22 Laws of Marketing Book Report

This is the latest in a series of books by Jack Trout and Al Ries, whose previous titles include Bottom-Up-Marketing, The Fight for Your Mind, and Marketing Warfare. The two writers argue in their new book that a service or product’s marketplace in the eyes of the consumer is everything. They presented a total of twenty-two advertisement laws to demonstrate their main point. Individuals visualize themselves in the outside cosmos, according to their universal philosophy, to cope with the terrifying reality of being alone in the world (Ries and Jack, 2017 p 5). They argue that such people reside within the domain of magazines, newspapers, television, movies, and books. These people also belong to institutions, organizations, and clubs. These external representatives of the universe appear more than the truth within their reasoning. People firmly believe that fact is the mind_x0092_s external environment and that the person is a single small peck on the spaceship of a globe. In actual sense, the opposite is true. The only truth one can believe one_x0092_s viewpoints. If there is a universe, it exists within one_x0092_s thinking and the thinking of others. Most mistakes in marketing are derived from the presumption that one is fighting a commodity battle fixed in reality. The rules in _x0093_22 laws of marketing_x0094_ book are extracted from precisely the opposite viewpoint. However, Trout_x0092_s and Ries belief of a scientific law is relatively patchy, so most of the rules presented are more of speculative statements. For instance, in the law of the category, it is not mentioned anywhere where the law is applicable in largescale business and is not founded on an organized assemblage of evidence. It lacks direction on how to follow this rule and still maintain a sharp image, avoid excessive costs or avoid targeting the wrong customers. Despite these flaws, the law of category has some underlying theoretical argument that is compulsive and can be subjected to further discussion and research.

The rule of the category states that _x0093_If you cannot be first in your category, set up a new category._x0094_ (Ries and Jack, 2017 p 9) This explanation is an illustration of the concept of differentiation. New businesses tend to base their thinking purely on getting a product that surpasses the competition. However most often, being different is far important than being better. Every difference defines the category. And from every class, a person is leading. It implies that a significant market is a mere collection of smaller markets. Tackling a broader market will lead to a loss but addressing a more modest market may lead to success (Ries and Jack, 2017 p 15). For instance, MacOS should not be taken as the second platform for desktop computing. Instead, it should be considered as the leading desktop computer within the category of graphic design. The difference underlines the division in which Apple is leading. Of course, the size is relative to these two categories. Microsoft is a leader within a class that is a lot bigger than the level that is led by Apple. Getting a degree of which Apple is the leader does not guarantee equality. Instead, it merely describes the customers of Macintosh and an essential differentiator to them. According to the authors, a category is formed to ensure that customers know the primary differentiation of the business. However, not all forms of differentiation are equally successful, and some approaches may be preferred to others for a company to attract customers (Masuch, 2012 p 36).

If a business keeps changing messages every moment it advertises to different groups, the market may lack a sharp image (Masuch, 2012 p 45). This fact is so despite Trout_x0092_s and Ries_x0092_ assertion that if a product failed to become the first in the mind of the prospect, the business should not despair but look for another category they can lead. It is recommended that a company explores whether a critical message which will attract groups across boundaries. Differentiated marketing would work better. If differentiation of messages for diverse groups does not sound a good idea, it would be better to include something in the advertisement that is commonly identified about the product or business, so that the niche markets around would acknowledge the industry as one with a higher appeal.

A business can incur excessive costs attempting to create a new category to attract niche markets (Milligan, 2012 p 33). If every advertisement placed is selective it cannot be used again, or if it is only relevant to particular outlets of media, a business can spend too much in creating new categories for every group. Additionally, the market may not qualify for the rates of discount advertising, if it needs to build classes in a wide range of outlets. The benefits of exploiting a particular marked should be weighed against the drawbacks of spreading the advertisement costs to a wide area.

A business might be targeting the wrong customers while creating new categories (Hill, 2017 p 25). Merely because the intended group is defined does not imply that it is the relevant group. Narrowing the focus on a wide range may be missing prospective customers within a class that has not been thought. A business should be ready to change its approach if they find a target group not responding accordingly. It is always recommended to explore target groups that have been disregarded to observe if the perception regarding their buying habits was wrong.

Despite its flaws, the law of the category still holds some value in today_x0092_s competitive market. In the competitive world market, most businesses keep creating new classes to remain relevant. Companies compete to develop particular commodities and services that fulfill the demands of customers through differentiation (Hill, 2017 p 115). Companies can enhance the current products to improve their attractiveness and effectiveness. Fundamentally creating new categories creates better products that trigger economic growth.

The law of the Category by Trout_x0092_s and Ries lacks direction on how to follow this rule and still maintain a sharp image, avoid excessive costs or avoid targeting the wrong customers. It holds relatively weak supporting evidence, and it is more of a speculative statement. For example, there is no illustration to indicate where the law is applicable in largescale business and is not founded on an organized assemblage of evidence. Any company can gain from the 22 immutable laws of marketing. By critically analyzing the law of the category, it is possible to identify a few flaws in the law but also acknowledge the underlying theoretical argument that is compulsive and can be subjected to further discussion and research. More studies and talks about the law may lead to its modification to make more applicable.

Works Cited

Hill, Charles W. L, and G. Tomas M Hult. International Business. New York, NY, Mcgraw-Hill Education, 2017,.

Masuch, Martin. Reason-Oriented Marketing. Hamburg, Diplomica Verlag, 2012,.

Milligan, Shayne. Marketing Strategies. New Delhi, World Technologies, 2012,.

Ries, Al, and Jack Trout. The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing. [Place Of Publication Not Identified], Harpercollins E-Books, 2014,.