Al Ries Mind Quotations

It's the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product. IBM didn't invent the computer; Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect's mind.

It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace.

Only brand names register in the mind... What you should generally do is take a regular word and use it out of context to connote the primary attribute of your brand.

The real barrier (to building a brand) is the human mind. It normally takes decades to build a brand because it takes decades to penetrate the gray matter in between your ears.

The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospects mind.

Positioning is how you differentiate yourself in the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.

If you want to build a brand, you must focus your branding efforts on owning a word in the prospect's mind. A word that nobody else owns.

A successful branding program is based on the concept of singularity. It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is no product on the market quite like your product.

To get into the consumer's mind, you have to sacrifice. You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or attribute. An attribute that nobody else already owns in your category.

Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.

Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.

A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.