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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.

Al Ries

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Al Ries
Age: 97
Born: 1926
Born: November 14
Author
Economist
Atlanta
Georgia
Mind
Products
Rand
Make
Position
Prospect
Hand
Upper
Company
Invent
Didn
Product
Hands
Mental
Firsts
Build
First
Computer

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The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
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The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.
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Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world's first overcommunicated society. Each year we send more and receive less.
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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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Positioning is how you differentiate yourself in the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
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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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Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
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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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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.
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Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
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Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.
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If you can build a powerful brand, you will have a powerful marketing program. If you CAN'T then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotion and public relations in the world won't help you achieve your objective.
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The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.
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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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The real barrier (to building a brand) is the human mind. It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears.
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THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
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