The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
AL RIESThe best way to make news is to announce a new category, not a new product.
More Al Ries Quotes
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Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike.
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Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.
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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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Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
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Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.
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It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
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Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world’s first overcommunicated society.
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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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Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.
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Good things happen when you narrow your focus.
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The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
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You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
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Each year we send more and receive less.
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The essence of positioning is sacrifice.
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But with a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or wipe out cancer.
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