The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing

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One reason the first brand tends to maintain its leadership is that the name often becomes generic (e.g. “How do I make a Xerox?”). While you can’t predict the future, you can get a handle on trends, which is a way to take advantage of change. Leverage your market position: Learn how markets generally behave and how to use that insight to inform your marketing strategy. Be consistent: Position your product as the best in its category and build your marketing around that product so customers know what to expect from your brand. Before starting any marketing program, ask yourself, “Where are we on the ladder in the prospect’s mind?”

Example: Avis admitted it was #2. Told prospects to go with them because they tried harder. They made money.Many marketers see success as the sum of many small steps in the right direction. But, as a rule, only one bold action works in marketing. There is only one place where a competitor is vulnerable. And this is the place that should be your goal. To find a single idea or concept, marketers need to know what is happening in the market. They need to be up to date. The Law of Unpredictability One day a company is tightly focused on a single product that is highly profitable. The next day the same company is spread thinly over many products and is losing money. The authors recommend thinking in categories, rather than focusing on the brand, as prospects are not interested in which brand is better since they already have their idea about it. It’s much easier to get into the mind first than to try to convince someone you have a better product than the one who got there first.

It can be disastrous to claim something that you are clearly not, as you have to remember as per Law 3, the mind of the prospect is already made up. Good short-term planning is coming up with that angle or word that differentiates your product or company. Then you set up a coherent long-term marketing direction that builds a program to maximize that idea or angle. It’s not a long-term plan, it’s a long-term direction. Once a mind is made up, no matter how much you spend in marketing, it’s going to be difficult to change it. In fact, it’s one of the most wasteful things you can do. Japanese manufacturer Honda, for example, in Japan is seen as only a motorcycle maker – thus the Japanese seldom buy Honda cars. Yet in the United States, Honda cars are among the top-selling automobile imports! The difference is one of perception.

Other Books by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Imagine you didn’t know the name of the first college founded in America. You can always make a good guess by substituting leading for first. What’s the name of the leading college in the US? Most people would say Harvard, and that is indeed the name of the first college founded in America. Be strategic about your overall marketing plan: Aside from the specifics of your marketing message, be strategic with your overarching tone and approach. One reason why top management believes line extension works is because it can be a winner in the short term . Chapter 13: The Law of Sacrifice

Good short-term planning is coming up with that angle or word that differentiates your product or company. Then you set up a coherent long-term marketing direction that builds a program to maximize that idea or angle. Less is always more. The narrower the focus, the better you’ll be able to fortify your position in the mind of the prospect.

The problem for would-be entrepreneurs is getting the revolutionary idea or concept into the prospect’s mind. Similarly, if you take aircraft, what started out as a single category is now divided into passenger airplanes, cargo planes, helicopters, private jets and more. Unless you write your competitor’s plans, you can’t predict the future. Chapter 17: The Law of Predictability Creating a new category by dividing an existing category can be a successful strategy. For example, Snapple created a new category of drinks by dividing the existing beverage market into iced tea and juice drinks.

However, one way to achieve this is to have a simple brand name that resonates with prospects. Law #4: The Law of Perception And if you’re first in a “new” category, you need to promote that category, and not the product. Then, you won’t have to worry about your competition as you’re already first in that category. Marketing efforts need to be accelerated to maintain success. Companies that slow down their marketing efforts often lose their advantage in the market. For example, Apple continues to innovate and release new products, which helps it to maintain its success.

Your marketing strategy should depend on how soon you got into the mind and consequently which rung of the ladder you occupy. Consumer consciousness is very difficult to change. Even though the consumer is very poorly versed in the issue, he is sure that he is always right. The perception that exists in the mind is most often interpreted as an immutable truth. Therefore, marketing should be based on the customer’s perception, not on the product/service. It’s much easier to get into the mind first than to try to convince someone you have a better product than the one that did get there first.