Thesis: Know thy audience, some laws to follow when marketing. Also, this is a pretty funny book title as some of what they say has been proven wrong in time.
Specific things to remember:
- It’s better to be first than better
- If you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category to be first in
- It’s better to be first in the mind than first in the marketplace (longevity)
- Marketing is not the battle of products, it’s the battle of perception
- The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect’s mind (ie, driving, cavities, overnight)
- Two companies cannot share the same word in someone’s mind
- The strategy to use depends on which run of the ladder you’re on
- No 2 = good, you’re trying harder
- The UnCola
- In the long run, every market becomes a two-horse race
- If you’re shooting for second place, your strategy is determined by the leader.
- Over time, a category will divide and become more categories
- Marketing effects take place over an extended of a period of time
- There’s an irresistible pressure to extend the equity of the brand (don’t, stay true)
- You have to give up something in order to get something
- For every attribute, there is an opposite, effective tribute
- When you admit a negative, the prospective will give you a positive
- In each situation, only one move will produce substantial results
- Unless you write your competitors’ plans, you can’t predict the future
- Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance leads to failure
- Failure is to be expected and accepted
- The situation is often the opposite of what it appears
- Successful programs are not built on fads, they’re built on trends
- Without adequate funding, an idea won’t get off the ground