We naturally remember who was the first to do somethingĪt this point you might be wondering, “Why does the first company to sell a product tend to stay the leader?” After all, most of the companies I’ve mentioned up to now probably have hundreds of competitors who want to take them down. As the authors of this book so elegantly put it, “it’s better to be first than it is to be better.” Coke, Advil and Harvard are just 3 examples of this. The leading brand is usually the one who got there first. Most business people think you get to the top by having a better product than the competition. Why does Coca Cola continue to be the leader? Because it was the first cola, the original one, the classic one, “The Real Thing.” And Pepsi is still stuck in second place even though their competition “proved” their product tastes better. So did New Coke become the most popular soft drink? No, it was a complete failure. When Coca Cola released “New Coke” 30 years ago, they conducted 200,000 blind taste tests which proved people like the taste of New Coke more than Pepsi, and Pepsi more than Classic Coke. Advil was the first over-the-counter ibuprofen. What are the odds that NONE of those other beers taste better than Heineken? Yet to this day Heineken is still the leader with over 30% market share. When it became popular, hundreds of other beers started being imported. Heineken was imported to America after WW2. And what was the first imported beer? Also Heineken. What’s the leading imported beer in America? Heineken.And who was the first to sell safety razors? Also Gillette. What’s the leading razor company? Gillette.And what was the first college in America? Also Harvard. What’s the leading college in America? Harvard.The leader in any category is usually the one who “got there first”: This isn’t something they made up, it’s a law they have observed from studying hundreds of companies. They say if you want to be the leader in a product category, then you don’t need to have the best product, you just have to be there first. In this book, Al Ries and Jack Trout prove this is a myth. Most businesses believe they can overthrow the leader in their market simply by making a superior product to what is already out there. It’s the myth of the better product.Įveryone, from the smallest local cafe owner to the biggest corporate CEO, believes they can win by creating a better product. There’s a myth that almost all business owners believe in. It’s much easier to get into the mind first than to try to convince someone you have a better product than the one that did get there first. It’s the law of leadership: It’s better to be first than it is to be better. The basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in. The leading brand in any category is usually who “got there first” So let’s learn some of the best lessons from this great marketing book, beginning with:ġ.
If you can market yourself, your product or your business more effectively, then you’ll make more revenue. Whatever you want to do, marketing will be critical. Maybe you have dreams of launching a startup or e-commerce store. Maybe you want to market yourself as a coach, consultant, writer or freelancer. And in this modern digital world, how can your message rise above the noise? This book shows how. Online, on the radio, beside the highway.
It’s no secret our world is more noisy than ever before.
This includes the idea of positioning, which means occupying a clear space in the mind of your customers. Many of their ideas are now taught in business schools around the world. In this classic book The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, they share the best wisdom they’ve gained from their decades of experience advising companies like AT&T, Apple, Pfizer, Papa John’s and more. Al Ries and Jack Trout have been leading marketing experts for over 30 years.