Al Ries Quotes

Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world’s first overcommunicated society.
AL RIES

Communication Fear Overcommnicate Problem Society World Year
To get into the consumer’s mind, you have to sacrifice.
AL RIES

Consumer Essence Info Mind Sacrifice
The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying.
AL RIES

Brand Buy Center Internet Ultimate
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.
AL RIES

Cancer Coherem Energy Focus Laser Light Source Stream Weak
IBM didn’t invent the computer; Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect’s mind.
AL RIES

Build Computer First Incent Mind Position Prospect
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
Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.
AL RIES

Advertise Catskill Else Everything Himalaya Market Strategy Time
The essence of positioning is sacrifice.
AL RIES

Essence Giving Sacrifice Unique Up
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
Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
AL RIES

Brand Efficient Sell Thing Way
Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.
AL RIES

Brand Business Customer Distinguishable Narrow Scope Singer Want World
The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
AL RIES

Brand Failure Fast Give Law Name One Route
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.
AL RIES

Brand Build Market Mind Prospect Sell
It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears.
AL RIES

Allow Build Decade Ear Forget Normal Old Person Take Truth
Successful brands get into the mind slowly. A blurb in a magazine. A mention in a newspaper. A comment from a friend. A display in a retail store.
AL RIES

Brand Comment Display Forever Friend Magazine Mind Newspaper People Slowly Store Successful
After a slow buildup, people become convinced that they have known about the brand forever.
AL RIES

Brand Convince Forever Known Peop Slow
You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.
AL RIES

Establish Give Must Order Something Unique Position Willi
What’s your brand? If you can’t answer that question about your own brand in two or three words, your brand’s in trouble.
AL RIES

Answer Brand Own Three Trouble Two
Each year we send more and receive less.
AL RIES

Each Less More Receive Send Year
What should a brand leader advertise?
AL RIES

Advertise Behavior Brand Important Leader
The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.
AL RIES

Come Generations never Next Previous Product
It’s better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.
AL RIES

Better Business First Marketplace Mind
Advertising is the way great brands get to be great brands.
AL RIES

Advertise Brand Great Way
That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
AL RIES

Mind Position Product You
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
Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike.
AL RIES

Alike All Cattle Look Much Pretty Range
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

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