The 22 immutable laws of branding
how to build a product or service into a world-class brand
by Al Ries · first published 1998
60% recommend40% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short, practical introduction to brand strategy, with concrete principles and statistics. It is an easy read that explains common business phenomena and is useful for entrepreneurs and anyone building a brand.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
This marketing classic has been expanded to include new commentary, new illustrations, and a bonus book: The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…Ideavirus - Seth Godin Positioning - Jack Trout and Al Ries Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries Repositioning - Jack Trout Marketing Warfare - Al Ries The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries The Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne Trust Me, I'm Lying - Confessions of a Media Manipulator…
on “Ask HN: How can a non-technical co-founder add value?” ↗…Geoffrey Moore The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries, Jack Trout The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries, Laura Ries REPOSITIONING: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis - Jack Trout, Steve Rivkin Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout, Steve…
on “Ask HN: How to enter a highly competitive market?” ↗…22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout 7. Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 8. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries 9. Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 10. Successful Business Research: Straight to the Numbers You Need - Fast!…
on “Ask HN: What can you recommend to Read for future startup founder?” ↗All very true. Also a very good, practical and easy read: "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060007737/
on “The Irrefutable Laws of Marketing” ↗…necessarily SaaS specific, but some of the foundational works of recent times are the works by Jack Trout, Al Ries, and various co-authors: Positioning, Re-positioning, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, and Differentiate or Die among others.
on “Being a Developer Makes You Valuable. Learning How to Market Makes You Dangerous” ↗…22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout 3. Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 4. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries 5. Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 6. Marketing High Technology by William H. Davidow 7. Marketing Warfare by…
on “Good marketing books with more substance than Seth Godin's?” ↗…22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout 7. Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 8. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries 9. Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin 10. Successful Business Research: Straight to the Numbers You Need - Fast!…
on “What A Hacker Learns After A Year In Marketing” ↗…The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin Marketing High Technology - William H. Davidow Marketing Warfare - Al Ries The…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗It seems pretty cliche to quote a book in response to an article, but this article was pretty light on details and heavy on opinion. A book I highly recommend to entrepreneurs is the 22 immutable laws of branding. He cites a lot of statistics, and explains a lot of phenomenon that I have observed over the years. Perhaps it just fits my biases but it is the best explanation of branding I've ever read. Anyway,…
on “Yes, Master (The Only Brand Strategy for Startups)” ↗the 7 habits? too many pages, not enough value. here are some that i found valuable: maximum achievement, the 13 strategies of war, the 22 immutable laws of branding, founders at work, how to get rich (felix), and a speed reading book/class. please add yours here too.
on “Good list of books for the newbie entrepreneur” ↗You are not trying to pick a name. You are trying to build a brand. The canonical text on the subject is The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. The name, logo type, mascot, tag line etc should all be coherent and consistent. Here's Steve Yegge on branding: http://blip.tv/file/319044/
on “Ask YC: How did you choose a name for your startup?” ↗…work in tech. People with any business savvy or sense of digital culture should have known that it would fizzle out very quickly, as it has. This is not how things evolve. I’d recommend the book “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” if you don’t understand why. The network effects of this project are a hockey stick going in the wrong direction.
on “Threads: Meta’s Newest Social App” ↗…types of businesses, and best practices. I think the word you are looking for is called "business". There are tons of books for these types of businesses. On the shelf behind me is E-Myth Mastery, 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Traction by Gino Wickman. You just have to look outside of tech. All of these books and practices apply to software businesses.
on “We need a middle class for startups” ↗…targeted way. But when it comes to branding the best route for a startup is a master branding strategy. When I started EarthLink's mobile business I actually met with Al and Laura Ries the authors of "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding". Their advice. Call it EarthLink Wireless. I have been involved with over 500 startups over the years. I have never seen a sub-branding strategy work for a technology startup. What prompted me to…
on “Yes, Master (The Only Brand Strategy for Startups)” ↗Coincidentally I was reading The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding this morning and the 'Law of Fellowship' in that book defines it to a tee! :-)
on “Show HN: Coder Weekly” ↗