The Origin of Brands

What matters is not what’s on the market. What matters is what’s in the mind.

Forget hindsight. This book was written to improve your foresight. To show you that you don’t need to be a visionary to predict the future.

wasn’t ABC, CBS, or NBC that started ESPN, the first cable-television sports network. It was Scott Rasmussen and his father, Bill Rasmussen, who launched ESPN with a $9,000 cash advance on a credit card.

nature, changes in the environment create the conditions that cause species to diverge. In business, changes in technology and in the cultural environment create the conditions that cause categories to diverge.

stead of building expensive campuses, the University of Phoenix leases relatively inexpensive office space for its classrooms.
Often, a manager is the victim of his or her own expertise. A common reaction to an idea like the one used by the University of Phoenix is “That’s not the way it’s done in our industry.”
“That’s not the way it’s done” is usually a good indication that an idea has merit. Don’t ask, does the idea make sense? Ask whether the idea is the opposite of the leader’s strategy

No Use Crying over Spilled Milk
Once the opportunity to create a category has passed you by, you might as well forget about it and look for other opportunities

oca-Cola missed the caffeinated, carbonated citrus category (pioneered by Mountain Dew), so they tried to get into the game with Mello Yello. That didn’t work, so they tried Surge, which didn’t work either.
Coca-Cola missed the spicy cola category (pioneered by Dr Pepper), so they tried to get into the game with Mr. Pibb. That didn’t work either

Breakthrough products capture the public’s imagination, but they play only a minor role in branding. More money can be made more easily and more quickly with mundane products that are effectively marketed

Two Brands Cannot Occupy the Same Position
In the struggle for life, no two species (or two brands) can occupy the same position. If they try to do so, one species (or one brand) will drive the other to extinction

In other words, the best way to build a brand is not by going after an existing category, but by creating a new category you can be first in