Finding our space

I was looking to see how we evolve Ecologi’s positioning with our recent acquisition of Net Zero Now. What I didn’t expect was how an AI would become a valuable thinking partner in the process.

I started with our current positioning and value proposition: “Climate action you can trust - fund high quality, high integrity climate solutions.” It’s a positioning that continues to serve us well, helping build a community of 24,000+ businesses committed to taking climate action. But with the acquisition and our ambitions to move upmarket, we needed something more.

We’ve been trialling DOJO AI since it started but this is where it surprised me - becoming a strategic sparring partner. I already had done some deep competitor positioning analysis but it allowed me to quickly test other entirely different routes offering up other mapping alternatives and its ability to help visualize competitive positioning, looking at dimensions like leadership versus industry solutions, and platform completeness versus industry specificity.

While competitors clustered around either generic enterprise solutions or functional-led propositions around carbon accounting, sustainability data management we could own a more aspirational unique space using the combined USP of both Ecologi and Net Zero Now: sector-specific protocols combined with best-in-class climate action. 

I already had some concepts in mind. Dojo helped stress-test each idea, probing for weaknesses and challenging assumptions. It was like having a seasoned brand strategist available 24/7, one who never tired of asking “but what if?”

The Upmarket Challenge

When discussing our move from focusing just on SMEs to moving upmarket to larger businesses and enterprises it could take my positioning concept and quickly show how it could be brought to life for SME vs Upmarket and what would potentially resonate.

Through my interactions with DOJO AI, we realized what worked well for mid-market companies, lacked the gravitas needed for larger organizations.

The Power of Partnership

What made this process unique was DOJO AI’s role as co-pilot rather than autopilot. It never simply provided answers. Instead, it enhanced my thinking process, offering frameworks, challenging assumptions, and maintaining strategic rigor throughout our exploration.

When we worried about greenwashing risks, DOJO AI helped analyze the implications. When we wanted to know if it would still appeal to larger organizations but without alienating our existing SME customer base, it provided alternative phrasing. When it came time to test our thinking, it helped develop comprehensive customer interview discussion and stimulus guides.

Learning Through Iteration

The journey wasn’t linear. Each conversation with Dojo built on previous insights, creating a virtuous cycle of exploration, analysis, and refinement. It was like having a strategic partner with perfect memory, able to reference previous discussions and build on established thinking.

In fact, this blog is testament to this particular thread history being able to tie those threads together into one case study outline which I was then able to build upon that you are currently reading!

A New Model for Strategic Thinking

This experience has changed my view of AI’s role in strategic work. DOJO AI wasn’t just a tool - it was a thought partner that enhanced rather than replaced human strategic thinking. It helped structure our approach, challenge our assumptions, and maintain rigor throughout the process.

It’s a new understanding of how AI can support strategic work. Not by providing answers, but by helping us ask better questions and think more clearly about complex challenges.

As we prepare to test our positioning and value proposition with our ICP, along with a discussion guide that DOJO AI also helped build, I’m confident in the process that got us there. And I’m excited about continuing to work with DOJO AI as we refine and implement our strategy as they bring on board new dashboard features.

The future of strategic thinking might not be AI replacing human insight, but rather this kind of partnership - where technology enhances rather than replaces human creativity and strategic thinking. That’s certainly been my experience so far.