Author

Jack Trout

16 key ideas across 2 books, each explained in our own words.

Positioning

IDEA 1
Marketing is a fight for minds
Ries and Trout argue that in a world overloaded with advertising, the key to marketing is positioning: deciding what place a product will hold in the customer's mind. Products succeed when they own a clear, simple position.
IDEA 2
Too many messages compete
The authors describe an overcommunicated society, where people receive more messages than they can absorb. Simple messages cut through. Because minds are already full, a new message must be sharp to find a place.
IDEA 3
Being first matters
The authors argue that the first brand to enter the mind in a category usually stays the leader. People remember the first. Later brands must work much harder to take the same space in people's minds.

IDEA 1
Being first beats being better
Ries and Trout's Law of Leadership states that it is better to be first in a customer's mind than to be better. The first brand in a category often stays the leader for years.
IDEA 2
Create a new category
The Law of the Category suggests that if you cannot be first in a category, create a new one where you can be first. New categories open opportunities. Being first there gives you the strongest position.
IDEA 3
Mind matters more than market
The Law of the Mind states that being first in the customer's mind matters more than being first in the market. Awareness is key. A brand that people think of first usually beats a rival that arrived earlier but is forgotten.

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