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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

Popular Authors

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

It takes a mile before anything happens. And if it was a wrong turn, getting back on course takes even longer.
AL RIES

Anything Back Before Course Even Happen Longer Mile Take Turn Wrong
The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
AL RIES

Authenticity Claim Ingredient Success
Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company’s ultimate objective.
AL RIES

Business Company Market Objective Ultimate
When a really new product comes along, it’s almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it.
AL RIES

Along Come Mistake New Product Really Simple Successful
To get into the consumer’s mind, you have to sacrifice.
AL RIES

Consumer Essence Info Mind Sacrifice
It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is no product on the market quite like your product.
AL RIES

Create Mind Perception Product Prospect Quite
THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
AL RIES

Band ContrAction Focus Law Narrow Stronger
Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
AL RIES

Behavior Brand Consumer Course Factor Important Leadership Motivate
You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or attribute.
AL RIES

Already Attribute Brand Category Essence Own Reduce Single Thousand
It’s better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.
AL RIES

Better Business First Marketplace Mind
The best way to make news is to announce a new category, not a new product.
AL RIES

Announce Best Category News Way Product
It normally takes decades to build a brand… It’s the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth.
AL RIES

Accept Allow Brande Decade Enough Forget Need New Normal Old Person Time Truth
Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.
AL RIES

Evolve Ivory Tower Marketplace Mud Strategy Towers
It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
AL RIES

Better Have Instead Market Prospect
Positioning is not what you do to a product.
AL RIES

Mind Position Product
The essence of positioning is sacrifice.
AL RIES

Essence Giving Sacrifice Unique Up