Quote

Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier. It takes a mile before anything happens. And if it was a wrong turn, getting back on course takes even longer.

Al Ries

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Al Ries
Age: 98
Born: 1926
Born: November 14
Author
Economist
Atlanta
Georgia
Happens
Turn
Carrier
Change
Takes
Aircraft
Anything
Courses
Mile
Back
Course
Miles
Even
Company
Direction
Trying
Getting
Changing
Like
Wrong
Large
Turns
Longer

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A laser is a weak source of energy. A laser takes [only] a few watts of energy and focuses them in a coherent stream of light. But with a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or wipe out cancer.
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It's the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product. IBM didn't invent the computer Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect's mind.
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Everyone is interested in what‘s new. Few people are interested in what‘s better.
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To get into the consumer's mind, you have to sacrifice. You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or attribute. An attribute that nobody else already owns in your category.
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The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
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The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
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Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.
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If you want to build a brand, you must focus your branding efforts on owning a word in the prospect's mind. A word that nobody else owns.
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The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.
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Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company's ultimate objective.
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Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
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The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.
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It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.
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What should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
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Good things happen when you narrow your focus.
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The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
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THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
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A branding program should be designed to differentiate your cow from all the other cattle on the range. Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike.
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What's your brand? If you can't answer that question about your own brand in two or three words, your brand's in trouble.
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Successful brands get into the mind slowly. A blurb in a magazine. A mention in a newspaper. A comment from a friend. A display in a retail store. After a slow buildup, people become convinced that they have known about the brand forever.
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