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 RiesA 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.
Al RiesCustomers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.
Al RiesA 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 RiesThe essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
Al RiesA 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.
Al RiesIt'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 RiesWhat's your brand? If you can't answer that question about your own brand in two or three words, your brand's in trouble.
Al RiesStrategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.
Al RiesOnly 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 RiesPositioning is how you differentiate yourself in the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
Al RiesMarketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company's ultimate objective.
Al RiesIt 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 RiesThe 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.
Al RiesToday, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world's first overcommunicated society. Each year we send more and receive less.
Al RiesYour brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
Al RiesIf 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 RiesWhat should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
Al RiesSuccessful 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.
Al RiesChanging 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 RiesThe Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
Al RiesWhen a really new product comes along, it's almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A well-known name got well-known because it stood for something. It occupies a position in the prospect's mind. A really well-known name sits on the top rung of a sharply defined ladder. The new product, if it's going to be successful, is going to require a new name. New ladder, new name. It's as simple as that.
Al Ries