Al Ries, Jack Trout "Marketing Wars": content, reviews
It is believed that building your own businessit is impossible without proper motivation. At the same time, her role is often played not only by the notorious dream of getting rich or asserting itself, but also concrete examples of successful people. It is these citizens who describe the book "Marketing Wars", which for more than 20 years has not lost its popularity among business representatives. What is so special about this edition? What is it about? And what do readers think about it?
General information about the book
A book with an excellent speaking title for the first timewas written in 1986, was published under the authorship of Al Rice and Jack Trout (you can see it in the photo below). It is noteworthy that both writers were real marketers who succeeded in their business.
For the basis of his future best-selling authorstook the theory, which was once expressed in his scientific works "On the War" Prussian officer and military writer Karl von Clausewitz. According to this theory, in his work "Marketing Wars" writers conducted an analogy between real fighting and imaginary financial competitions among large corporations. In their opinion, this connection is obvious, and the author of the theory they call the greatest marketing strategist in history.
What is the main purpose of the book?
The purpose of writing "Marketing Wars", includingindicating the reasons, the authors describe in detail in the preface. In it, they talk about the willingness of large corporations to fight for leadership, not disdaining even the dirtiest methods of struggle.
According to them, the book "Marketing Wars" is a kind of a tool for large and small entrepreneurs who want to build their own business, are not afraid of competition and simply "want to survive."
The publication provides specific examples of doing business with all the ensuing consequences.
E. Rice and D. Trout "Marketing Wars": a summary
The sensational edition deals with modern marketing. And readers are invited to look at the struggle between corporations from a completely different angle.
The book talks about the very essence of marketing,which, according to the authors, boils down not to customer service, but to the use of various tricks and tricks that help to circumvent and overtake competitors' companies. And marketing in this case is presented as carrying out of certain military operations between representatives of large business for territory in which role the whole client audience acts.
What marketing strategies do the authors offer?
In addition to useful advice, E. Rice and D. Trout ("Marketing Wars" - one of the most famous publications of the authors) talk about existing marketing strategies. According to their assumption, they come in the following types:
- offensive;
- defensive;
- partisan;
- flanking.
Based on the above-mentioned book on marketing,an offensive strategy is to find talented generals for two or more large competing companies. At the same time, the main tasks of the found commander are the search and skillful use of the enemy's weak side.
Defensive tactics suggest a gamea major marketing leader. It is noteworthy that the strategy is based on the attack of the opponent (the competing company) not chosen, but of himself. In addition, according to such tactics, a strong corporation should see and warn the competitor's attack in a timely manner and do everything to make it fail miserably.
Guerrilla and flank tactics
About guerrilla tactics Jack Trout and his co-authorwrite the following: almost all players in a marketing war are required to conduct covert activities. The fact is that many companies that are very far away from leaders in a serious financial race will be able to count on success only if they do not openly fight. In the opinion of the authors, they will greatly succeed, leading a guerrilla war.
Flank tactics, it turned out, directlydepends on the successfully selected moment. And it is necessary not only to determine it, but also to make its corrections to it. In other words, if in the analysis of a segment market one company has gaps, they must be filled with its competitor's corporations. And of course, here, as in a real war, everything depends on the factor of surprise.
What major companies are mentioned in the book?
As the main players Al Rice and D. Trout mentions the leaders of carbonated soft drinks, fast food, beer production and sales, IT technologies and many others. For example, in the work of the authors it is a real war between such titans as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The competition of these two companies is so great that it entails a century-long confrontation.
In the book about "Marketing Wars" these brandsFirst, they compare, and then describe the methods of their struggle with each other. So, according to the authors, the taste qualities of both drinks are approximately the same. But Coca-Cola keeps its composition only in secret, and Pepsi, on the contrary, writes on each label. But that's not the point.
Both firms prefer to fight on the advertisingfield, using for this media, bigboards, signs and other attributes. And their fight, as Jack Trout argues, is very serious. There is only one participant in the war to shoot the video, partially ridiculing the competitor, as the second creates his video in response.
Well, then both leaders start to compete,creating a new bottle, working on improving the formula, as well as coming up with a variety of promotions with a lot of prizes and win-win lotteries.
It is interesting that the offensive struggle is led by Pepsi. Coca-Cola most often ignores such attacks, choosing a wait-and-see attitude. But if the company answers, it does it in a big way.
Confrontation between the leaders of fast food
Another vivid example of military action, mentioned in the book "Marketing Wars", is the long-standing confrontation of fast food restaurants McDonald's and Burger King.
In this case, competitions between organizations alsoare due to advertising. For example, there is a case where the restaurant Burger King has placed its banner near the entrance to McDonald's. And on it was a big hamburger with the inscription "Feel the taste, not the aftertaste" and there was a pointer to the restaurant Burger King. Thus, the company managed to ridicule the competitor and attract the attention of customers.
Somewhere in the 80s, marketing wars betweenleaders reached their climax. At this time, Burger King made a real blow under the breath of his eternal rival, taking off the frankly provocative movie. In it, the young actress Sarah Michelle Gellar ate a burger and said that Burger King products had 20% more meat than McDonald's.
In response to such a daring move, representatives of the competitor sued not only the company itself, but also the actress, as well as an advertising agency that developed the script for the video.
The war between Apple and Samsung
Given the examples from the book on marketing, you can notnot to mention and such big players of IT-technologies, as Samsung and Apple. Both companies chose flank tactics. For example, after the release of the iPhone 4, Apple began to get a lot of indignation and criticism about the interruption of communications.
Having learned about this failure of the eternal rival,Samsung immediately created a whole line of Galaxy S. At the same time she sent the novelty free of charge to the most famous English bloggers, who, in fact, wrote about the shortcomings of Apple.
Simultaneously, Samsung launched an advertisingsupport Galaxy S, using the letters LL instead of the letters in the word Hello. Thus, the company promoted its products and mockingly countered the firm-competitor.
The struggle between car leaders
The publication "Marketing Wars" also tells about automobile giants, who often compete among themselves. A vivid example of this is the confrontation between Audi, Porshe and Nissan.
As a weapon, these producers, likeprevious competitors, use advertising. For example, the most successful is the marketing move of Nissan, which, as a strategy, chose an alternative comparison with its competitors. To this end, she drove through the cities of England cars Audi and Porshe, accompanied by their inscriptions: "More expensive, slower and not as powerful as the Nissan 370Z" and "I want to be as fast as the Nissan 370Z".
What was the response to this advertisinga trick at Audi and Porshe, in the best-selling "Marketing Wars" (reviews and discussion about this work still do not die out) is not said. But, most likely, the companies did not leave this move without attention.
A real sensation produced a spectacular advertisementthe company BMW in 2003. According to the idea of marketers, was a vivid photo shoot, during which the BMW X5 in the guise of a predatory jaguar chased the Mercedes ML in the form of a fast-moving zebra.
Examples from the life of domestic brands
Looking at large foreign representatives,gradually developed and domestic marketing (training this simple science today is very popular among students of different countries). At the same time, employees of Russian companies and their representative offices do not lag behind their foreign colleagues. For example, recently a fight has occurred between Unilever Rus and Nestle. And it was a truly culinary duel. So, the first of the players released a promotional video of chicken broth TM "Knorr", which twice mentioned that it is necessary to cook without magic. And at the end of the video sounded a slogan: "This soup. No magic. "
What are users' opinions about the book?
Despite the fact that since the publication andtranslation of the book into Russian has passed a lot of time, it is still spoken about. For example, one of the employees of the marketing department writes that he is impressed by the publication. In his opinion, the book talks about the really working methods that are used today by many large and small companies. And the user expresses his regret that he did not read the publication earlier.
Another user also describes his firstacquaintance with the book. From his words it becomes clear that the publication is positioned as a textbook, on the basis of which he managed to complete a full marketing-training.
The third states that the book is written in clearlanguage and contains a number of specific examples with colorful illustrations. The fourth person liked the non-standard approach of the authors, using comparisons of real combat operations and lively competition between companies. Some readers, who studied the book from cover to cover, consider irrelevant the marketing methods used by the authors.
In short, the book on "Marketing Wars"someone impressed, and who did not. Someone has found in it a lot of useful advice, and some consider it inappropriate and outdated. Whatever it was, the publication is worthy of attention. Having studied it, you will find in it something that will interest you.
