7 Key Takeaways from the book “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout.

If there are laws of the jungle, laws of nature and the universe, there should also be laws that marketing professionals follow. These laws that govern marketing that never change and will always deliver pain to anyone who violates them.?Learn how to use these laws to grow sales and outmaneuver the competition

That’s the main point from "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,” the classic bestseller first published in 1993 by Al Ries and Jack Trout.

The idea is that if you break any of these 22 laws don’t be surprised when sales plummet or your product launch fails to take off. In fact, you can bank on it.

But if you learn how to harness the force behind these laws, you’ll build the marketing momentum—and escape velocity—you need to grow sales and outmaneuver the competition.

So, here are my 7 key takeaways from the book.?

1. The Law of Perception: “Marketing is not a battle of products, it’s a battle of perceptions."

“Marketing people are preoccupied with doing research and ‘getting the facts.’ They analyze the situation to make sure that truth is on their side. Then they sail confidently into the marketing arena, secure in the knowledge that they have the best product and that ultimately the best product will win. It’s an illusion. There is no objective reality. There are no facts. There are no best products. All that exists in the world of marketing are perceptions in the minds of the customer or prospect. The perception is the reality. Everything else is an illusion.”

That means we should do both—build the superior product?and?tell the superior story.

This way, we can ensure that customer perception matches reality.?

That’s our duty as marketers.

Otherwise, the inferior product with the best story for the customer will win.?

And that would ultimately be a loss for the customer.

2.?The Law of Focus: "The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect’s mind."

“This is the law of focus. You ‘burn’ your way into the mind by narrowing the focus to a single word or concept. It’s ultimate marketing sacrifice. Federal Express was able to put the word overnight into the minds of its prospects because it sacrificed its product line and focused on overnight package delivery only. … The most effective words are simple and benefit-oriented. No matter how complicated the product, no matter how complicated the needs of the market it’s always better to focus on one word or benefit rather than two or three or four.”

3. Law of Exclusivity, which says: “Two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect’s mind.”

The authors’ response: If you try to use a competitor’s already established word, it will backfire on you. “You can’t change people’s minds once they are made up. In fact, what you often do is reinforce your competitor’s position by making its concept more important."?

4.?The Law of Success: "Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance to failure."

“When people become successful, they tend to become less objective. They often substitute their own judgment for what the market wants. … What hurts is injecting your ego in the marketing process. Brilliant marketers have the ability to think like a prospect thinks. They put themselves in the shoes of their customers. They don’t impose their own view of the world on the situation. (Keep in mind that the world is all perception anyway, and the only thing that counts in marketing is the customer’s perception.)”

5. Law of the category –?if you can’t be first in your category, create a new one you can be first in. Forget about brands, focus on the category

6. Law of the Ladder –?There is a hierarchy in the mind that prospects use in making decisions. On each rung of this ladder is a brand name. Your marketing strategy should depend on how soon you got into the mind and consequently which rung of the ladder you occupy. Ok if number 2, but have to admit to it and use it to your advantage.

7. Law of Line Extension – there’s an irresistible pressure to extend the equity of the brand. This is the most violated law in this book. Stay focused – when you try to be all things to all people, you inevitably wind up in trouble. Line extension usually involves taking the brand name of a successful and putting it on a new product you plan to introduce. Marketing is a battle of perception, not product. Less is more. If you want to be successful today, you have to narrow the focus in order to build a position in the prospect’s mind.

Never lose that “first love” connection with the customer. Be empathetic. Put ourselves in the customer’s shoes.?Listen to their fears and aspirations—and then speak to those ideals.?

After all, the best teacher for how to sell to a specific market is the market itself—if we remain humble and teachable.?

To summarize

·????????Marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products or services.

·????????It’s better to be first than it is to be better.

·????????Create a category that you can be first in — and make sure that the category is supported by a singular word.