This marketing classic has been expanded to include new commentary, new illustrations, and a bonus book: "The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Bra... read full description
reviews
Sep 01, 2011
Joseph
rated it: 
I read this book because another business author I like recommended it and because I am currently writing a class on marketing and wanted to use it for research.
I hated it.
I want to be careful here. When writing a review for a book I don't like I want to keep in mind that I am talking about something that people created. I do NOT want to write anything that I would not say to the authors' faces if they were standing right in front of me. This is difficult in a way because More...
I hated it.
I want to be careful here. When writing a review for a book I don't like I want to keep in mind that I am talking about something that people created. I do NOT want to write anything that I would not say to the authors' faces if they were standing right in front of me. This is difficult in a way because More...
Dec 11, 2009
Luke
rated it: 
Tim Ferriss listed this in his top 5 favorite books, so I picked it up. The core of the 22 laws is Identity.
The authors argue that too many businesses believe they will win simply by having the best product, which isn't true. The winner is the product that captures the mind of its target customers.
When a product is first to market, the first of its category, it usually establishes a foothold that no other company can wrest away. So create your own category, and be firs More...
The authors argue that too many businesses believe they will win simply by having the best product, which isn't true. The winner is the product that captures the mind of its target customers.
When a product is first to market, the first of its category, it usually establishes a foothold that no other company can wrest away. So create your own category, and be firs More...
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Nov 08, 2011
Mónica
rated it: 
Este es otro de los libros que tenía más de 10 meses en mi librero y que no había leído. Hace dos semanas mi jefe me lo pidió prestado. (Aclaro que el es el dueño del libro) Pues antes de regresarlo decidí leerlo.
Es de fácil lectura, tiene muchos ejemplos de marcas reconocidas. De los éxitos y fracasos. Y aquello que los provocó. El libro que salió a la venta en 1993 y los casos que ejemplifica son de productos y del mercado de aquella época, sin embargo aterrizando a situaciones a More...
Es de fácil lectura, tiene muchos ejemplos de marcas reconocidas. De los éxitos y fracasos. Y aquello que los provocó. El libro que salió a la venta en 1993 y los casos que ejemplifica son de productos y del mercado de aquella época, sin embargo aterrizando a situaciones a More...
Apr 24, 2011
Bill
rated it: 
This quick read provides a nice introduction to some marketing concepts for someone totally new to this area. Having not read a marketing book before, I was able to pick up some of the main concepts marketers use to position products, yet this book appears to eschew some traditional perspectives in favor of a more contrarian view. For example, the authors strongly oppose line extension, that is, taking Coca-Cola (a wildly successful product), and turning into New Coke, Diet Coke, Crystal Coke,
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Feb 28, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
It's fun reading in the sense that People magazine can be fun reading. If you're wondering how companies view their brands, it gives a good overview in an easily digestible style. Some of the conclusions can range from eye-rolling to simply laugh-out-loud in the sense that if all you have is a branding hammer, then everything looks like a branding nail. Similarly, some of the predictions in here were proven to be totally off, but that's the nature of predictions in general. I guess it'd be more
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Aug 03, 2011
I am very skeptical about calling these concepts "laws" rather than "ideas that are important to consider but are far from immutable". For instance, saying that Bud Light is not a brand, and that it weakens the Bud brand...without looking at the potential loss of market share if they didn't have a dog in a competitive new race. They would probably say that Apple's iPod and iTunes were bad ideas. They don't seem to consider aspects of business *other* than branding. And the in
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Oct 23, 2010
Nicholas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 02, 2009
Robert
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Some of the content in this book is rather dated now and this in many ways detracts from the overall message. In many cases you would have to appreciate the companies and situations that the authors are speaking about when they provide illustrations of point. Unfortunately, in many cases the world and the businesses of which they speaks have moved on.
That aside, the book does provide many insights into the 'laws of marketing' that are still very valid today. This is certainly a book More...
That aside, the book does provide many insights into the 'laws of marketing' that are still very valid today. This is certainly a book More...
Jan 25, 2009
Viraj
rated it:
For the summary, please email / PM me.
1: The Law of Leadership: It’s better to be first than it is to be better.
2: The law of category: If you can’t be first in a category, setup a new category you can be first in.
3: The law of the mind: It’s better to be first in the mind than to be first in the market place
4: The law of perception: Marketing is not a battle of products; it’s a battle of perceptions.
5: The law of focus: The most powerful concept in market More...
1: The Law of Leadership: It’s better to be first than it is to be better.
2: The law of category: If you can’t be first in a category, setup a new category you can be first in.
3: The law of the mind: It’s better to be first in the mind than to be first in the market place
4: The law of perception: Marketing is not a battle of products; it’s a battle of perceptions.
5: The law of focus: The most powerful concept in market More...
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May 30, 2011
Zain
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This book made me want to get the laws into practice straight away. Some of the laws are in danger of being redundant as the authors word them differently but with very similar content to drive home their point. But a lot of what they state made sense, especially the Laws of Sacrifice and Line Extension - to milk greater profits you must focus on a single product that is your specialty rather than delve into everything that will negatively affect your market share and make you lose money in the
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Aug 09, 2011
Fascinating read about branding. Great real world examples and laws that are not necessarily obvious. Not sure you could call all of these laws immutable.
Wish there was an update since some of the internet examples are suspect - re: Yahoo being the number 1 search engine. Would love to know if they still hold to the Law of Divergence now that the Blackberry and iPhone have been so successful.
Wish there was an update since some of the internet examples are suspect - re: Yahoo being the number 1 search engine. Would love to know if they still hold to the Law of Divergence now that the Blackberry and iPhone have been so successful.
Sep 16, 2010
Men D.
rated it:
Stupid, simplistic, contradictory, dated. "Motorola made a big mistake thinking people would one day make phone calls by video. Who wants to look at somebody while talking to them???" I bought this after the Old Spice guy viral videos took off - I was impressed by the marketing minds behind that one. If you're looking for marketing minds, or really minds of any kind, I recommend you look elsewhere.
Sep 02, 2010
Cristián
rated it: 
Branding part is timeless, it gives sound advice that seems applicable 12 years after written.
Regarding the Internet branding part, the authors not only do an analysis, but also try to do some projections about how the internet will behave in "the future". Trying to predict how something as dynamic as the internet will behave is just too bold, didn´t enjoy this part too much. Felt pretty stale.
Regarding the Internet branding part, the authors not only do an analysis, but also try to do some projections about how the internet will behave in "the future". Trying to predict how something as dynamic as the internet will behave is just too bold, didn´t enjoy this part too much. Felt pretty stale.
Jul 27, 2011
Richard N.
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I am being unfair in giving it only 3*'s as much of the examples were out of date and completely contradictory now... but you know what? Quite a bit of the overall themes still work. Probably ahead of its time then and still useful today... if not entirely easier to find in a single blog post now-a-days though. :) Look it up and get some good hints on revving up your marketing plan.
Nov 03, 2007
Lou
rated it:
This is my very first marketing book. I am a graphic designer & from an artistic &/or plain old 'reading' perspective I would have never picked up such a book - but it was recommended to me by the management. Upon reading 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing' I did find my mind spinning about - thinking of the concepts - opening up inside. I found the book to be a bit smutty & 'right there'. Many of the chapters seemed to loop around & repeat each other conceptually [ a bit distracting ]. Sometim
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Feb 04, 2010
Jon
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If there's any book I wish I had written, it is Ries's 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, the bible for marketing. I've read it several times. I've listened to the audio while on my treadmill at least as many times. Once you've read Laws, you've got to read Focus — then read it again. And again.
Jan 29, 2011
Bryan
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I was a little disappointed in this book. It was a quick read and I did learn some concepts that I would like to incorporate into my marketing. While I liked many of the concepts, a few just didn't seem right to me. Because it was written 17 years ago, some of the examples were dated (not the authors fault, but just the reality of reading an older book). This didn't help to solidify the correctness of the principles. For example, it talks about the dominance of Lotus 1-2-3 and how Microsoft
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Sep 06, 2011
Steve
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I loved it because it describes marketing in simple to understand terms with lots of real life examples. The examples are a bit dated as the book was written in 1994. The bottom line is focus and be #1 or #2 in any given market segment. It's a good reminder for all businesses to do one thing really, really well.
Jul 30, 2009
Jason
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Was recommended this from a very reputable source. A VERY quick read, but hardly worth it. Repetitive, vague, and dated. Not sure this title is holding up. Managed to find a few needles in the haystack, but nothing groundbreaking.
Jul 17, 2011
Steve
rated it:
The early version of "Differentiate or Die" this book lays out all 22 "laws" in exampled chapters. The later work looses the clarity 22 principles as presented in this smaller version, so both are needed to fully engage Ries & Trout's ideas.
Jan 17, 2012
Saadia
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It doesn't give any practical advice or steps to successfully mastering these goals but is a good overview of the rules of marketing. I took away at lot of points that could help in business.
Nov 18, 2011
Joshua
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Pros: Good, solid advice on marketing.
Cons: While the principles will hold true forever, the book is about 20 years old and so the examples are quite outdated, although entertainingly and educationally so. The book is also quite short. I would love to read an updated version of the book with modern-day examples and about 5 times the content.
Cons: While the principles will hold true forever, the book is about 20 years old and so the examples are quite outdated, although entertainingly and educationally so. The book is also quite short. I would love to read an updated version of the book with modern-day examples and about 5 times the content.
Jul 18, 2011
Saugat
rated it:
A short and concise way to teach the laws of marketing. It's full of examples though I would beg to differ with the law of line extension as the author was totally against it. Nevertheless, a wonderful book.
Feb 01, 2012
Chris
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Loved it. Concise (a good thing). A little dated in parts only on real world references, the laws are timeless. Going keep this one for a refresher every so often.
Oct 04, 2011
Paul
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A fast read, with plenty of bright ideas. Some are obvious, and thus reinforced, while others are new. A worthwhile read for anyone involved in business.
Dec 24, 2009
Jenna
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I think this is a great book for someone just starting to take interest in marketing. Otherwise you may find you know most or all of the information shared
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Mar 05, 2010
Peyton
rated it:
Not really laws. Self-contradictory opinions mixed with predictions of success and failure of various companies, most of which turned out wrong.
Jun 17, 2009
Patrick
rated it:
Some interesting points, that seem to make sense given the examples provided. Need some time to digest and think about in the context of my company.
Dec 06, 2011
Mindy
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Best marketing book ever! Short, well explained! Definitely recommend it to those who would like to learn more about marketing!
Jan 26, 2011
from chapter 1: most of the times the most famous is the first that entered the market. what is the first college in the states?
