The best replacement for positioning is branding.

The best alternatives to positioning are rated as following:
★★★★★  branding
★★★  differentiation
★★★  messaging
★★  value proposition
★  rbv
★  tables
★  product positioning
★  float
★  resource based view
  relative
  mission statement
  proposition
  brand image
  market positioning

Your alternative for positioning is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about positioning, one probably shouldn't forget about float.

Other search terms related to positioning and their ratings are:
★★★★★ float
★★★★ divs
overlap
You have in mind a companion for positioning and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of positioning in all years. Click on graph for more.
positioning
branding
differentiation