Abstract The growing rivalry between cities in the current scenario mark new challenges in urban planning, assigning urban marketing a fundamental role, where aspects such as competitiveness and positioning are favored. This study aimed to determine the analytical positioning of a city relating aspects of competitiveness and the identity-communication-urban image construct. They analyze: (i) the competition and its levels; (ii) its image, considering the valuation and importance indexes and the correspondence between urban identity and image; (iii) its identifying attributes and competitive position. A qualitative-quantitative methodology was used, with particular emphasis on an in-depth interview, the cluster method, the valuation and urban image importance indexes, the ideogram and imaogram, the importance-assessment matrix, and the positioning map. For this reason, 12 cities competing with the city of Matanzas, Cuba, were identified. They were grouped into three levels of competition: superior, inferior and equal. The positioning was evaluated in comparison with the superior competitors (La Habana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Camagüey, and Santiago de Cuba). The identification attributes of physical aspect, historical heritage, and tourist offer were determined. The positioning map showed that Matanzas is similar in position to Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, different from Cienfuegos, and the opposite of Havana and Trinidad.