When 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.

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 Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.

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.

Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.

Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.

A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.