Jack Trout

Jack Trout is an American marketing guru who has written and co-authored numerous business and marketing books, including the classic 1982 work Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind. He is credited with developing the “positioning” concept, which is a concept based on researching the competition, selecting your target market, and carefully crafting your message to differentiate yourself from your competition. He is also credited with coining the term “guerrilla marketing” in 1984.

Trout received his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering at Penn State University in 1965. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. He then began his career in advertising and marketing, working for two Philadelphia based agencies, N.W. Ayer Inc. and Earle Palmer Brown. In 1972, he started Trout & Ries, a marketing consulting firm, with his long time friend and business partner Al Ries.

Trout is best known for his pioneering work in positioning which he first proposed in his 1982 book Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind. In this book, Trout argued that in order to be successful in marketing, companies must develop and implement a positioning strategy to differentiate them from their competition. According to Trout, the first step of this process is to research the competition to determine what they are doing and why. Next, a company should select its target market, and then carefully craft a message that is unique and grabs attention in order to stand out from the competition.

Trout is also credited with coining the phrase “guerrilla marketing” in 1984. This term refers to unconventional marketing techniques which are designed to be low cost and highly effective. Trout argued that traditional forms of advertising, such as television and print advertising, had become too expensive and ineffective. Instead, he argued for companies to focus on “guerrilla marketing” methods such as word of mouth publicity and creative uses of low cost media.

In addition to Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind and coining the phrase “guerrilla marketing,” Trout has written or co-authored numerous other books throughout his career. Some of these include Bottom-Up Marketing (1980), Differentiate or Die (2007), The Power of Simplicity (2001), and Marketing Warfare (2000). He is also a popular speaker and has presented his views on marketing to audiences all over the world.

Trout’s work has had a lasting and significant impact on the field of marketing. His groundbreaking work on positioning and guerrilla marketing has provided a foundation for businesses seeking to craft unique solutions to their unique business challenges. He continues to be an influential figure in the world of marketing and businesses will likely continue to rely on his insights for many years to come.