A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer. Al Ries More Quotes by Al Ries More Quotes From Al Ries 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. But with a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or wipe out cancer. Al Ries cancer focus light Advertising is the way great brands get to be great brands. Al Ries advertising brands way The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name. Al Ries generic-name law names Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company's ultimate objective. Al Ries company marketing objectives Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better. Al Ries scope business want When a really new product comes along, it's almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. 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. 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. Al Ries successful simple mistake Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things. Al Ries efficient branding way Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world's first overcommunicated society. Each year we send more and receive less. Al Ries communication fear years 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 upper-hand mind hands Good things happen when you narrow your focus. Al Ries focus good-things happens Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier. It takes a mile before anything happens. And if it was a wrong turn, getting back on course takes even longer. Al Ries aircraft-carriers change trying The Internet is the ultimate in brand-centered buying. Al Ries brands internet buying It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace. Al Ries business mind firsts The real barrier (to building a brand) is the human mind. It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears. Al Ries gray-matter real mind It normally takes decades to build a brand... It's the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth. You need to allow enough time for this forgetting to take place Al Ries enough-time forget needs War and marketing have many similarities. Al Ries similarity marketing war Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills. Al Ries timing advertising marketing Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower. Al Ries ivory-tower mud towers Don't overlook the importance of worldwide thinking. A company that keeps its eye on Tom, Dick, and Harry is going to miss Pierre, Hans, and Yoshio. Al Ries
