It is a great book for anyone who wants to understand how to find a niche and position themselves as the go-to thought leader in that niche.
This book is a classic in marketing for a reason.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability: 4/5
Mindset: 5/5
Some of My Highlights:
“Most companies cannot serve all segments. A company must choose a segment that they can serve at a superior level.”
“‘Failure to communicate is the single, most common, most universal reason people give for their problems.”
“But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is about what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.”
“To be successful today, you must touch base with reality. And the only reality that counts is what’s already in the prospect’s mind.”
“The average person will sit still when being told something which he or she knows nothing about. (Which is why ‘news’ is an effective advertising approach.) But the average person cannot tolerate being told he or she is wrong. Mind-changing is the road to advertising disaster.”
“The best approach to take in our overcommunicated society is the oversimplified message.”
“You look for the solution to your problem inside the prospect’s mind.”
“By turning the process around, by focusing on the prospect rather than the product, you simplify the selection process.”
“To advertise effectively today, you have to get off your pedestal and put your ear to the ground. You have to get on the same wavelength as the prospect.”
“Positioning is an organized system for finding a window in the mind. It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances.”
“What counts most is receptivity. Two people must meet in a situation in which both are receptive to the idea.”
“It’s better to be a fish in a small pond (and then increase the size of the pond) than to be a small fish in a big pond.”
“Was Michelob the first premium-priced domestic beer? No, of course not. But Michelob was the first to build the position in the beer-drinker’s mind.”
“With a purified and simplified message, you can then penetrate the prospect’s mind.”
“That’s why if you have a truly new product, it’s often better to tell the prospect what the product is not, rather than what it is. The first automobile, for example, was called a ‘horseless’ carriage, a name which allowed the public to position the concept against the existing mode of transportation.”
“The leader brand in category after category outsells the number two brand by a wide margin.”
“Consumers are like chickens. They are much more comfortable with a pecking order that everybody knows about and accepts.”
“At almost every step of the way, the leading brand has the advantage.”