Book Description
Positioning, a concept developed by the authors, has changed the way people advertise. The reason? It's the first concept to deal with the problems of communicating in an overcommunicated society. With this approach, a company creates a 'position' in the prospect's mind, one that reflects the company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors. Witty and fast-paced, this book spells out how to position a leader so that it gets into the mind and stays there, position a follower in a way that finds a 'hole' not occupied by the leader, and avoid the pitfalls of letting a second product ride on the coattails of an established one. Revised to reflect significant developments in the five years since its original publication, Positioning reveals the fascinating case histories and anecdotes behind the campaigns of many stunning successes and failures in the world of advertising.
Customer Reviews:
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition (Purchased on 09/04/2007) .......2007-10-05
I still haven't received my purchase, so reviewing it will be a tad bit difficult...
Got inspired!.......2007-09-21
I've got inspired from the basics in positioning. It delivers good examples of many American companies' positioing. I got inspired so that I can get my paper done very soon.
The best book ever on marketing/advertising/brand management.......2007-09-13
I make every new employee read Positioning no matter what their job description because it is really a book about the "battle for the consumer's mind", and that battle is waged in every department of every organization.
Positioning is the rule book for marketing success and the great thing is all the examples. Yes they are somewhat dated, but they make the rules easy to understand.
This is the book nobody at Ford read before they redisigned the Taurus from number 1 in sales to a hole in the ground.
If you work in brand management or advertising you must read this book. It should be stashed in a "break-glass-get-book" thing at every exit of every ad agency.
If you are studying marketing at college, you should memorize every word in the book and major in something else, and come out with the equivalent of a double major.
The importance of perception.......2007-05-13
If there's one thing that makes Positioning a classic and something that should be on the reading list of any marketer is the fact that it highlights what is the core of any marketing- perception is reality. It doesn't matter how good your product `really' is, or how hard you try, what matters is how your target perceives you vs competition. That basic truth, and how you could occupy the most desired position in the target's mind is the crux of this book. Perhaps some of the examples could get updated, but bottom line, this is the definitive book to read for any aspiring marketer.
- Mainak Dhar, author, Brand Management 101: 101 Lessons from Real-World Marketing
outdated.......2007-03-30
Positioning makes a few basic points that are helpful for someone who is not familiar with marketing basics. However, the examples are so outdated that some now disprove the authors' arguments. The more detailed chapters make less sense in an electronic culture. This book is really only useful now for those broad, basic ideas in the first chapters.
Amazon.com
Contending that our increasingly complicated corporate universe has made it more difficult for companies to grow and prosper, noted business strategist Jack Trout and communications consultant Steve Rivkin have proposed a radical new tack: simplicity. By boiling everything down to its essential elements, they maintain, managers can ignore new fads and hot consultants and instead focus on the true business at hand. Fascinating in its own unpretentious, logical manner, The Power of Simplicity is their stripped-down guide to a future without chaos and disorder. Addressing the basics involved as well as specific management, leadership, and people issues, they hit a variety of applicable themes--including information, competitors, mission statements, goals, and motivation--using short individual chapters that quickly get to the heart of the matter with a few germane anecdotes and expert quotes followed by suggestions that are both coherent and feasible. Each begins with an inspirational epigram by the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Malcolm Forbes, and even Mother Goose, and concludes with a Simple Summation, such as this one on strategy: "If you're not different, you'd better have a lower price." --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Renowned marketing expert and best-selling author Jack Trout has a message for managers who are struggling to keep up with today’s ever-changing business climate: “Keep It Simple.” In this paperback edition of The Power of Simplicity, Trout advocates the importance of paying attention to the basics and simplifying processes in order to stay focused on the core business at hand. Through case studies and interviews with successful executives, he shows managers how to cut through jargon, articulate their vision, and regain control of the vital elements of their business in order to make it thrive. According to Trout, the things that propose to streamline companies, like the ubiquitous “mission statements,” often end up bogging down operations by introducing unnecessary complexity where a straightforward approach may be more effective. Trout cites Southwest Airlines, Intel, and Kohl’s department stores among others as successful companies that have rejected showy trappings in favor of simplification.
Download Description
In sports, when things go wrong, the best coaches say. "go back to the basics". Renowned marketing expert Jack Trout has a similar message for managers who are struggling to keep up with today's everchanging business climate: "Keep it Simple". Trout advocates the importance of paying attention to the basics and simplifying the processes in order to stay focused on the core business issues at hand. Through case studies and interviews with successful executives, he shows managers how to cut through the jargon, articulate their vision, and regain control of the vital elements of their business in order to make it thrive.
Customer Reviews:
A counter-cultural voice of reason.......2006-06-12
Jack Trout's books on marketing and brand positioning (with Al Reis) have a deep resonance with many readers. A big reason is that they are clearly written with a simple message that is readily understood. Trout expands this concept of the importance of simplicity in this book beyond marketing and applies it to business in general. In it, he gives a refreshing, counter-cultural voice opposed to all the laborious guru-hype, endless buzzwords and MBA-babble - that too often only adds complexity without adding value. Trout quotes Jack Welch on this idea: "Insecure managers create complexity. Real leaders have the self-confidence to be clear, precise and to be sure every person in their organization understands what the business is trying to achieve."
In an entertaining and often-sarcastic tone, Trout goes after many deeply-ingrained business practices to expose their unhelpful complexity: LONG-TERM PLANNING (mere wishful thinking), GOALS (sound nice but can hinder emerging opportunities), GROWTH (those mandated 15% projections can lead to terrible long-term consequences) and those cumbersome MISSION STATEMENTS (add needless confusion). What may be most comforting for those who value a common-sense approach is how Trout stands up for the simple, obvious idea. But, in our high-tech, over-analyzed age, such simplicity can sound ... well, too simple. As such people in business often fear speaking up and being viewed as "an unsophisticated simpleton" lacking the latest analytical models. But, Trout encourages businesses not to fear that which is simple, but to embrace its wisdom and guiding light. His many relevant examples of success and failure help paint an effective picture. In all, Jack Trout is a refreshing voice of reason in a world beset by budensome complexity. Practitioners of gut instincts and old-fashioned common-sense should love this book. 4.5 stars.
I TEACH PEOPLE spiritually HOW TO LIVE YOUNG AND FLOURISH, not COMPLICATE their lives with guru worship! .......2006-05-07
Give it to them plain and simple as Trout says. They will feel comfortable with following a leader who gets on their level, but will be intimidated a speaker who speaks in tongues...
I lead people to live young and flourish through simple strategies, not kill them with complicated terms and alien metaphors like a wizard guru.
Dr. Garner
Should a part of management and engineering training.......2005-09-18
Most young Engineers and MBAs are more into hype and complexity than into solving engineering/business problems in a simplistic manner.
How many of us in our universities have been influenced, inspired by complexities of business and engineering ? Many of them even took the path of making their job seem complex and continued on their career - totally deviating from the basic objectives of why their jobs existed in the first place.
After 10 years in Software and consulting, when I read this book, it feels very much like reaffirming the basics of any work and business objectives.
Positives of this book:
* Reaffirms that most problems are to be simplistically analyzed and addressed
* Simplify your communication and reduce the clutter and hype
Negatives:
* Being simple does not always take you a long way - maybe in engineering, but definitely not in management. Ever heard of a manager who speaks up simplistically and been very successful ?
* The auther talks about being simplistic in communication, but has totally ignored the fact that communication is always good when it well wrapped and well packaged.
* Is simplicity always good when you are selling stuff ? People like the mystery behind complexity. While complexity itself does not sell, the mystery behind complex words does sell. Would you buy a Washine machine which has 'Fuzzy Logic' or would you buy the one that has 'Automatic Load Detection' ? Obviously the one with Fuzzy Logic - it kind of sounds cool and complex, even though you do not know whats in it.
some new useful material.......2004-12-29
Several ideas and examples are drawn from the authors' earlier work on positioning, 22 immutable laws of marketing, and bottom-up marketing. There were a few ideas that are worth chewing on. For example, per Trout, success is often riding the right horse. Both hard work and intelligence are long shots, finding fast-growing successful companies is a long-shot; finding a successful product is a medium shot; finding a person with successful career trajectory and hitching your career to theirs is a more reliable way of duplicating success. Others such as avoiding all recent advances in technology may be a little simple-minded and perhaps, unnecessary in the end.
Good Title...poor book.......2004-12-17
I really wish this book did not have so many grammatical errors because I believe people need to simplify their life, but this book insults the reader's intelligence. If a well-respected author like Jack Trout is going to attach his name to a piece of writing he should make sure it is readable. In addition, this book seems to be choppy in its central theme. I do not remember the authors addressing the idea of simplicity throughout the whole book. The central concept was lost somewhere among Jack Trout's tirades to the business professional.
Book Description
From the bestselling coauthor of Positioning--essential tactics for success in every marketing arena
With his 1981 classic, Positioning, Jack Trout (along with coauthor Al Reis) forever changed the way marketing strategy is done. In the more than two decades since then, he has remained at the forefront of marketing and strategic thinking. Written in response to the demands by Trout fans, acolytes, and students worldwide, this book brings together the key ideas from his substantial body of work in a quick-bite format.
Trout on Strategy:
- Is an ideal introduction to the thinking of one of the century's most influential marketing innovators
- Explores Trout's major themes, including survival, perception, differentiation, and more
- Connects the dots in his major works and makes his ideas relevant to the biggest issues facing business today
Customer Reviews:
Of course it's great,,,,It's Trout.......2007-09-14
Although much of the info here has been covered in other Trout books, this doesn't detract from Trout's precise and cutting vision! In fact for me it enhances it because you can see that in a sea of "What to do" books, Trout remains consistant in his beliefs. A must have!
Warmed over soup?.......2007-04-08
Trout presents the subject in a readable and interesting manner with good examples. However, the book may be described as Intro to Business Strategy 100 for the beginner. And, if you've read some of Trout's or Ries' prior works, you won't find much new here.
Highly readable book on marketing strategy.......2007-01-25
Books by Al Ries and Jack Trout are always worth a read. These marketing specialists are perhaps best known for their seminal work "Positioning". They have written several books together and also gone out on their own.
"Trout on Strategy" is a solo effort, but is still worthy of praise. This book is more about Marketing strategy than general corporate strategy, but by taking a "stategic" approach, the auther presents us with a very good overview of many facets in the marketing world. By covering topics such as leadership, competition, differentiation and positioning, the auther gives a holistic view to the marketing manager.
Perhaps what I love most about this book, is that throughout, he constantly refers to other books that he has written, on his own or with Al Ries that could be researched to explore a topic in more detail. So in affect, you are getting an excellant summary of some of the best marketing books ever written.
5 stars.
JACK TROUT IS THE SUN ZU OF MARKETING, but I specialize in the Art of living young and flourishing!!!.......2006-05-05
Trout's a true strategic General hidden behind a suit. He makes some guerilla marketers look like a baboon and advertising agencies seem like they get their ideas from fortune cookies- pardon my plain communication- but it had to be made plain...
Trout's research backs up his conclusions. It's like observing an attorney build a strong case. You will see why the downfall of many popular industries took place, due to trying to serve everybody, instead of finding their specialty to cater to a particular audience...
I once to believed the myth about getting the audience attention was the way to go, and thought this would take their mind off the competitors (temporarily). Discovering your specialty in one area, or demolishing the competition weaknesses, to show you're the only one who offers that specialty; this is when customers cheer for the winner, not the loser...
I coach these same strategies to students every week at our program, not for their business, but spiritually positioning them to live young and flourish in our program and not die old at church.
Dr. Garner
Excellent guide for strategic executive focus.......2006-03-10
Trout has written an excellent guide on where an executive should place their strategic focus to drive a successful business. While it appears simple with its 8 strategies, the concepts and recommendations are powerful. The examples are strong, well known and easy to relate to. The strategies apply to small and large organizations alike. This book will make you think.
Book Description
"A business book with a difference: clear-cut advice, sharp writing and a minimum of jargon."Newsweek
"Revolutionary! Surprising!"Business Week
"Chock-a-block with examples of successful and failed marketing campaigns, makes for a very interesting and relevant read."USA Today
Customer Reviews:
Marketing 101.......2007-07-20
Regardless of whether you like the "warfare" analogies or not, the concepts discussed in this book is Marketing 101 for marketers.
First Ries/Trout explain which method of attack your company should use depending on its position in the marketplace. Then they describe what each position should do. Then they use some great classic case studies like the beer wars, cola wars, and computer wars.
Usually I hate these "outdated" books but the content in here is classic. They've updated the book and critiqued their own predictions made 20 years ago. For example, with over 50% of the PC marketshare, they were certain that IBM would remain the leader. Ooops.
Highly recommended for marketers.
Of all the books, this one is the weakest.......2007-03-30
I found this one to be the weakest of all the books by Ries and Trout. As Creative Director of AUDIN Web Design, it just didn't capture my interest like their other books. Don't get me wrong, I think these authors are geniuses and I love their books. This one just didn't do it for me; I think it was the warfare motif. I'm not a pacifist, but it just didn't work for me: Warfare as Marketing. The funny thing is that I actually bought this book twice: once ten years ago in paper back and then again in hardback more recently. That goes to show you how forgettable I thought this book was. If you are on a real tight budget, buy a different book by these authors.
missing book.......2007-03-24
today i have not received this book yet.could you inform me when this book would be delivered, please?
I AM A FAN OF JACK TROUT.......2007-02-02
This is the other must-read book from Jack Trout for Businessmen, marketers and I think every one, This book teaches you that WORLD is Competition, and It is WAR !
You must compete to survive, You must be intelligence to survive, and You must be different to survive.
Jack Trout explains the battle of MARKET forces and how to survive in it,
Still thinking about buying the book, You may feel the need to read this book after a hard competition!
Marketing Warfare.......2007-01-13
Excellent book! it explains marketing to non-marketing people. It is very useful to those with limited marketing knowledge.
Book Description
In the same right-to-the-point, no-nonsense style that was a hallmark of Positioning, this sequel squares off against critical marketing challenges such as how to make sure your message gets through in an era of information overload.
Download Description
In the same right-to-the-point, no-nonsense style that was a hallmark of Positioning, this sequel squares off against critical marketing challenges such as how to make sure your message gets through in an era of information overload.
Customer Reviews:
The Natural Laws of Gaining Market Share.......2006-03-03
Trout has a half a dozen bestsellers to his name. He has been a consultant for major lending corporations. Rivkin worked with Trout then branched out on his own. Together these two have put together a great book for positioning your company in today's market. Examples are take from their personal experience with companies. The first part of the book covers the latest psychology of how the mind of a prospect is influenced. It covers how the mind characterizes different types of incoming data. Part 2 goes into the repositioning of your company to correspond and take advantage of these natural laws. Trout covers the basic pitfalls in this area as well. This book is well titled (positioned)!
Five Stars
A clear message quickly absorbed.......2001-08-27
Some of those who read the original book, Positioning, found this sequel disappointingly short on new information. However, if you have not read the original, this book is worth reading, in part because it applies its own principles to communicate simply and briefly. Case studies are kept short and the central messages delivered efficiently then reinforced. Trout emphasizes the enormous amount of information and number of choices facing people and the consequent need for simplicity of message, and a clear position in the minds of consumers. Trout uniformly dislikes brand line extension, though he does not deal with counter-examples. The first section of the book, Understanding the Mind sets up the cognitive framework for the positioning approach. The second section, Dealing with Change, helps companies reposition themselves in consumers' minds. The third section, The Tricks of the Trade, goes into some specific strategies for penetrating the noise with your signal. There are deeper and newer books on the subject, but the clear message of this quickly-readable book is worth taking in.
Highly Recommended!.......2001-05-26
You can achieve better brand recognition and sales if you understand how the mind works. Jack Trout (assisted by Steve Rifkin) emphasizes that the human mind is limited, hates confusion and easily loses focus. The authors cite companies that have succeeded in their brand strategy and advertising by following these principles, and a few who failed because they didn't. The book concludes with "tricks of the trade" that you can use. In keeping with these principles, the volume is simply and clearly written, brief, well organized and focused. However, since it was published about four years ago and talks about the beginning of the information age, some of the material already may sound familiar. But if you can ignore that sense of déjà vu, the book offers an excellent summary of the relationship between how the mind works and how best to use product positioning. We [...] recommend this book to marketing mavens with inquiring minds
What's "New"?.......2001-05-22
For someone who has not read any of the authors' (especially Trout's) other books, this has some value. For that reason, I rate it higher than do many other reviewers. However, it is inferior to the original Positioning (by Ries and Trout) and adds very little (if anything) that is "new" to the concepts and comments provided in that important book. The value of the original is increased substantially when read in combination with other works such as Levitt's The Marketing Imagination and Barker's Paradigms. Because effective positioning is (literally) a moving target, those involved must be both willing and able to modify that positioning in response to rapid, sometimes major changes in the competitive marketplace. That is to say, new positioning may be necessary. The authors of this book already have an excellent title. Now all they need is a text which is worthy of it.
No new idea!.......2000-06-12
It's just a direct "copy" of the marketing classics by the same authors "Positioning". Not many new idea there.
Amazon.com
There are no two ways about it with Jack Trout. Either you've got a product or service that you can say is different, or you don't have much at all. In today's global marketplace and at its lightning-fast rate of change, there's no point in inventing and presenting a product only to sit back and hope that consumers everywhere will discover its greatness. It's not simply about what you or your product can do, it's about what you do differently from everyone else. Coauthors Trout and Steve Rivkin say it all in their no-holds-barred title, Differentiate or Die.
A disciple of the marketing guru Rosser Reeves, who introduced the concept of the "unique selling proposition," Trout relays his vision of what can help you differentiate in blunt, tell-it-like-it-is prose. First he breaks the bad news that product quality, advertising creativity, price advantage, and breadth of product line are rarely successful ways to differentiate your business. Consumers expect the best quality, he says; they don't think it's a bonus. In the same vein, your competitor can slash prices just as quickly as you. After dismissing these common marketing techniques as futile, Trout concentrates on which differentiating ideas will set you apart from the pack: Being first (and staying there), owning a discernible attribute, having a heritage, becoming the preference of a particular consumer group, or even being the most recent arrival in a product arena are just some of these useful differentiates. Though the book's fast and quippy narrative style may leave some readers looking for more substance behind his adamant assertions, Trout's recommendations act as inspirational spurts of energy. A slim manual packed with punchy points, Differentiate or Die won't take you long to read but could make a lasting--you guessed it--difference to the success of your business. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
"Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith, and perseverance to create a brand."-David Ogilvy
In today's ultra-competitive world, the average supermarket has 40,000 brand items on its shelves. Car shoppers can wander through the showrooms of over twenty automobile makers. For marketers, differentiating products today is more challenging than at any time in history yet it remains at the heart of successful marketing. More importantly, it remains the key to a company's survival.
In Differentiate or Die, bestselling author Jack Trout doesn't beat around the bush. He takes marketers to task for taking the easy route too often, employing high-tech razzle-dazzle and sleight of hand when they should be working to discover and market their product's uniquely valuable qualities. He examines successful differentiation initiatives from giants like Dell Computer, Southwest Airlines, and Wal-Mart to smaller success stories like Streit's Matzoh and Connecticut's tiny Trinity College to determine why some marketers succeed at differentiating themselves while others struggle and fail.
More than just a collection of marketing success stories, however, Differentiate or Die is an in-depth exploration of today's most successful differentiation strategies. It explains what these strategies are, where and when they should be applied, and how they can help you carve out your own image in a crowded marketplace. Marketing executives in all types of organizations, regardless of size, can learn how to achieve product differentiation through strategies including:
* Revisiting the U.S.P.
Rosser Reeves's classic unique selling proposition approach, updated for today's marketplace
* Positioning
Understanding how the mind works in the differentiating process
* Owning an Idea
Techniques to seize a differentiating idea, dramatize it, and make it your own
* Competition
How to use differentiating ideas against your competitors in the marketplace
Consumers today are faced with an explosion of choices. In this environment, distinctive product attributes are quickly copied by competitors, perceived by consumers to be minimal, or both. Still, those who fail to differentiate their product or service in the mind of the consumer won't stand a chance.
Differentiate or Die outlines the many ways you can achieve differentiation. It also warns how difficult it is to achieve differentiation by being creative, cheap, customer oriented, or quality driven things that your competitors can do as well.
Praise for Differentiate or Die
"Another great book by the king of positioning!"-John Schnatter, CEO, Papa John's International
"Differentiate or Die differentiates itself on the groaning marketing bookshelf with its lucid prose, its clear vision of the future marketplace . . . and its sensible solutions for surviving the frenzied competition we're sure to find there."-Dan Rather, CBS News
"What I like about Differentiate or Die is the book's emphasis on the power of logic, simplicity, and clarity-getting to the essence of a problem. In Silicon Valley, attributes like that can make the difference between having lunch and being lunch."-Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
"Trout and Rivkin marvelously illustrate that differentiation is the cornerstone of successful marketing." -Philip Kotler, S.C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing,
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
"We've built our business by being first-and executing best. Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin are doing the same, delivering the timely, powerful insights that will drive tomorrow's marketing strategies. A must read for anyone looking to win in an unforgiving competitive marketplace."-Mike Ruettgers, CEO, EMC Corporation
"Dotcom executives must learn the lessons of Differentiate or Die. If they don't, I pity their investors."-Aaron Cohen, CEO, Concrete Media; Co-Founder, Bolt.com
Customer Reviews:
Tactically sound, despite the hype.......2006-03-04
Today markets are driven by customer choice, and there are more possible product choices than ever before for the customer. Companies that fail to address the whims of the marketplace will not survive. It is more important that ever before to differentiate your product from its competition. According to the authors, companies must address differentiation in three ways:
1. If you ignore your uniqueness and try to be everything to everybody, you will undermine what differentiates you from the competition.
2. If you ignore changes in the market, your differentiation can become less important.
3. If you stay in the shadow of your competitors, without establishing your "uniqueness" you will always be weak.
The authors then outline four steps to successfully differentiate yourself from competitors:
· Step 1: Make sense in context. Your message must make sense within the context of your market category. Start first with a "snapshot" of customer perceptions about yourself and your competitors.
· Step 2: Find the differentiating idea. There are many ways to set your company apart from the competition. However you differentiate yourself, set the difference up as a benefit to the customer.
· Step 3: Have credentials. Your claims to the customer must be real and believable. You should be able to demonstrate the difference to the customer. That demonstration becomes your credentials.
· Step 4: Communicate your difference. You need to build a strong perception of your product in the market. Every aspect of your public communication should emphasize your difference.
Too simplistic to rest business success primarily on uniqueness .......2006-02-28
I work for a book summary company. One of the books selected for summary is this.
In today's proliferation of products, what sets a product or idea apart is its distinctness or uniqueness. And authors Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin focus on the idea that unless companies strive to make their product or concept interestingly different and evolve a unique identity, their business is bound to bite the dust. The book reiterates the need for companies to promote the `unique selling proposition' or the USP in their product in order to stand out from the `also-rans'. Indeed Jack Trout, who had pioneered the concept of `positioning' which has become the fad word in the ad world today, makes blunt assertions on the common practices adopted by most companies to gain that competitive edge over others. He dismisses the well-entrenched marketing ploys such as stress on product quality, use of creative advertising, competitive pricing, and unveiling range of product line as futile exercises that could prove unsuccessful in the long term. To him, being a pioneer, having a distinct attribute and peerless heritage, cultivating particular consumer group (s) or being the first or new arrival are the features that single out a product from the cluttering crowd. The author provides success stories alongside some others that failed. It seems rather too simplistic to build the entire logic of success on a single attribute of uniqueness or distinctness. Indeed while there is no gainsaying that exclusivity undoubtedly lifts a product, there are other concomitant factors, which are too real and important to be ignored, for ensuring the long term success of a product. Nonetheless, this slim book could be an interesting read for gaining additional inputs to ensure success in business.
Great book on positioning.......2005-10-28
This is a wonderfully written book with one of the best book titles ever. I loved how Jack gets to the point and makes you think about establishing your product. No punches pulled in this book...he points out "Being first with a stupid idea is just, well stupid, it won't get you anywhere." One of his best books.
One of the best business books.......2005-08-05
I have read several books of Jack Trout's books before, but when I first listened to the MP3-CD audiobook (...), I was amazed as how true Jack Trout's research about companies trying to be everything in the name of Market Share and tainting their "brand" in the process. Every business has to clearly distinguish themselves as what kind of business they are in or they are lost in the shuffle of consumer minds. Jack's book gives a straight forward data about companies trying to be everything. I sometimes wonder why companies like Amazon keep selling "Pet Supplies" and "Gourmet Foods" when a consumer thinks of Amazon as book company. In this digital world when a consumer is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements a day, it is clearly very important that a company has to distingush what business they are in and how to leverage that strength.
A must read for every business professional and a good read to take plenty of notes.
Line Extension and questionable concepts........2005-04-03
I liked very much Trout and Ries, Positioning and Marketing Warfare. Reading this book, I had an impression that most of the professional knowledge the author has, was distilled in his previous books.
Mr Trout is doing something he said was not a good practice in Advertising (see Positioning): Line Extension. The good parts of this book you will find in his previous books, maybe with different phrases and examples.
The other thing that is hurting is that he is trying to give advice in areas where he has limited knowledge and experience.
Looking at some titles of the chapters in this book you will find:
Chapter 4 - Quality and Customer Orientation are rarely differentiating Ideas.
Toyota and Honda achieved a position in the mind of customers worldwide that they make high quality products for a good price. Well, it will be difficult for the other automakers, who are actually working to catch up in quality, to differentiate themselves on quality, for they are also runs. I would say that is a hell of a strategy, maybe is not for everyone, but them differentiation is by definition for a few, and not for everybody.
How many companies have positioned themselves as high quality products? Does it pay? Go ask Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, Volvo, Patek Philippe...
Chapter 5 has as title: "Creativity is not a differentiating Idea"
I guess I cannot believe that Mr. Trout has read his own phrase. Does he mean that lack of creativity is a differentiating Idea? Does not make sense. I think quite the opposite, when you are not able to create something unique, is when you go out trying to do something else to differentiate yourself.
I have seen creativity applied to Advertising, the results were fantastic. In Brazil, sometime ago, Brastemp, (a Home Appliances company with financial links with Whirlpool) run an ad campaign that stressed the Quality of Brastemp products using the phrase: " it is not a Brastemp !". Each ad told a story about something (not related to appliances) and the concluding remarks would be " it is not a Brastemp !". The phrase got so popular, that became incorporated as an expression of our language. The end result was that Brastemp established itself in the market so strongly that still today people in Brazil position Brastemp as the top quality producer of home appliances. In the mind of the Brazilian consumer Brastemp is top quality, better than GE, Electrolux, ex-Westinghouse, etc...
I have seen creativity applied to Product Design with similar results.
This book should be read with a critical eye, for it has some impressive phrases but when you think a second time and compare with some practical experience you find problems.
I am not an advertising professional, I just enjoy reading books that come with good new ideas.
Amazon.com
Despite impressive triumphs over the years, leading companies like General Motors, Xerox, and Levi Strauss have also stumbled badly at times. In Big Brands, Big Trouble, Jack Trout points out their biggest missteps as well as the critical lessons that can be learned from them. In his typically no-nonsense manner, Trout--a "positioning" expert who has written numerous bestselling books on the topic and served as a consultant to several of these firms--lays out the myriad errors that caused them and other giants to lose ground in the fight for success. Helpful specifics abound, such as in the chapter on Crest, in which Trout notes how the toothpaste's one-time dominance slipped away when consumer concern over cavities gave way to worries about discoloration, bad breath, and gum disease (which other brands more effectively set themselves up to attack). The lessons Trout takes from this are threefold: even winning positions must occasionally evolve; knowledge of how leadership was initially attained must always be maintained; and competitors must never be given an angle to exploit. Likewise, the section on Burger King discusses how turnover at the top, inconsistent advertising messages, and a loss of focus on how to assault the industry leader resulted in a stagnation that has perpetually mired the chain as a fast-food also-ran. "It's a fact of life that the easiest idea to overlook is the obvious one," Trout notes in this chapter. Since most ideas are apparent only in retrospect, however, his insights should prove invaluable to readers who might easily make similar mistakes. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Jack Trout, one of the most respected marketing gurus in the world, shows why some of today's biggest brands are having trouble and how to avoid repeating their mistakes. With the help of in-depth case studies chronicling the events leading up to the falls from grace of Sears, Miller Brewing, Xerox, Crest, Burger King, and other past market leaders, he identifies the ten most common mistakes that big brands make, and he develops a set of expert guidelines for marketing managers and executives on how to build, protect, manage, and expand their companies' brands and avoid brand-killing blunders.
Customer Reviews:
Keep It Simple and Stupid !.......2007-01-17
Since you are not tasting an apple I can Not Help you to feel it, have one and you will see the result, THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR ANY ONE WHO IS LIVING ON THE PLANET OF EARTH, In this Book You can learn either LIFE lessons OR Business Lessons, So if you are looking for others idea like ME, Invest on it, IT IS WORTH 10,000,000,000 MORE than its price, God bless JACK TROUT!
A real page turner. Read it.......2004-07-27
Few marketing books has the enjoyable read character. it is safe to say that Big Brands...Big trouble leads the pack. Concise yet informative, the book focus on the notion that marketing is about winning your customers' minds and hearts.
By going through ample examples of famous brands, Mr. Trout dispel some of the conventinoal strategies most companies blindly undertake. Line extention according to him, has done nothing but damage to At&T and Miller Brewing. The giant P&G has lost big on the toothpaste line becasue they forgot what made their brand a hit. Fashionable outlets such as Levi' and M&S needs to rise out from the past and look more into the future by developing their own unique "brand lifestyle".
On the dark side, the book is relatively redundant and by the end of it, it looses out. Also, the recurring negative remarks on another business guru "Michel Porter" was needless and hence lost the book the full the mark.
Deliver a clear message-Perception is the most important!.......2003-09-13
¡§Big Brands Big trouble¡¨ is a very interesting and comprehensive book. This book explains several types of popular mistakes with different big brand cases, how to select a board of directors and how to be a good CEO. I think this book is suitable for anyone who is interested in Marketing or Branding because you could gain a lot of insight from it. After reading this book, you will understand why some brands cannot be established well even they have spent a lot money on advertising, introducing many new products.
This book impress me the most is that Jack Trout illustrated all mistakes clearly by showing how the big brands, like Levis, Burger King, AT&T and Marks and Spencer made in the past. Then you may discover that some of the existing well-known brands are actually making mistakes for their marketing strategies. Moreover, you may get surprise that some of the popular marketing strategies, like line extension, benchmarking cannot promote your product, conversely, they will hurt your company seriously. So you must read this book if you want to surpass your competitors by using appropriate marketing strategies for your company.
Overall speaking, this book is easy to read and understand because Jack Trout delivered a concise and important message in the book ¡V ¡§Marketing is a battle of perception, not product¡¨
Deliver a Clear Message - Perception is the most important!.......2003-09-13
¡§Big Brands Big trouble¡¨ is a very interesting and comprehensive book. This book have a clear organization which comprise several types of popular mistakes with different big brand cases, how to select a board of directors and how to be a good CEO. I think this book is suitable for anyone who is interested in Marketing or Branding because you could gain a lot of insight from it. After reading this book, you will understand why some brands cannot be established well even they have spent a lot money on advertising, introducing many new products.
This book impress me the most is that Jack Trout illustrated all mistakes clearly by showing how the big brands, like Levis, Burger King, AT&T and Marks and Spencer made in the past. Then you may discover that some of the existing well-known brands are actually making mistakes for their marketing strategies. Moreover, you may get surprise that some of the popular marketing strategies, like line extension, benchmarking cannot promote your product, conversely, they will hurt your company seriously. So you must read this book if you want to surpass your competitors by using appropriate marketing strategies for your company.
Overall speaking, this book is easy to read and understand because Jack Trout delivered a concise and important message in the book ¡V ¡§Marketing is a battle of perception, not product¡¨
Packed with Knowledge!.......2003-01-22
Jack Trout, head of the marketing firm Trout & Partners, digs for details about the major reasons big brands run into trouble and just how enormous companies mess up by handling their signature standard-bearers badly. He runs down the litany: mistaken extensions of the brand name, failures to differentiate the brand's qualities and loss of clarity about just what a brand represents. His failure sagas are mini-novels based inside Xerox, General Motors, AT&T, Digital Equipment, General Mills and Coca-Cola. Remember New Coke? Now that was a branding debacle. Trout highlights corporate shortcomings and lays the blame for branding woes right at the feet of people who should have known better: of out-of-touch CEOs, ineffective consultants and dysfunctional boards. Alert consumers who like insider business war stories will enjoy this clear, lively book, but if you own a company or market a brand, we from getAbstract suspect you should read it twice.
Book Description
A ListenUSA Business Classic: Spend 50 minutes with the Authors of "Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind," as they share with you the keys for using military principles to develop your own Marketing Warfare Strategies.
Customer Reviews:
BBA & MBA in marketing .......2007-07-04
I read this when it first was published. Still very relavant. A must read for anyone in marketing
Do not buy this.......2007-03-07
This Audio CD is garbage. It contains just nine random 5 minute segments of the book recorded in audio. It does not contain the entire book in audio. To make it worse, it was delivered with no packaging or supporting materials, it simply came inside a blank CD case, and the image on the CD itself was obviously printed using a home printer.
very useful.......2000-05-22
the marketing as a one big war. al ries did it again with a brilliant book that take you to the most important and interesting fights and wars. cola, hamburger, cars rental... its looks so simple after you read it, and it really make you hungry to go out there and fight. read it!
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Soft-Letter, published by Soft-letter on September 30, 1993. The length of the article is 663 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Marketing: Ries & Trout's 22 laws. ("The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" by Al Ries and Jack Trout)
Publication:
Soft-Letter (Newsletter)
Date: September 30, 1993
Publisher: Soft-letter
Volume: v10
Issue: n11
Page: p1(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Books:
- PowerPoint 2003 for Dummies
- Principles of Corporate Finance + Student CD + Ethics in Finance PowerWeb + Standard and Poor's (McGraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance, and Real Est)
- Principles of Financial Engineering (Academic Press Advanced Finance)
- Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results
- SAP MM-Functionality and Technical Configuration
- Selling to Big Companies
- Semiconductor Device Fundamentals
- SPIN Selling
- Starting an Online Business For Dummies, 4th Edition
- Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Student Research from Proposal to Completion (Jossey Bass Higher and Adult Education Series)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Business Communication: Process and Product
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
- Project Management for the 21st Century, Third Edition
- Productivity Measurement in Regulated Industries
- Programming .NET Components, 2nd Edition
- The Ultimate Gift
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
- West Federal Taxation 2005: Business Entities, Professional Version
- Statistical Demography and Forecasting
- The Return of Little Big Man
Strategy & Competition
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk!
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
Marketing Warfare: 20th Anniversary Edition
Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition
The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy
