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Laws of branding
The document summarizes 22 laws of branding, including that a brand becomes stronger by narrowing its focus (law of contraction), is born through publicity not advertising (law of publicity), should strive to own a word in the consumer's mind (law of the word), and builds credibility through claims of authenticity (law of credentials). A leading brand should promote the category, not just the brand (law of the category). Overall brands are built over decades through consistency, but can be changed infrequently with care (laws of consistency and change).
Laws of branding
- 1. The 22 Immutable Lawsof Branding How to Build a Product or Service into a World-Class Brand by Al Ries
- 2. The Law ofExpansion • The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. • When you put your brand name on everything, that name loses its power.
- 3. The Law ofContraction • A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. • A powerful branding program always starts by contracting the category, not expanding it.
- 4. The Law ofPublicity • The birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising. • The best way to generate publicity is by being first – the first brand in a new category.
- 5. The Law ofAdvertising • Once born, a brand needs advertising to stay healthy. • Brand leaders advertise their leadership. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in customer behavior.
- 6. The Law ofthe Word • A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer. – FedEx = Overnight delivery – Kleenex = Tissue – Xerox = Copy
- 7. The Law ofCredentials • The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity. • Customers are suspicious. • Coke – “It’s the real thing.”
- 8. The Law ofQuality • Quality is important, but brands are not built on quality alone. • Sometimes expressed through a higher price and accompanying feature that seems to justify the price. – Rolex wrist bands – Montblac “fat” pens
- 9. The Law ofthe Category • A leading brand should promote the category, not the brand.
- 10. The Law ofthe Name • In the long run, a brand is nothing more than a name. • The difference between brands is not in the products, but in the product names – the perception of the names.
- 11. The Law ofExtensions • The easiest way to destroy a brand is to put its name on everything.
- 12. The Law ofFellowship • To build the category, a brand should welcome other brands. • Healthy competition brings more customers to the category.
- 13. The Law ofGeneric • One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name. (National……, General……, Nature’s…….) • Hard to differentiate a generic- named brand from competition.
- 14. The Law ofthe Company • Brands are brands. Companies are companies. There is a difference.
- 15. The Law ofSubbrands • What branding builds, subbranding can destroy.
- 16. The Law ofSiblings • There is a time and a place to launch a second brand. • A&E > History Channel.
- 17. The Law ofShape • A brand’s logo should be designed to fit the eyes – both eyes. • Horizontal shape provides maximum impact.
- 18. The Law ofColor • A brand should use a color that is the opposite of its major competitor’s.
- 19. The Law ofBorders • There are no barriers to global branding. A brand should know no borders. • Crossing a border often does add value to a brand. The perception of where the brand comes from can add or subtract value.
- 20. The Law ofConsistency • A brand is not built overnight. Success is measured in decades, not years.
- 21. The Law ofChange • Brands can be changed, but only infrequently and only very carefully.
- 22. The Law ofMortality • No brand will live forever. Euthanasia is often the best solution.
- 23. The Law ofSingularity • The most important aspect of a brand is its single-mindedness. • A brand is a singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect. • A brand is a proper noun that can be used in place of a common word.