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The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.

Al Ries

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Al Ries
Age: 98
Born: 1926
Born: November 14
Author
Economist
Atlanta
Georgia
Brand
Brands
Failure
Name
Names
Law
Generic
Giving
Fastest
Routes

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Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.
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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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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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Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
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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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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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The best way to make news is to announce a new category, not a new product.
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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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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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The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.
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A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.
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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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A successful branding program is based on the concept of singularity. It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is no product on the market quite like your product.
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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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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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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
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The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.
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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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THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
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Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.
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