--- title: "4 Brand Quotes By Al Ries" description: "4 Brand quotes by Al Ries. Plus more from Al Ries and more Brand sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/al-ries-14351_brand_a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-t_1176255.png" --- > [A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-the-mind-of-the-consumer/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/al-ries-14351_brand_a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-t_1176255.png) > [The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastest-routes-to-failure-is-giving/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/al-ries-14351_brand_the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastes_1663940.png) > [Only brand names register in the mind... What you should generally do is take a regular word and use it out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/only-brand-names-register-in-the-mind-what-you-should-generally-do-is/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/al-ries-14351_attributes_only-brand-names-register-in-the-mind-wh_1903415.png) > [THE LAW OF THE CONTRACTION: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-law-of-the-contraction-a-brand-becomes-stronger-when-you-narrow/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/al-ries-14351_brand_the-law-of-the-contraction-a-brand-becom_2721245.png) ## Other authors on Brand ## More by Al Ries > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [It normally takes decades to build a brand... It's the forgetting of the old truth that allows a person to accept a new truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/it-normally-takes-decades-to-build-a-brand-it-s-the-forgetting-of-the/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company's ultimate objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/marketing-is-what-a-company-is-in-business-to-do-marketing-is-a/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-next-generation-product-almost-never-comes-from-the-previous/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Your brand's power lies in dominance. It is better to have 50% of one market, instead of 10% of five markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/your-brand-s-power-lies-in-dominance-it-is-better-to-have-50-of-one/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [What's your brand? If you can't answer that question about your own brand in two or three words, your brand's in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/what-s-your-brand-if-you-can-t-answer-that-question-about-your-own/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Changing the direction of a large company is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier. It takes a mile before anything happens. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/changing-the-direction-of-a-large-company-is-like-trying-to-turn-an/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [A branding program should be designed to differentiate your cow from all the other cattle on the range. Even if all the cattle on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-branding-program-should-be-designed-to-differentiate-your-cow-from/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [When a really new product comes along, it's almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/when-a-really-new-product-comes-along-it-s-almost-always-a-mistake-to/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [“What’s called luck is usually an outgrowth of successful communication.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/what-s-called-luck-is-usually-an-outgrowth-of-successful-communication/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [“Mind-changing is the road to advertising disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/mind-changing-is-the-road-to-advertising-disaster/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [A successful branding program is based on the concept of singularity. It creates in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-successful-branding-program-is-based-on-the-concept-of-singularity/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [To get into the consumer's mind, you have to sacrifice. You have to reduce the essence of your brand to a single thought or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/to-get-into-the-consumer-s-mind-you-have-to-sacrifice-you-have-to/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [Customers want brands that are narrow in scope and distinguishable by a single word, the shorter the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/customers-want-brands-that-are-narrow-in-scope-and-distinguishable-by/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [“The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. In general, the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-mind-as-a-defense-against-the-volume-of-today-s-communications/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brand/al-ries/#itemlist", "name": "4 Brand Quotes By Al Ries", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Ries" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-the-mind-of-the-consumer/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/al-ries-14351_brand_a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-t_1176255.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/al-ries-14351_brand_a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-t_1176255.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d98/al-ries-14351_brand_a-brand-should-strive-to-own-a-word-in-t_1176255.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.” — Al Ries", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Ries" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastest-routes-to-failure-is-giving/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/al-ries-14351_brand_the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastes_1663940.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/al-ries-14351_brand_the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastes_1663940.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/al-ries-14351_brand_the-law-of-the-generic-one-of-the-fastes_1663940.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Law of the Generic: One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.” — Al Ries", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only brand names register in the mind... 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