolve." That insight becomes your compass for more intentional, differentiated brand identity strategies.

Once you've uncovered the functional, emotional, and social drivers behind why your customers 'hire' your brand through Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) research, the next step is activating those insights. This is where brand voice and visual identity come into play – the outward expressions of your brand that need to reflect the internal motivations of your audience.

Brand voice is the tone, language, and personality your business uses to communicate, while visual identity includes design elements like logos, colors, fonts, and photography. JTBD helps ensure that these decisions aren't just aesthetically pleasing – they're rooted in what your customers truly care about.

Translating Customer Jobs Into Brand Voice

A strong brand voice resonates emotionally with your audience. Customers may not consciously say they want a brand that's friendly, trustworthy, or bold – but if those qualities align with their emotional or social jobs, it creates instant connection.

For example, let's say your JTBD research reveals that customers choose your personal finance app because they want to feel independent and in control. These emotional drivers become the basis for a brand voice that’s empowering, direct, and clear – helping users feel confident as they navigate financial decisions.

Designing Visual Identity Around JTBD Insights

Similarly, your visual branding should reflect the needs and feelings uncovered in JTBD research. If customers are hiring a fitness brand to feel a sense of belonging and achievement (social and emotional jobs), your visual identity should support this – possibly through energetic colors, community-focused imagery, and modern typography that reflects movement and optimism.

• Emotional branding cues: Use colors, shapes, and styles that evoke the right feelings – reassurance, excitement, trust, etc.
• Social triggers: Visuals can reinforce aspirational messages – such as lifestyle shots or testimonials that show 'people like me.'
• Functional clarity: Clear navigation, clean design, and helpful icons ensure the brand feels simple to use – aligning with functional jobs.

By grounding brand messaging and visuals in the JTBD framework, businesses move beyond guesswork. The result is a cohesive brand identity that feels tailor-made for your audience – because it is.

When launching a new brand or repositioning an existing one, building around customer needs is not just helpful – it’s essential. This is where using Jobs To Be Done for brand repositioning offers clear advantage. Whether you’re entering a new market or refreshing your identity to keep up with shifts in behavior, JTBD insights help you align your brand strategy with what your customers are truly trying to accomplish.

Why JTBD Is a Smart Foundation for Brand Development

JTBD research gives you a lens into customer decision-making from a real-life perspective. You’re not just asking what people like – you’re asking what they need, emotionally, socially, and functionally. This is especially important during pivotal brand development moments like:

• New brand launch: Understanding unmet needs helps you carve a unique space in the market and offer something truly relevant.
• Rebranding efforts: If customer behaviors or market dynamics have shifted, JTBD sheds light on where your current brand identity might be falling short – and how to adapt.

For example, imagine a legacy snack brand looking to attract younger consumers. Traditional brand attributes like “family-friendly” may no longer connect. By uncovering new jobs – such as “I need to snack in a mindful way that aligns with my wellness goals” (emotional + functional) – the company can reposition its offerings and messaging accordingly.

Brand Launch Best Practices with JTBD

A successful launch or rebrand built on JTBD includes:

• Defining core jobs: Identify the key jobs your audience is trying to get done when they consider your product or service.
• Connecting with daily life: Use customer stories to anchor your brand in real scenarios – this ensures resonance and relatability.
• Testing messaging against jobs: Validate your brand positioning and messaging by asking: “Does this help solve a key job?”

Launching or refreshing a brand without this grounding risks being tone-deaf or forgettable. But when you build from JTBD insights, you're designing a brand that fits naturally into your customer's world – potentially turning you into their go-to solution.

Jobs To Be Done can be used at various stages of the branding process, but certain moments deliver the highest return. Knowing when to incorporate JTBD thinking can help ensure you're making strategic branding decisions backed by deep customer insight – not just creative best guesses.

Key Moments to Leverage JTBD in Branding

Here are some of the most impactful times to bring JTBD into your brand strategy:

1. Before Building a New Brand

If you’re launching a new product or company, JTBD research guides everything from your brand positioning to your voice and visuals. It gives you a clear window into what needs aren't currently being met – helping you stand out in a crowded space with a customer-centered brand identity.

2. During Brand Repositioning

When your audience or market is evolving, JTBD offers a fresh look at how your brand can remain relevant. You’ll uncover where your current positioning may feel off or disconnected, and how you can realign with the emotional, social, and functional jobs customers prioritize today.

3. Prior to a Brand Campaign or Messaging Refresh

Even if your core brand identity stays intact, a new campaign or slogan should resonate on a jobs level. Do your customers want to feel inspired, understood, or empowered? JTBD helps ensure your brand messaging supports those motivations – rather than just promoting features or discounts.

4. When Entering a New Market or Audience Segment

People in different life stages or geographies often have different “jobs” they’re trying to solve. JTBD lets you localize your strategy without losing consistency – whether you're approaching Gen Z or entering new global markets.

Ultimately, the best time to use JTBD is any time you’re making brand decisions that affect how people see, feel, or interact with your business. It adds depth to your understanding, and motivation to your messaging – ensuring your brand shows up in ways that matter.