Summer Book Review #1

The Books
Positioning--Al Reis and Jack Trout

The 22 Immutable Truths of Branding--Al Reis and Laura Reis

The Sort-of Review
Okay, so I've finished two books this week--never mind that one was an audio book! Both of them are from my Additional Work-Related Reading list, leaving only one left in that caegory for the summer.

These two books, both related to marketing, branding, and positioning were incredibly insightful for me, being that I'm the "Marketing Director" despite being entirely clueless about marketing.

The point is that if anyone is interested in marketing, these two books are quick, easy-to-reads. They are very instructional, i.e. repetitive and full of good examples. They were perfect starting points for me to get my feet wet in the first step of marketing a new product--branding it. Even if you're not interested in marketing, these books provide fun insight into the way that people think when they go to the store.

While reading, I identified a dichotomy in myself between when I am a consumer and when I am a marketer.

The rule? Repetition creates a brand and a position in the mind of the consumer.

As a consumer, I best remember things that have been repeated over and over again. That "how many licks to the center of the tootsie pop?" commercial. Perfect example. I don't think the Tootsie Roll people made any other commercials. So in my mind, I have a special, uncontested place for Tootsie Pops. I also have a unique place in my brain where I store tips from Louie the Lightning Bug with regards to power lines.

As a marketer, I enjoy coming up with different looks to our brochures. Although it's fun for me to keep coming up with new designs, it doesn't help establish a singular idea of our company's brand in the mind. As it turns out, a singular, uncontested version of your company is the best way to go.

For more on these things, read the books!


NOTE
You can download a 1-hour audio version of The 22 Immutable Truths of Branding from Audible.com for less than $7.