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Summary: Common Sense is What Marketing is All About
Review: This book is very simple and easy to read and very clearly lists 22 laws which have made many brands successful in this past century. This is not text-book marketing , it is observational marketing which is really the essence of our profession. Marketing will never be a science; because we deal with a variable that is totally unpredicatable, completely insatiable and everchanging - I am talking of the human mind. Marketing is also not an Art. Marketing is a discipline of observation and execution that requires a mixture of a solid scientific and a dreamy artistic mind.
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Summary: The branding book is better...
Review: I purchased the 22 immutable laws of branding first and rate it five stars. This book seems to be 90% the same as the branding book and does not really offer any additional insight.I recommend purchasing the branding book first...
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Summary: This Kind of Thinking is What Marketing is All About
Review: Concisely What Trout and Ries are telling us is how to look at the market in a very commonsensical way. Forget the 4 P's you won't find them here. Forget VALS and SWOT, This is not a Traditional Marketing Text. Basically, The way of thinking and the philosophy behind the 22 (mutable) laws is what one will gain from this book... and that is a helluva lot.
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Summary: It's marketing in simple terms, using great examples
Review: I'm new to the world of marketing, and this book is so easy and enjoyable to read -- and so insightful! I can't wait to discuss it with my coworkers.
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Summary: The Most concise book Ever written on Marketing Fundamentals
Review: I found this book the best ever written on marketing ground rules. It's the absolute marketing bible for everyone to read and a straight read from start to finish. I would Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning to improve and test their marketing skills.
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Summary: more than just marketing...
Review: If you just see this book as a markeing guideline, it is probably not worth buying, but... ... it cites the critical points and makes you thinking. You can even transfer these rules to finance, the stock market,your life. The best chapter is the last one.
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Summary: A light and breezy paperback that goes right to the point.
Review: This is a fun, easy-to-read and thought-provoking book on Marketing for the ordinary person. Who wants stuffy theorys when there are so many wonderful real-world examples? You probably already know most, if not all of the cited case studies, so you can nod your head and say, "yep, that's right--that's exactly what happened." I've already given away over a dozen copies to friends, customers and colleagues.
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Summary: To get more of this book, you should their earlier works...
Review: Trout and Ries are two of the most far-thinking individuals extant in the world of marketing. However, to get the most out of their later works (and, as well as this book, I highly recommend "The 22 Immutable Laws of BRANDING" by Ries and his wife), it is best to read them in the sequence in which they were written. If you don't understand "positioning" you may very well not follow the analytical process which continues with these "sequels", as evidenced by some of the negative comments from readers. First, one has to differentiate the process of "marketing" by which is meant the bringing to market, or distribution, of a product or service, and "marketing" by which is meant promotion and advertising. Microsoft and USA Today are not successful because of their advertising or promotions, but because of the manner in which their products are distributed. What these books deal with is how companies promote themselves, not distribution channels which which create an advantage in a given industry. The books deal with the establishment of an identity, a position, which will be good for years to come, not with campaigns which may increase sales in a given quarter. Why these books are so important is because, if one doesn't understand the basic concept of positioning, and the rules which logically follow it, one could easily create campaigns (or develop products to be promoted under a brand name)which actually harm or destroy the company's position in the mind of the consumer. Books by Trout and Ries should not only be required reading for those in promotion/advertising, but for all executives.
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Summary: Ries and Trout need to update this book.
Review: It is filled with out-of-date stories and predictions: USA Today will flop; The Commodore Amiga computer is a giant success; Hayes Modems were first and so are the leading brand; No one predicted the fall of Communism (Oh what about National Review and Bill Buckley); And most ridiculous of all -- Microsoft's strategy to beat Lotus, Word Perfect and Harvard Graphics will likely fail because it is brand extension."Brand extension" is the Ries and Trout's anathema. Every corporate marketing failure in their view comes from extending the brand name.It seems to me that Ries and Trout are right. They have overextended the "Ries and Trout" brand name by tacking it on to this "borrow-your-watch-to-tell-you-what-time-it-is" collection of contradictory war stories.
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Summary: Worht its weight in gold.
Review: This is the clerarest piece of material on the subject I've ever read/heard. Even if you're not in marketing, this tape will help you look at how you "market yourself" with your employer or future employers, and create a marketing plan that works. It gave me insights into what drives me to select one product over another, as well as how to think in marketing terms when considering any new business idea. It quickly made sense of all the seemingly random things that happened in my business efforts. 22 clear, concise messages read out by real people (the authors) who know their stuff. Entertaining as well as educational. If you're in marketing, you need to hear it.
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