Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries, Jack Trout

Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind by Al Ries is an essential guide to building and then maintaining a long-term industry presence within a crowded modern market. The book, written by a marketing specialist, offers insight into the concept of positioning and its essential role in successful branding, by providing tools to implement that positioning and advice on creating favorable public opinion. Primarily, Ries outlines the process of developing the right strategy, creating an impactful perception in the public, and being able to sustain that message over time. With Ries’ approach, marketers can target their communications by first understanding the key elements of their business and then forming a narrative to help them stand out from their competitors.

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind begins by informing readers of the fundamentals of positioning in order to better understand the topic. Exploring the original definition of positioning as “the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinct place in the mind of the target market,” Ries cleverly brings to life the idea of perception and having an effect on consumer’s mindsets. He dives further into the concept of “positioning battles,” meaning creating an impactful story and sustaining its relevance in the minds of consumers, whether through advertising campaigns or another approach.

Ries applies the framework of the positioning battle to a four-stage process, which he outlines in two distinct halves. The first two stages of the process involve researching the industry and setting up the positioning strategy. The first step requires researching how visible consumers are to the product, and then categorizing it into the market. Recognizing that this needs to be done in order to narrow down the narrative, properly word it, and make sure that it resonates within the industry.

The second step is the positioning strategy — essentially, the branding. Ries outlines a four-part formula, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative elements. The first is the uniqueness of the product or company, and how it fits into the marketplace. The second part is the positioning statement, which humorously illustrates the uniqueness and gives the narrative a distinct feel. The third part is to create intangible adjectives to describe the offering, often incorporating the company’s personality or values in a positive way. Lastly, Ries explains that the “positioning-statement” should be framed around an issue that benefits the target audience, rather than the product itself.

The second half of the positioning process is creating the perception and communication of the product, often done through advertising campaigns. Ries argues that the most successful campaigns rely on defining the product in the minds of the target audience through storytelling and even humor. He outlines a few tips, including avoiding too many facts, as well as not getting caught up in working against larger companies. It’s more beneficial for smaller companies to focus on their own strengths and relate to their smaller target market in order to create a loyal customer base. Lastly, he emphasizes the most important part: consistency.

Overall, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind is an essential read for any marketer or businessperson. By utilizing Ries’ framework, businesses can develop and maintain an impactful presence in the competitive modern market by understanding their unique offering, creating an intimate relationship with the target audience and being consistent with the messaging. Ultimately, this breed of positioning is the best way to create and then maintain an enduring position in the marketplace.