The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name. 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 marketingbusinesslooks Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. Al Ries productsmind The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position. Al Ries sacrificegiving-upunique A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer. Al Ries striveshouldmind 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 threeanswerstwo 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 buildingmarketingmind THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. Al Ries strongerfocuslaw What should a brand leader advertise?Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior. Al Ries behaviorimportantleader The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind. Al Ries marketingpowerfulbusiness 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 perceptionsuccessfulmind 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 usenamesmind 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 successfulforeverpeople The best way to make news is to announce a new category, not a new product. Al Ries categoriesnewsway 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 sacrificeessencemind 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 effortfocusmind The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation. Al Ries nextgenerationsproducts Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets. Al Ries dominancebrandslying The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity. Al Ries authenticityingredientsclaims 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 marketingpowerfulworld
