The 22 Immutable Laws of marketing is a book about marketing detailing 22 rules which enables the functioning and success of companies. Companies that are successful make use of key marketing strategies outlined in the book to steer their products to success. The book was published by Al Ries and Jack Trout in 1993 and functioned as a guideline for companies to understand how they can make their products successful both locally and internationally. The book makes use of several examples of top brands such as Coca-Cola and how they become top brands and managed to stay at the top. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing can be analyzed by considering its key concepts, synthesizing its body of thought, identifying connections and exceptions, and creating a personal book of marketing using examples.
List of Key Concepts
The book highlights 22 laws of marketing that can be applied to marketing endeavors for almost every business. One of the key concepts laid out in the book is in the first two laws. The first law is the law of leadership which states that being in the market is better than having a better product. An example is that people remember the first man on the moon but no one knows who was the second. Being first provides an advantage of competition. The second law is the law of category which states that if one is not first in a category, then they can set a new category where one can be first. Categories involve the division of a product to identify with a specific niche. This can aid in building the popularity and brand of a product (Rise and Trout, 1993).
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One of the key concepts laid out in the book is that being first to the market is always better. In case one is not first, one can create a category that is supported by a singular word and be the first in the category. Additionally, marketing is a battle of perceptions of a product to the consumer and not a battle of the types of products or services. This shows that companies should strive to change the perception of their product in the market to ensure success. The book further highlights the need to fight the leader by being different and not simply being better. Generally, the book advocates for studying customers, market trends, and finding the one move which works.
Synthesis of the Body of Thought
From the reading of the book, there are various points that are laid out which are understood through a keen analysis. One of the points is that it is better to be first in the market than it is to be better. Once a competitor is first in the market, it is difficult to be better than them because they will carry the perception of the first brand. It is thus always easier to be first than to try to outdo the competition. The book also highlights that not every first in the market is always successful. Some first could be bad ideas or poor implementation of ideas which get easily overtaken by competitors. Additionally, in case one is not first, they can try to be first in a specific category. For instance, IBM was first in computers, Hertz was first in rental cars, while Coca-Cola was first in beverages (Ong, 2017). A close analysis of the book shows the emphasis of being first and a leader in the market.
Useful Connections
Analysis of the laws presented in the book can be used to create connections with the practical world of products and services. One of the connections is that there are no best products and all of it is an illusion. All that exists in the minds of customers are perceptions about their product. Marketing involves manipulation of those perceptions to the extent that one is perceived as leaders in a specific category. This shows that perceptions are more important than a product. Customers put products into categories because of the nature of marketing involved. Once customers have put products in a category, it is difficult to move from a category. A company can choose to dominate its category or try to create another category which it will dominate.
Missing Links and Exceptions
While the book gives information on better marketing, it has missing links and exceptions of marketing because it maintains a close analysis of top performing products. The examples used in the book are taken from a small pool of the biggest companies across the world. It is apparent that some of the examples used in the book only apply to small or medium businesses only. The book was also written in the 1990s before the advent of the internet and social media (Hurley, 2019). The internet has created a wide range of products with several categories and subcategories. The book is pre-internet and most of the advice provided thus applies to most large corporations. However, companies that are top in their product or service category would find the advice provided in the book useful.
The personal little book of Marketing
Based on the book, one can create a little book on marketing. The first strategy to be put down in the little book would be to be first on the market or to become first in people’s minds. If one is first on the market, chances are that they would be the leader on the market. However, if someone entered the market before, it will be difficult to be first on the market. When this is the case, one can focus on becoming first on the minds of the market. This is through establishing its popularity and brand in a specific market niche. For instance, when one mentions electric cars, the first company that comes to mind is Tesla. While Tesla was not the first electric car manufacturer, it established itself as a market leader in people’s minds and perceptions.
Another strategy to be added to the little book of marketing is to avoid competition by coming up with a product category and dominating the category. If one cannot dominate as a leader in a product, one can create a category where they will automatically become first. Doing this helps a product identifies its market niche and changes the perception of customers. The key fact is to win the minds of consumers by establishing product leadership in a general or specific category.
Examples of Applications of Thoughts
One example of the application of the thoughts is in the area of marketing a struggling product or service. With the huge competition present today, there has been an increase in the number of struggling companies. Companies that are struggling to create a name for themselves can establish a brand for itself or create a category for itself. The creation of a category for a product will ensure the success of a product through proper advertising and branding strategies.
In conclusion, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing offers marketing laws that can be used for companies that want to be a leader in a specific marketing niche. Top companies can use the information in the book to maintain their leadership position. Companies that are not at the top can use the information by creating a category of products where they will automatically become the leader. While the book was written several decades ago, most of the information is still relevant in the information age advanced by the internet and social media.
References
Hurley, B. (2019). President's Post - The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Are they still Immutable? Retrieved from https://www.amadc.org/blog/president-s-post-22-immutable-laws-of-marketing-are-they-still-immutable
Ong, S. (2017). The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them At Your Own Risk! — Book Notes. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@skueong/the-22-immutable-laws-of-marketing-violate-them-at-your-own-risk-book-notes-a0bb0e3e2662
Rise, A., & Trout, J. (1993). The 22 immutable laws of marketing. NY: Harper Business .
