Positioning
The Battle for Your Mind
by Al Ries, Jack Trout · first published 1981
91% recommend9% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable foundation on positioning: how minds hold one slot per brand, why brand extension usually fails, and how to stand apart from bigger rivals. Suits founders and product builders new to marketing.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"It shook up the world of marketing with all the force of a 20-megaton bomb, and now, two decades later, Positioning is still as fresh and, perhaps, even more relevant, for advertisers in the New Economy. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the classic book that changed an industry, McGraw-Hill has reunited mavens of marketing Al Ries and Jack Trout to make available to another generation of advertisers the book that forever changed the way advertising is done." "The first book to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical public, Positioning describes a revolutionary approach t
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…techniques" sound both useful and reasonable, for example). Marketers also do it, sometimes, but they should do it more. On this last topic, this book is absolutely fantastic: http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-The-Battle-Your-Mind/dp/00... It explains why brand extension is almost always a bad idea ("Google Play", OMG!!!!), and why "7Up: the uncola" is genius.
on “I’m Just Now Realizing How Stupid We Are” ↗…Die - Jack Trout, Steve Rivkin. - Title says it all. It's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow - Jason Jennings The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Jack Trout and Al Ries Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout, Philip Kotler Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore Mastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull - lays out an approach to selling that I believe is one of…
on “Ask HN: As a technical founder what is the best business book you've read?” ↗…these seven books: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey {anything} by Seth Godin Positioning by Al Ries Getting Things Done by David Allen 21 Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
on “Failed entrepreneur, broke, unemployed, now taking care of aging parents. Help.” ↗This is true, and a useful book on positioning is: https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/00... Furthermore, one way to avoid ending up in a feature for feature fight to the death with a bigger player is to think instead in terms…
on ““Every minute I spent thinking about competitors was a minute wasted”” ↗…I'll just leave a couple of book recommendations. https://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Market-Leaders-Customers-D... https://www.amazon.com/Differentiate-Die-Survival-Killer-Com... https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/00... https://www.amazon.com/Its-that-Small-Fast-Slow/dp/006662053...
on “Ask HN: How to deal with bigger competitors?” ↗A couple that might be worth considering: https://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Branding/dp/0060007... https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Mind-Annivers... https://www.amazon.com/Differentiate-Die-Survival-Killer-Com... https://www.amazon.com/What-Sticks-Advertising-Guarantee-Suc... https://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/14...
on “Ask HN: Good Book on Branding?” ↗…did with Anthony Robbins titled "Ultimate Business Mastery System." You can safely skip the Tony Robbins part, but Chet delivers some good stuff. 4. In Search of Stupidity by Merrill Rick Chapman. 5. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler 6. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout 7. Re-Positioning: Marketing in an…
on “Ask HN: What can you recommend to Read for future startup founder?” ↗I recommend: "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices" by Peter Drucker, "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind", by Al Ries, Jack Trout and "Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age" by Tom Peters. They aren't all strictly marketing books but they are awesome as well as informative.
on “Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?” ↗"Positioning" by Ries and Trout: http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/007... It was THE marketing book of the 80s, and it's still extremely relevant today. It's quick read, too.
on “Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?” ↗If you're wondering about the reference to being "Influenced by Ries and Trout", it's a reference to the book Positioning: The Battle for your Mind, which I've recommended on HN before and will continue to do so - http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/007... It talks about the importance of standing out…
on “Domain Names” ↗This brings me back to a nice little marketing book I read about ten years ago: http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-The-Battle-Your-Mind/dp/00... One of the interesting ideas the author postulates is, to put it in CS terms, that people's minds work like a dictionary. Each key associates with one and only one value.…
on “Your name is fine” ↗This is the best book I've read on positioning. The anecdotes might be a little dated now, but the concepts are solid. https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/00...
on “Ask HN: What are some good blogs/books on positioning yourself as a developer?” ↗There's a classic marketing book written a few decades ago called Positioning that is about just this topic. https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/00... It's a short read and well worth the time. I wish I'd read it before I'd built one of my products. If I…
on “Ask HN: How to compete against bigger competitor?” ↗I have been thinking about this for a while. There is a lot of good advice out there. OP, Jonathan Stark (expensive problem), Philip Morgan (positioning), Double your freelancing, Patio11 etc They all have read the same book: Positioning by Al Ries. What the OP (and others) are saying makes total sense. If you move away from being a generalist and carve…
on “To become a software consultant, avoid letting clients pay you for code (2017)” ↗I'm a Seth Godin fan, and usually recommend several of his books to people who are interested in marketing. But outside of his material, my list of marketing books would include: 1. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler 2. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout 3. Re-Positioning: Marketing in an…
on “Good marketing books with more substance than Seth Godin's?” ↗