Al Reese and Laura Reese's Laws of Branding

Rule Of Branding Al & Laura Ries

Brand management is an important aspect of business, especially when it comes to creating and launching a successful product or service. It is essential for a company to understand how to create and manage a brand so that it stands out from its competitors. One of the top brand strategists out there is Al & Laura Ries. This married couple has come up with the Rule of Branding, which consists of five simple, but powerful, brand principles.

The first principle is to own a word in the prospect’s mind. This means that a product or service must be known for something, or that it must be associated with a specific word or concept. This is also known as brand positioning, and means that the company should be able to quickly and easily explain what it offers, and why customers should choose it over its competitors.

The second principle is to focus on one point that distinguishes you from your competitors. This means that a company should focus on one thing that it does better than any other company. For example, if a company offers cloud storage solutions, it should focus on the security aspect of its service. This will help set it apart from its competitors and make it easier for potential customers to remember and choose the company’s products or services.

The third principle is to win big. According to the Rieses, companies should strive to be the #1 or #2 in their market. Being the top contender in a given field will create loyalty, because customers have faith in a company that is the leader in its industry. Companies also need to make sure that they constantly strive to stay ahead of the curve, by being the first to offer new and innovative solutions.

The fourth principle is to be consistent. This means that a company should maintain its core values throughout the course of its operations. This means doing the same thing and delivering the same service or product, no matter how the market evolves. By maintaining consistency, customers can trust that the company is doing what it says and delivering what it promised.

The fifth principle is to feed and protect your brand. This means that companies should do what they can to nurture and support their brand. This can be done through advertising and social media campaigns, as well as through customer service. By ensuring that a brand is well known and well respected, companies can facilitate customer loyalty and increase sales.

In conclusion, the five principles set out by Al & Laura Ries have become an industry benchmark for branding and brand management. By understanding and following these principles, companies can create a strong brand, which will be quickly and easily recognizable in the marketplace. With a strong brand, companies can be assured that they can compete in their chosen market and gain a strong foothold in the industry.

The Al and Laura Ries Brand Rule states that when a company is launching a new product, it should be positioned as a brand within the existing brands portfolio. This means that the product should have its own name and identity, while still associating it with the brand that it is part of. This way, the company can benefit from the trust and loyalty that people already feel towards the brand, while still allowing the product to establish a distinct identity in the market.

Al and Laura Ries argue that companies should use what they call the Halo Effect to promote new products. This means that the new product should take the best features of the existing brand and use them to its advantage. For example, if a company has an existing product that is well-known and respected, they can use that product as a halo to promote the launch of their new product. This will help create interest in the new product, since consumers will associate it with the existing brands positive traits.

It is also important for companies to emphasize the differences between the existing brand and the new product. This will help establish the product as a distinct entity in the market, rather than having it simply blend in with the rest of the brands portfolio. Consumers should be able to easily distinguish between the two, and understand the differences in their features and offerings.

Lastly, Al and Laura Ries argue that the new product should be positioned as a solution to a problem. By creating a product that solves a consumers problem, it will be much more likely to have a successful launch and to build a positive brand image. This will help create a sense of loyalty towards the product, since consumers will know that it can help them with a real problem.

Overall, the Al and Laura Ries Brand Rule is an important guideline for companies to follow when launching a new product. By using the Halo Effect, emphasizing the differences between the existing brand and the new product, and positioning the product as a solution to a consumers problem, companies can ensure that their product will receive positive attention and be able to establish a distinct identity in the market.