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. Al Ries More Quotes by Al Ries More Quotes From Al Ries A branding program should be designed to differentiate your cow from all the other cattle on the range. Even if all the cattle on the range look pretty much alike. Al Ries marketing business looks Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. Al Ries products mind The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position. Al Ries sacrifice giving-up unique A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer. Al Ries strive should mind 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 three answers two Everyone is interested in what‘s new. Few people are interested in what‘s better. Al Ries people Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect. Al Ries building marketing mind THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. Al Ries stronger focus law What should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior. Al Ries behavior important leader The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind. Al Ries marketing powerful business A successful branding program is based on the concept of singularity. It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is no product on the market quite like your product. Al Ries perception successful mind 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 use names mind 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. Al Ries successful forever people The best way to make news is to announce a new category, not a new product. Al Ries categories news way To get into the consumer's mind, you have to sacrifice. You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or attribute. An attribute that nobody else already owns in your category. Al Ries sacrifice essence mind 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. Al Ries effort focus mind The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation. Al Ries next generations products Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets. Al Ries dominance brands lying The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity. Al Ries authenticity ingredients claims 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. Al Ries marketing powerful world