What should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.

Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.

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.

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.

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

Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.

It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.