The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing : Exposed and Explained by the World's Two
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List Price: $15.95 Amazon.com Price: $11.17
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Product Details
- Media: Paperback
- Publisher: HarperBusiness (May, 1994)
- ISBN: 0887306667
- Average Customer Review:
Based on 69 reviews.
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Amazon.com Sales Rank: 1,695
Customer Reviews
Read it or Perish! Easy reading and very insightfulI recently read this book and I found it straightforward and insightful. I have a B.S. in Acct. and an MBA in finance. I have taken graduate level marketing courses and I have worked in evaluating corporate strategies. This book is a must read for those that own their own business or are interested in advertising/marketing. I believe many executives that want to move their business career forward should read the book as business processes are tied together intricately. If you want to be CEO you better learn this stuff or perish!
Some of the examples/predictions are definitely dated (early 90's / late 80's) and turn out to be wrong but the branding ideas stay true due to values and beliefs. Like others I found the most interesting law to be of brand extension as I hadn't been exposed to such a thought process before (I am not in marketing) but there is a lot of merit to the thought.
I love it how the authors continually pound away that marketing and advertising are more of perception in the mind than actual real world truths. The examples provided in each chapter really help the reader get the key points.
To get more of this book, you should their earlier works...
Trout and Ries are two of the most far-thinking individuals extant in the world of marketing. However, to get the most out of their later works (and, as well as this book, I highly recommend "The 22 Immutable Laws of BRANDING" by Ries and his wife), it is best to read them in the sequence in which they were written. If you don't understand "positioning" you may very well not follow the analytical process which continues with these "sequels", as evidenced by some of the negative comments from readers. First, one has to differentiate the process of "marketing" by which is meant the bringing to market, or distribution, of a product or service, and "marketing" by which is meant promotion and advertising. Microsoft and USA Today are not successful because of their advertising or promotions, but because of the manner in which their products are distributed. What these books deal with is how companies promote themselves, not distribution channels which which create an advantage in a given industry. The books deal with the establishment of an identity, a position, which will be good for years to come, not with campaigns which may increase sales in a given quarter. Why these books are so important is because, if one doesn't understand the basic concept of positioning, and the rules which logically follow it, one could easily create campaigns (or develop products to be promoted under a brand name)which actually harm or destroy the company's position in the mind of the consumer. Books by Trout and Ries should not only be required reading for those in promotion/advertising, but for all executives.
Very interesting book
I have had the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing for over a year now, and I am always refering to it.
For thoes who are interested in advertising or are already in the business should really read this book. It is practical advice from experts in the field. I have read other books by both authors and have found very vaulable information in all of them.
I disagree with the negetive previous review. Of course times change and so do values, beliefs, and situations, but the basic advertising, branding ideas stay true. Chrysler would have probably failed if they had not developed brands that created a unique perception in the mind of the consumer. The PT Cruiser, 300M and so on... before all of their cars looked the same...like Chryslers. boring, replications, year after year. That type of line extension would burn a brand out faster than it got started.
The one law which I found most interesting is line extension. I would have given this a 5 star review, however I feel that some brands can line extend without damage to the core brand. However this is very limited and must be delt with caution.
However, you can see the effect of correct line extention today. In the car market Toyota, Nissan, and Honda all wanted to compete in the high priced car market. They would never get in the mind of the consumer with a $40,000 honda. But they would with a new name, new brand image and new advertising strategy....hence, Acura.
Advertising is 90% perception of a brand. Consumers feel what they want to feel, believe what they want to believe, and buy what they think is the better brand. The job of advertising is to change thoes perceptions in the mind of the consumer.
I can go on and on, but it's better if you get the book and read it for yourself. As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book.




