Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind Paperback – December 13, 2000

This book is the "father of positioning" Trout's famous work, the first in the history of the United States, the best business classics, the US CEO is most afraid of being read by competitors in the business book, talking about positioning theory and operation methods And with a wealth of practical case analysis, to guide entrepreneurs to successful corporate positioning, to achieve commercial success.Positioning, not only to find a keyword for the product, to compose a slogan, but also to occupy a unique position in the mind of the prospective customer. This book uses a number of corporate cases, illustrating a company name at the beginning, a simple slogan, may be able to lay the foundation for the success of the product and the company. In short, positioning is not simply advertised, and the depth of the doorway is difficult to distinguish and is crucial. Why do you need to locate?First of all, we are in the era of information explosion: the media channels are rich but the information is asymmetrical, the information is inflated, and the information of products and enterprises is easily submerged in the vast amount of information. Secondly, the first cause effect makes the brain more likely to pay attention to the first. The information of contact, the information defense mechanism makes the brain establish an insurmountable barrier in the first information and the non-first information, and the brain with limited information processing capability is trapped in the chaos of mass information manufacturing. Information is cumbersome and human brain limits make positioning so important. How to position it? Industry leaders have an inherent advantage in positioning. The first cause effect allows consumers to see only the leader of the first place. The position that leaders want to occupy the brains of consumers is simple: analyze market and consumer vacancies, fight for time to fill vacancies, and use value advantages and brand advantages to intercept opponents. However, the leader should be wary of: Do not blindly expand, do not casually expand the product. Once the position of goods and brands is formed in the minds of consumers, it is difficult to be changed. If the trade rushes, it is easy to shake the original positioning, so that consumers can confuse the original positioning and new positioning, the original positioning is broken, and the new positioning is not clear. Consumers are likely to switch to other brands. The author suggests that if you want to expand your product, you must establish a new position with a new name, separate from the original product, and attract new customers.Share the classic arguments in the book with you:1. The best way to deal with an over-extended society is to simplify the information as much as possible.2. The main factor in establishing leadership is to get ahead of people's minds.3. The biggest mistake the company makes is trying to satisfy everyone's needs, that is, everyone's satisfaction trap.4. If someone forces you to drink a cup of H2O, your reaction may not be good, but if someone invites you to drink a glass of water, you may feel good. That's right, the difference between the two is not in the mouth, but in the mind.5. If you want to make a new product successful, you should set a new ladder for it. New ladder, new name. It's that simple.6. Complexity is the enemy of positioning, simple is the true meaning of positioning

This is a classic in the marketing field. The authors define positioning as "a new approach to communication...But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect."The book then goes on to present the concept of positioning, and the associated challenges and opportunities. What sets this book apart is the plethora of examples that are provided from a variety of industries (both services and products) that illustrate both how position can and should be used, and how it shouldn't be.Finally the authors extend the concept of positioning and show how it can be applied to one's self and career. In addition how one can start a positioning program for a business.A very insightful and educational book - a must read in the business arena and particularly the marketing field.Below are some key excerpts from this book:1) "Positioning is an organized system for finding a window in the mind. It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstance."2) "Leaders should use their short-term flexibility to assure themselves of a stable long-term future. As a matter of fact, the marketing leader is usually the one who moves the ladder into the mind with his or her brand nailed to the one and only rung."3) "This is the classic mistake made by the leader. The illusion that the power of the product is derived from the power of the organization. It's just the reverse. The power of the organization is derived from the power of the product, the position that the product owns in the prospect's mind."4) "But today in the product arena and in the political arena, you have to have a position. There are too many competitors out there. You can't win by not making enemies, by being everything to everybody. To win in today's competitive environment, you have to go out and make friends, carve out a specific niche in the market. Even if you lose a few doing so."5) "With a good name your positioning job is going to be a lot easier."6) "A name is a rubber band. It will stretch, but not beyond a certain point. Furthermore, the more you stretch a name, the weaker it becomes."7) "The lesson here is that a succesfull positioning program requires a major long-term commitment by the people in charge."8) "The solution to a positioning problem is usually found in the prospect's mind, not in the product."9) "Positioning yourself and your career...Define yourself...Make mistakes...Make sure your name is right...Avoid the no-name trap...Avoid the line-extension trap...Find a horse to ride...The first horse to ride is your company...The second horse to ride is your boss...The third horse to ride is a friend...The fourth horse to ride is an idea...The fifth horse to ride is faith...The sixth horse to ride is yourself."10) "Positioning your business...What position do you own?...What position do you want to own?...Whom must you outgun?...Do you have enough money?...Can you stick it out?...Do you match your position?...The role of the outsider...What the outsider doesn't supply."11) "Playing the positioning game...You must understand the roles of words...You must know how words affect people...You must be careful of change...You need vision...You need courage...You need objectivity...You need simplicity...You need subtlety...You must be willing to sacrifice...You need a global outlook...What you don't need."