Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition

  Author:    Al Ries, Jack Trout
  ISBN:    0071359168
  Sales Rank:    7713
  Published:    2000-12-28
  Publisher:    McGraw-Hill
  # Pages:    246
  Binding:    Hardcover
  Avg. Rating:    5.0 based on 75 reviews
  Used Offers:    17 from $13.84
  Amazon Price:    $16.47
  (Data above last updated:  2008-09-01 04:14:39 EST)
  
  
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Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition
  
“Ries and Trout taught me everything I know about branding, marketing, and product management. When I had the idea of creating a very large thematic community on the Web, I first thought of Positioning....”—David Bohnett, Chairman and Founder of GeoCities

A handsome edition of the original 1981 text, this 20th Anniversary Edition makes available to business and marketing professionals—including tens of thousands of Ries and Trout groupies, worldwide—the work that forever changed the way marketing strategy is done. This new edition features commentary from the authors that offers fresh insight into why “positioning” a product in a prospective customer’s mind is still the most important strategy in business, and includes numerous examples of campaigns that followed, or didn’t follow, Ries and Trout’s thinking.

                  Reader Reviews 1 - 20 of 20                 
  
  
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08-26-08 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Great book - fun read
Reviewer Permalink
This was a quick read because it was so interesting. I loved the examples - really made the principles come to life.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 04:16:26 EST)
06-14-08 4 1\1
(Hide Review...)  Great book
Reviewer Permalink
Nutshell review - an excellent insight into marketing and advertising problems facing all business managers. Well written, fast to read, interesting and entertaining.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-27 03:58:38 EST)
05-09-08 4 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  A real American example of Positioning point by point
Reviewer Permalink
If you need an approach to Positioning with U.S. product examples this is your book
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-15 03:26:31 EST)
03-06-08 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  A must-read
Reviewer Permalink
This book is a must-read for anyone trying to understand strategy, marketing and also how to write compelling books. It is dense, intelligent and very well written. The 20th anniversary edition has the bonus fact that the authors comment and evaluate their own thesis made 20 years ago. Very few books and thesis would survive this test as this one did.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-20 03:39:31 EST)
10-05-07 1 0\7
(Hide Review...)  Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition (Purchased on 09/04/2007)
Reviewer Permalink
I still haven't received my purchase, so reviewing it will be a tad bit difficult...
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-06 11:05:43 EST)
09-21-07 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Got inspired!
Reviewer Permalink
I've got inspired from the basics in positioning. It delivers good examples of many American companies' positioing. I got inspired so that I can get my paper done very soon.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-14 10:00:31 EST)
09-13-07 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  The best book ever on marketing/advertising/brand management
Reviewer Permalink
I make every new employee read Positioning no matter what their job description because it is really a book about the "battle for the consumer's mind", and that battle is waged in every department of every organization.
Positioning is the rule book for marketing success and the great thing is all the examples. Yes they are somewhat dated, but they make the rules easy to understand.
This is the book nobody at Ford read before they redisigned the Taurus from number 1 in sales to a hole in the ground.
If you work in brand management or advertising you must read this book. It should be stashed in a "break-glass-get-book" thing at every exit of every ad agency.
If you are studying marketing at college, you should memorize every word in the book and major in something else, and come out with the equivalent of a double major.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-14 10:00:31 EST)
05-13-07 5 1\1
(Hide Review...)  The importance of perception
Reviewer Permalink
If there's one thing that makes Positioning a classic and something that should be on the reading list of any marketer is the fact that it highlights what is the core of any marketing- perception is reality. It doesn't matter how good your product `really' is, or how hard you try, what matters is how your target perceives you vs competition. That basic truth, and how you could occupy the most desired position in the target's mind is the crux of this book. Perhaps some of the examples could get updated, but bottom line, this is the definitive book to read for any aspiring marketer.

- Mainak Dhar, author, Brand Management 101: 101 Lessons from Real-World Marketing
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-14 10:00:31 EST)
03-30-07 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Excellent Book
Reviewer Permalink
I first read this book back in 1991 when I was taking Advertising in college and it was excellent then. Now, that I head up AUDIN Web Design, I find it very informative as well as absolutely necessary to keep on my bookshelf. It is interesting to see all the things that they predicted back then come true to today. I suggest you read all (if not, most) of their books if you are interested in marketing. If you are in business, especially start-up, then this book is must have. Finally, this book is very informative, because it shows how to focus your business and not fall into pitfalls.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-14 10:00:31 EST)
03-30-07 2 2\3
(Hide Review...)  outdated
Reviewer Permalink
Positioning makes a few basic points that are helpful for someone who is not familiar with marketing basics. However, the examples are so outdated that some now disprove the authors' arguments. The more detailed chapters make less sense in an electronic culture. This book is really only useful now for those broad, basic ideas in the first chapters.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-14 10:00:31 EST)
03-29-07 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Excellent Book
Reviewer Permalink
I first read this book back in 1991 when I was taking Advertising in college and it was excellent then. Now, that I head up AUDIN Web Design, I find it very informative as well as absolutely necessary to keep on my bookshelf. It is interesting to see all the things that they predicted back then come true to today. I suggest you read all (if not, most) of their books if you are interested in marketing. If you are in business, especially start-up, then this book is must have. Finally, this book is very informative, because it shows how to focus your business and not fall into pitfalls.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-11 03:35:17 EST)
03-29-07 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Excellent Book
Reviewer Permalink
I first read this book back in 1991 and it was excellent the. Now, that I head up AUDIN Web Design, I find it very informative and useful. I actually carry it around with me wherever I go. It is interesting to see all the things that they predicted back then come true to today. I suggest read all (if not, most) of their books. If you are in business, and kind of business-especially start up, this book is very informative, because it shows how to ficus your business and not fall into pitfalls.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-03-30 10:20:56 EST)
03-13-07 5 1\1
(Hide Review...)  An Entrepeneur's Must Read
Reviewer Permalink
Buying this book is a no-brainer. If you are an entrepreneur (without a marketing background), as I am, this book will completely change how you position your company, craft your sales message, develop website content, and explain what you do.

If you are developing a new product or service it is often hard to communicate the value of your offering: you get so caught up in features that you have a hard time explaining the benefits. Customers could care less about features, the want to know "what will it do for me?" This book sets you down the right path.

Simply put, it is THE most important business book I have ever read. If I could only choose one more business book to read for the rest of my life, I would read this one again.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-03-30 10:20:56 EST)
01-12-07 5 1\2
(Hide Review...)  Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
Reviewer Permalink
Just as with the authors' other books, this is an excellent source of marketing information for the novice as well as the experienced business person.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-03-14 23:28:52 EST)
01-02-07 5 0\1
(Hide Review...)  critical marketing book
Reviewer Permalink
This book is a must read for anyone working in an ad agency or a marketing discipline. The fundamental point of the book, positioning is not about the product vs. the competition. Is is what the customers think about the product vs. what they think about the competition.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-01-14 10:07:15 EST)
09-13-06 5 1\1
(Hide Review...)  One of the Best Marketing Books read.
Reviewer Permalink
This is an excellent book for marketers to read. I'd even "position" this book as one of the best marketing books out there. Today, when there is so much "fluff" out there and things being repeated and re-sold in books, you come to realize how much you appreciate a fresh thought. This book gives you exactly that.

The book is about learning how to position your business, your strategy as well as your self. If companies do not state their position they leave this important decision to consumers to make which can be a disaster.

Each chapter in the book talks about a different marketing strategy and surprisingly it does not only stress on the great achievements of other companies (something that most marketing books like to do with lack of point). Al Reis and Jack Trout do a great job concentrating on naming a business (crucial step). Do you want to name your business with your initials? Read the book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-01-02 13:09:04 EST)
08-23-06 4 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  A great book for learning more about positioning on the American markets
Reviewer Permalink
It is a great book for learning the basics in positioning. It primarily focus on American companies and I would have prefered more examples from Europe, that is why I only give it 4 stars.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-29 07:16:25 EST)
08-20-06 5 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Great insights
Reviewer Permalink
The book is a real classic, giving great insights into what works in marketing and more importantly what does not work and why it doesn't work.

The book is an updated version so most of the examples are very dated. It is a little amusing to read about companies that are no longer in existance (Pan Am) and products and ads that ran 10 years ago. However the specific examples are not the important part of this book. The principles are what matters and the authors do a great job of identifying those.

It is a very interesting to read about the mistakes of large multi-national companies that should know better. There is also an interesting chapter on the Catholic church and their reluctance to properly position the church. Unfortunately, like with most big organizations, they refuse to see the obvious. And in positioning the obvious is what is so important but so difficult to see.

The book is well written, easy to read and has a lot of very useful information. You would do well to read it every six months to keep the ideas fresh in your mind.

One of the best chapters is positioning yourself. Some very solid advice that will help anyone in their career or life.

Well worth reading even though the examples are very dated.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-24 07:05:21 EST)
07-25-06 4 (NA)
(Hide Review...)  Positioning: Battle for your mind
Reviewer Permalink
As an MBA student I found this book to be of great help with respect to appreciating the power of marketing from a practical approach. In the book the authors have boiled off the theory and presented a hardened approach to the science of positioning. I also found the Chapter on positioning your career very useful. This book was recommended by my MBA Marketing Management lecturer at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Zameer Mohammmed.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-20 07:00:16 EST)
07-24-06 5 1\1
(Hide Review...)  Great help when you run your own business
Reviewer Permalink
I have my own company, and I wished I have read this book before I started my company. In the book you'll learn how to choose a name, how to select a target-market, and how to defend yourself again other (and larger) companies.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-08-20 07:00:16 EST)
  
                  Reader Reviews 1 - 20 of 20                 
  
  
  
  
  
  

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