If you have the time to read only one Ries & Ries book, this is the one book to read.

In the seventies, it was diversification, the notion that every company needed a counter-cyclic business to balance out its business cycle.

In the eighties, it was synergy, the notion that a company could exploit the similarities between such products as magazines & motion pictures (Time Warner).

In the nineties the word is focus and this is the definitive book on the subject. Focus shows managers specifically how to focus their brands and their companies to achieve a more powerful position in the marketplace.

How do you build a brand? You narrow the focus. Nokia narrowed its focus to cellphones and became the world's No. 1 cellphone brand. Federal Express narrowed its focus to overnight deliveries and became one of the world's leading cargo carriers. Southwest narrowed its focus to coach service only and became America's most profitable airline. Dell narrowed its focus to direct sales only and became the world's leading PC manufacturer.