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The
22 Immutable Laws of Branding
By
Laura Ries and Al Ries
HarperCollins, 1998 - 192 pages
The
22 Immutable Laws of Branding was primarily written by
Laura Ries - Al Ries was a co-author on the book – in
case anyone didn’t know. Such information is available
at their website. I rank this book a solid 5 star book
because the insights / examples provided far outweigh
any concerns/problems I found with the book. This book
caused me to look at advertising/marketing from a
different perspective in my daily life which is what I
use to evaluate if something is a 5 star book.
I
loved The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding for the
following reasons:
It flat out states the importance of marketing &
branding, which is important to separate in the
readers’ mind before beginning.
As they state "Marketing is building a brand
in the mind of the prospect. If you can build a powerful
brand you will have a powerful marketing program. If you
can't, then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales
promotion and public relations in the world won't help
you achieve your objective."
The
Ries’ call it like they see it.
Excellent examples of marketing/advertising
stupidity and effectiveness are provided.
They
talk about the plethora of products that are produced
each year.
They
discuss how businesses must get inside a consumer’s
mind (AKA positioning) to win the war.
Volvo = safety, BMW = Ultimate Driving Machine,
Mercedes = prestige, Toyota
= Reliability, Ford = ?, Chevy = ?.
The Ries’ clearly spell out an excellent reason
as to why the
U.S.
automanufacturers are getting killed.
The
book illustrates, as did the 22 Immutable Laws of
Marketing, how companies dilute their brands through
line extensions (I personally believe this due to my
personal experience/ buying patterns and observations
of others.)
They
point out the increasing importance of PR (public
relations) compared to advertising.
This is the subject of a new book by the father/daughter. Basically
PR launches a product and advertising gives it life
support is their main assertion.
I
disliked The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding for the
following reasons:
Overlap
from prior books is definitely occurring.
I have noticed this with Jack Trout’s recent
books too. I would estimate that 15%–20%, at a
minimum, of Trout’s recent books and this book have
been stated in one form or another in prior works.
Some
of the examples provide clearly refute other examples
provided. On
page 100 they state “the Mustang and former CEO of
Chrysler Corporation (two powerful brand names.)
In prior examples the authors clearly state that
the brand is the maker of the company. Volvo = safety, BMW = driving machine, etc (you
will find such features in all their vehicles – maybe
not in Volvos convertible.)
What does Chrysler stand for again?
Minivans? I
haven’t exactly noticed it in their
advertising……for a long time…
Conclusion: Buy
the book. It
is well worth the time and money.
About the
Author:
Al Ries
is a well known marketing strategist. He is the
coauthor of such international bestsellers as The
22 Immutable Laws of Branding and Positioning: The
Battle for Your Mind and the author of Focus: The
Future of Your Company Depends on It. His daughter
Laura Ries is a graduate of Northwestern
University and a partner in their marketing
strategy firm, Ries & Ries in Roswell,
Georgia. She is the coauthor of The 22 Immutable
Laws of Branding. Together they speak and consult
with major companies around the globe.
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