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It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears.

Al Ries

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

That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
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Mind Position Product You
You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or attribute.
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Already Attribute Brand Category Essence Own Reduce Single Thousand
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
It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
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Better Have Instead Market Prospect
Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
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Behavior Brand Consumer Course Factor Important Leadership Motivate
War and marketing have many similarities.
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Many Market Similarity War
Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.
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Advertise Catskill Else Everything Himalaya Market Strategy Time
THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
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Band ContrAction Focus Law Narrow Stronger
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
Each year we send more and receive less.
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Each Less More Receive Send Year
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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Build Computer First Incent Mind Position Prospect
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
A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.
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Brand Consumer Mind Own Should Strive Word
Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company’s ultimate objective.
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Business Company Market Objective Ultimate
The real barrier (to building a brand) is the human mind.
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Barrier Gray Human Matter Mind Real
Advertising is the way great brands get to be great brands.
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Advertise Brand Great Way

It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears.

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