Al Ries Quotes

The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position.

War and marketing have many similarities.

The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.

It’s the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product. IBM didn’t invent the computer; Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect’s mind.

If you can build a powerful brand, you will have a powerful marketing program. If you CAN’T then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotion and public relations in the world won’t help you achieve your objective.

Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.

Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.

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. After a slow buildup, people become convinced that they have known about the brand forever.

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.

Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.

Everyone is interested in what‘s new. Few people are interested in what‘s better.

Good things happen when you narrow your focus.