Marketing Competitor Profiling

---
name: marketing-competitor-profiling
description: Analyze five to eight competitors — positioning, pricing, audience, strengths and weaknesses — and map the landscape to find market gaps and a differentiation angle. Use when the user asks who they compete with, how rivals position themselves or where the gap in the market is. Not for comparison pages against a named rival; see /marketing-competitor-alternatives.
metadata:
  argument-hint: "[project] [--skip-checks]"
  workflow: marketing
  phase: 0
  artifact: 00-strategy.md
---

# Competitor Profiling

Analyze the competitive landscape for "$ARGUMENTS". Profile key competitors, map their positioning, identify strengths and weaknesses, and find market gaps.

**Arguments.** `$ARGUMENTS` may contain the project name and optional flags. Take the first token as `<project>` and treat `--skip-checks` as a flag; never include flags in file paths. All paths below use `<project>`. If `--skip-checks` is present, skip the prerequisite check and, **before writing any artifact**, append one line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl`: `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-competitor-profiling","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"skipped","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":"<reason or \"none given\">"}`.

## Prerequisites

**Part of a workflow.** This skill is phase 0 (Strategy) of the RACE Framework workflow (`marketing`); cross-domain workflows run it too. First check `.singularskills/log.jsonl` for an open run for this project: a `run-started` line with `"project":"<project>"` and no later `run-finished` line for the same `workflow` and `project`. If one exists, the conductor is running you: continue here. Otherwise, if the user asked to start, run, continue or resume a process or workflow rather than this one step, do not continue here: invoke the `workflow` skill with the workflow the user asked for, or `marketing` when they named none, followed by `<project>`; it runs this phase in order, asks before it writes and records the run. Otherwise, unless the user named this skill, ask one question, since this is the first phase of its workflow: "Just this step, or the whole RACE Framework workflow?" End your turn and wait; on the whole workflow, hand off the same way; on just this step, continue here.

**Recall.** Before you ask the user anything, look for what this repository already holds about `<project>`: if a tool is available whose description says it searches or maps this repository (a memory or repo-map server such as `repo_map` or `entities`), query it for `<project>` and this phase's subject and read what it returns, keeping only results from this repository; in every case also list `.singularskills/*/<project>/` and read the **Decisions** and **Open questions** of any artifact there, and the lines of `.singularskills/log.jsonl` whose `project` is `<project>`. After your section's italic line, add a `### Recalled` subsection of at most ten lines naming what you found and where (path or tool), or the single line `Nothing recalled: no earlier artifacts, log lines or memory results for <project>.` Ask the user only what this did not answer. The trail's shape is described in `references/memory/trail.md`, bundled with this skill.

Before you start work, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (create the folder and file if missing): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-competitor-profiling","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"started","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":""}`.

None — can be run independently or after customer-research.

## Process

1. **Identify competitors:**
   - Use WebSearch to find direct and indirect competitors for "<project>"
   - Categorize: direct competitors, indirect competitors, potential future competitors
   - Aim for 5-8 competitors to analyze

2. **Profile each competitor:**
   - Use WebFetch to read their website, pricing page, and key marketing pages
   - Document: value proposition, target audience, pricing model, key features, market position
   - Note their messaging tone, brand positioning, and content strategy

3. **Analyze strengths and weaknesses:**
   - What do they do well? What do customers praise?
   - Where do they fall short? What do customers complain about?
   - Use WebSearch to find reviews, comparisons, and user feedback

4. **Map the competitive landscape:**
   - Create a positioning matrix (e.g., price vs. feature depth, or ease-of-use vs. power)
   - Identify white space — underserved segments or unmet needs
   - Note emerging trends competitors are or aren't addressing

5. **Identify opportunities:**
   - Where can "<project>" differentiate?
   - What competitor weaknesses can be exploited?
   - What market gaps are no one filling?

6. **Write the artifact** — append to `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md` under a `## Competitor Analysis` section. Create the file with a `# Strategy — <project>` heading if it does not exist; if a `## Competitor Analysis` section already exists, replace only that section. The section contains:
   - **Competitor Profiles** — summary of each competitor
   - **Positioning Matrix** — visual landscape map
   - **Strengths & Weaknesses** — per competitor
   - **Market Gaps** — underserved needs or segments
   - **Differentiation Opportunities** — where to win

## Output

Competitor analysis appended to `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md`. Present a summary highlighting:
- Top 3 competitors and their positioning
- Biggest market gap identified
- Recommended differentiation angle

**Record the run.** After you have written your section, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (the `started` line of Prerequisites, with `"event":"finished"`): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-competitor-profiling","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"finished","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":""}`.

This artifact is shared by every skill of phase 0 (Strategy). The frontmatter is written once, by whoever creates the file: if you create it, open it with the block below (`skill` is the phase title, `started` the time of that first write; `gate` is `none`, as this phase has no gate); if it already exists, leave the block alone except to update `finished`.

```yaml
---
skill: Strategy
workflow: marketing
phase: 0
project: <project>
started: <ISO timestamp>
finished: <ISO timestamp>
agent: <the agent you run in, or "unknown">
gate: none
---
```

Open your `## Competitor Analysis` section with one italic line, `*<skill name> · <ISO timestamp> · gate: none*` (your skill name is `marketing-competitor-profiling`).

End your section with `### Decisions` and `### Open questions` (one level under your `## Competitor Analysis` heading, so the section stays one block), in this shape:

```markdown
### Decisions
- <what was chosen> — <why> — <what was rejected>

### Open questions
- <what the next phase or a reviewer must settle>
```