A glimpse into the minds of the Positioning Pioneers

  • It’s time for CMOs to focus on the major marketing issue of the 21st century.

    by Al Ries. In a world where technologies are rapidly changing, a single-brand company is at a strong disadvantage.

  • Strategy and tactics: The two drivers of marketing success.

    by Al Ries. The marketing community tends to focus on the tactics, when the real opportunities lie inside the company. The product, its price...

  • There are two types of categories and two types of strategies.

    by Al Ries. All categories are not alike. Unless you know what type of category you are dealing with, you may be making a...

  • Five Revolutionary Changes in Marketing Since the Turn of the Century

    What can we say about marketing that hasn’t been said many times before? Actually, a lot. Two developments have changed marketing forever. One is...

  • What’s missing in most marketing programs? Verbal imagery.

    I’ve written about the superiority of visuals over verbals. And my daughter Laura Ries has written a book on the subject, Visual Hammer. But...

  • To launch a new company, you need two strategies.

    Twenty-seven million Americans of working age (or 14 percent of the population) are starting or running new businesses. How many of these entrepreneurs are...

  • Why is everybody customer oriented when the real opportunity is something totally different?

    What wins in marketing today? The conventional wisdom is “customer centricity.” As one pundit put it, Connect with customers based on their behavior or...

  • The law of duality is creating havoc with many marketing programs.

    Many marketing managers overlook a simple principle: In the long run, every category coalesces around two major brands. Cola: Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. Toothpaste: Crest...

  • Should strategy dictate tactics? Or tactics dictate strategy?

    Silly questions. It’s obvious that strategy (the big picture) should dictate tactics (the small details.) Big companies, in particular, believe in strategy first, tactics...

  • What can a red nose do?

    What can a red nose do? It can build a brand. A red nose is the visual hammer for Red Nose Day, a campaign...

  • HP splits into a circle and a rectangle? Oh my.

    Hewlett-Packard is trying to become more focused by dividing itself in half. But dividing isn’t so easy. It is messy legally, corporately and mentally....

  • Hashtag Branding – How to not get burned

    Starbucks, like most companies these days, is obsessed with buzz. Not the kind you get from a double-espresso but the kind you find online...

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Laura

Laura

Ries Report

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