Visual Hammer

Nail your positioning with the emotional power of a visual hammer.

What's a Visual Hammer?

A visual that hammers your brand position into the mind.

The Coca-Cola contour bottle hammers the position the real thing into the mind. It reinfoces the brands authenticity and leadership.

Based on the book

When my dad, Al Ries, wrote “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind” in 1981, he overlooked one important idea. The visual.

Positioning is a totally verbal concept. You build a brand by owning a word in the mind.

Yet the best way into a mind is not with words. The best way into a mind is with visuals.

But not any visual. You need a “visual hammer” that hammers your verbal position.

A Visual Hammer

A visual hammer communicates the essence of the brand in a unique and memorable way.

  • The red soles which made Christian Louboutin the leading luxury-shoe brand.
  • The chalice which made Stella Artois the sixth largest-selling imported beer.
  • The ghost which made Snapchat a leading messaging platform.

10 Ways to Create a Visual Hammer

When creating a visual hammer there are 10 visual tools you can consider.

Nailing the positioning strategy first is essential in developing a visual hammer.

Two Brains

We all have two brains.

The left brain processes information in series. The left thinks in language and works both linearly and methodically.

The right brain is different. The right processes information in parallel and thinks in mental images. It “sees” the big picture.

Words appeal to the verbal, logical, and analytical left brain. Visuals appeal to the emotional, intuitive, holistic right brain.

When your words and visual work together you create the ultimate positioning strategy.

Client Case

When a Mexican burger chain needed a strategy they came to RIES.

Cuarto de Kilo. The focus = BIG BURGERS – 1/4 of a kilo, more than 1/2 a pound.

The lion was chosen as the visual hammer communicate the size of the burger.

The slogan: A Feast for a Beast.

Laura Visual Hammer

Visual Hammer Strategy is a part of every RIES positioning consulting package.

But if you need more…

LAURA VISUAL HAMMER | SHANGHAI is a new service for our Chinese and Global clients to execute a positioning and verbal hammer strategy including the name, logo, packaging, websites and other visual hammer elements.