Quote

Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.

Al Ries

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Al Ries
Age: 98
Born: 1926
Born: November 14
Author
Economist
Atlanta
Georgia
Brands
Customers
Single
Word
Business
Distinguishable
Better
Shorter
Scope
Narrow

More quotes by Al Ries

Image
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
Image
THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
Al Ries
Image
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.
Al Ries
Image
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.
Al Ries
Image
Only brand names register in the mind... What you should generally do is take a regular word and use it out of context to connote the primary attribute of your brand.
Al Ries
Image
The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
Al Ries
Image
What should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
Al Ries
Image
The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
Al Ries
Image
The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
Al Ries
Image
Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world's first overcommunicated society. Each year we send more and receive less.
Al Ries
Image
The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.
Al Ries
Image
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.
Al Ries
Image
The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.
Al Ries
Image
Everyone is interested in what‘s new. Few people are interested in what‘s better.
Al Ries
Image
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.
Al Ries
Image
Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
Al Ries
Image
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.
Al Ries
Image
The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.
Al Ries
Image
It normally takes decades to build a brand... It's the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth. You need to allow enough time for this forgetting to take place
Al Ries
Image
Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
Al Ries