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Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.

Al Ries

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Marilyn Monroe Paulo Coelho Abraham Lincoln C. S. Lewis Khalil Gibran Charlie Chaplin Gautama Buddha Isaac Newton

Only 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 RIES

Attribute Brand Connect Contact Generally Mind Name Primary Register Regular Take Use
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.
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Cancer Coherem Energy Focus Laser Light Source Stream Weak
Your brand’s power lies in dominance.
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Brand Dominance Lie Power
You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
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Establish Give Must Order Something Unique Position Willi
Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.
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Evolve Ivory Tower Marketplace Mud Strategy Towers
The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.
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Business Concept Market Own Powerful Word
Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier.
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Aircraft Carrier Change Company Direction Try Trying
The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
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Brand Failure Fast Give Law Name One Route
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.
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Bvious Define Known Ladder Name Occupy Reason Rung Sharp Sit Top Well
Everyone is interested in what‘s new. Few people are interested in what‘s better.
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Better Everyone New People
It’s the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product.
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Company Hand Mental Mind Position Product Upper
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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Anything Back Before Course Even Happen Longer Mile Take Turn Wrong
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.
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Brand Build Market Mind Prospect Sell
Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike.
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Alike All Cattle Look Much Pretty Range
The essence of positioning is sacrifice.
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Essence Giving Sacrifice Unique Up
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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Brand Build Effort Else Focus Known Mind Nobody Owing Word

Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.

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