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The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.

Al Ries

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

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
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.
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Going Name New Product Require Simple Succesful
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
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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Allow Build Decade Ear Forget Normal Old Person Take Truth
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
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
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
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
What should a brand leader advertise?
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Advertise Behavior Brand Important Leader
Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
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Brand Efficient Sell Thing Way
It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.
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Better Have Instead Market Prospect
If you can build a powerful brand, you will have a powerful marketing program.
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Almost Brand Build Builder Come General Market Powerful Previous World
The real barrier (to building a brand) is the human mind.
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Barrier Gray Human Matter Mind Real
Each year we send more and receive less.
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Each Less More Receive Send Year
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
Positioning is how you differentiate yourself in the mind of the prospect.
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Differentiate Mind Position Product Yourself

The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.

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