---
title: "After Reading These 22 Laws of Marketing, All the Mystery and Misconceptions of Marketing Disappear"
description: "On October 23-24, the 2018 China FMCG City Distribution Logistics Conference, hosted by New Distribution, will be held in Changsha. Industry experts have sent their blessings; click the video to watch. In 1972, Ries and Trout published a series of articles on the 'Positioning Era' in Advertising Age, bringing the term 'positioning' into public view. In 1980, 'Positioning' was published, quickly sweeping Europe and America, becoming the 'industry standard' in marketing and being rated as 'the concept that has had the greatest impact on American marketing in history.' The two masters then collaborated to produce 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,' summarizing the essence of positioning theory into 22 simple, clear laws."
author: "华章经管"
publisher: "New Distribution"
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published: "2018-10-15"
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# After Reading These 22 Laws of Marketing, All the Mystery and Misconceptions of Marketing Disappear

> On October 23-24, the 2018 China FMCG City Distribution Logistics Conference, hosted by New Distribution, will be held in Changsha. Industry experts have sent their blessings; click the video to watch. In 1972, Ries and Trout published a series of articles on the 'Positioning Era' in Advertising Age, bringing the term 'positioning' into public view. In 1980, 'Positioning' was published, quickly sweeping Europe and America, becoming the 'industry standard' in marketing and being rated as 'the concept that has had the greatest impact on American marketing in history.' The two masters then collaborated to produce 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,' summarizing the essence of positioning theory into 22 simple, clear laws.

**On October 23-24, the 2018 China FMCG City Distribution Logistics Conference, hosted by New Distribution, will be held in Changsha. Industry experts have sent their blessings; click the video to watch. For more details, see the end of the article.**

In 1972, Ries and Trout published a series of articles on the 'Positioning Era' in Advertising Age, bringing the term 'positioning' into public view. In 1980, 'Positioning' was published, quickly sweeping Europe and America, becoming the 'industry standard' in marketing and being rated as 'the concept that has had the greatest impact on American marketing in history.'

The two masters then collaborated to produce 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,' summarizing the essence of positioning theory into 22 simple, clear laws. As the concluding work of their 25-year partnership, 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing' was embraced by entrepreneurs worldwide upon publication and long occupied the top of bestseller lists.

**1. The Law of Leadership**
The key point of marketing is: create a new category in which you can be first.
This is the Law of Leadership: It is better to be first than to be better. It is much easier to get into the prospect's mind first than to convince them that your product is superior to the pioneering brand in the category.
The pioneering brand usually maintains its leadership. One reason is that its name often becomes the generic term for the category. The Law of Leadership applies to any product, any brand, any category.

**2. The Law of Category**
If you cannot be first in a category, then create a new category in which you can be first. If you cannot be first in the prospect's mind, find a new category you can be first in.
When a new category emerges, people are always willing to try it.

**3. The Law of the Mind**
The Law of the Mind stems from the Law of Perception. Marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products. You should enter the mind before entering the market. It is better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace. Once a perception is formed, it is very difficult to change it. This is like attacking an enemy that is firmly entrenched.

**4. The Law of Perception**
Most marketing mistakes stem from the assumption that we are fighting a product battle based on objective reality. In marketing, there is no objective reality, no facts, no best product. There are only perceptions in the minds of customers or prospects. Only these perceptions are reality; everything else is illusion.
Only by studying how perceptions are formed in the mind and focusing your marketing plan on customers' perceptions can you overcome your basically incorrect marketing instincts.

**5. The Law of Focus**
The essence of marketing is focus. Narrowing your scope makes you strong; pursuing all targets will accomplish nothing. No matter how complex the product or how volatile the market demand, focusing on one word or advantage is stronger than having two, three, or even four words or advantages. In marketing, it is futile to give up a word you already own and look for a concept owned by someone else.
The Law of Focus applies not only to any product you are selling, but also to items you are not yet selling.

**6. The Law of Exclusivity**
When a competitor already occupies a word or position in the prospect's mind, it is futile to try to occupy the same word. Once a perception is formed in the mind, you cannot change it. In fact, you usually only strengthen the competitor's position by making the concept more important.

**7. The Law of the Ladder**
Products are not born equal. Prospects always rank brands when making purchase decisions. For each category, the customer's mind forms a ladder with a purchase order, and each brand occupies a rung.
Your marketing strategy should be based on the position your brand occupies on the mental ladder. Mind share determines market share. Your market share is related to your position on the ladder in the prospect's mind. You should aim to have twice the market share of the brand below you and only half of the brand above you.
The leading brand is inevitably far ahead of the second brand, and the second brand is also far ahead of the third.

**8. The Law of Duality**
From an overall and long-term perspective, you will find that the market often evolves into a competition between two major brands—usually a trusted old brand and a newcomer. Customers believe marketing is a product battle. It is because of this belief that the top of the market always has two brands competing: 'They must be the best because they are the leaders.' Successful marketers focus only on the top two rungs of the mental ladder.

**9. The Law of the Opposite**
If you want to be the second player in the market, your strategy should be determined by the leader. Strength contains weakness. For any strong leading company, the second-place company has the opportunity to attack and turn its strength into weakness.
If you observe customers of a certain product, you will find two types: those who want to buy the leading brand and those who do not. The potential second brand must attract the latter group. Many potential second brands try to imitate the leader, which is usually a mistake. You must become the alternative choice for customers.
Marketing is like a struggle for legitimacy. The brand that first occupies a concept always describes its competitors as illegitimate imitators. A good second-place brand must not be timid. When you give up competing with the leading brand, you become weak not only to the leader but also to all other competitors.

**10. The Law of Division**
Every category starts as a single category, but over time, it divides into several subcategories. Many business leaders do not hold this division concept. Instead, they naively believe that convergence is the main trend. But that is not the case. Categories and industries are constantly dividing, not converging. When a company tries to use its well-known brand for one product in another category, it makes a mistake.
You may develop a new product category too early. However, early is better than late. If you want your product to take root in the customer's mind, you must be prepared to wait patiently as things develop.

**11. The Law of Perspective**
In the short term, promotions can increase a company's sales; but in the long term, promotions only decrease sales because they teach customers not to buy at 'normal' prices.
Inflation can stimulate economic growth in the short term, but in the long run, it leads to recession. In the short term, overeating can satisfy appetite, but in the long run, it leads to obesity and even depression.

**12. The Law of Line Extension**
More is less. The more products, the larger the target market, the longer the line, the less money you make.
When you try to satisfy everyone's needs, you inevitably run into trouble. Narrowly defined, line extension is applying a successful brand to a new product you plan to launch. This seems logical. But marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products.
Management blindly believes that customers have strong loyalty to a company or brand. Without exception, the leader in any product category is not the extended brand in the brand line.

**13. The Law of Sacrifice**
There seems to be a religious belief that a bigger net catches more customers. But the opposite is true.
There are three things you need to sacrifice: product line, target market, and constant change.
If you try to follow every trend and fad in the market, you are doomed to be eliminated. The best way to maintain a solid position is not to change your strategy from the beginning.

**14. The Law of Attributes**
Marketing is a battle of perceptions. To succeed, you must have a unique perception or attribute and center your marketing around it. If you have no attributes, you had better have a low price.
Product attributes are not born equal. Some attributes are more important to customers than others. You must strive to own the most important attribute.

**15. The Law of Candor**
The most effective way to get your product into the mind is to first admit a weakness, then turn it into a strength.
It should be noted: the Law of Candor must be used carefully; it requires a high degree of skill.
First, your 'weakness' must be widely recognized as a weakness. Your candor will immediately gain consumer acceptance. If not, your customers will be confused and ask, 'What's going on?'
Second, you must quickly turn the weakness into a strength. The purpose of candor is not to apologize but to establish a benefit that convinces prospects. This law merely confirms an old proverb: Honesty is the best policy.

**16. The Law of Singularity**
In most cases, your competitor has only one vulnerable point that is easy to attack. That is the point you should focus your attack on.
Historical experience tells us that in marketing, only a unique, bold move works, and under any given conditions, only specific actions can produce substantial results. The strategy that works in marketing is the same as in military: surprise.

**17. The Law of Unpredictability**
Most marketing plans are assumptions about the future, but these assumptions are usually wrong. The inability to predict competitors' reactions is a major cause of marketing failure.
One way to deal with unpredictable future situations is to build an organization with great flexibility. When the market for your category undergoes fundamental changes, you must change and be able to change quickly to survive long-term.
Although you cannot accurately predict the future, you can grasp future trends, which is the way to gain advantage in changing circumstances. No one can accurately predict the future, and marketing plans should not try to do so.

**18. The Law of Success**
Arrogance is the enemy of marketing success. Objectivity is what we need.
Success often leads to rash line extensions. When a brand succeeds, the company thinks the name is the reason for its success, so they eagerly put the same name on other products. The opposite is true: it is not the name that makes the brand famous (although a bad name can hinder it). The brand becomes famous because you implement the right marketing plan.

**19. The Law of Failure**
When faced with problems, too many companies try to improve them rather than abandon them in time. 'Let's regroup and save the situation.' That is their survival strategy.
Facing a wrong reality and doing nothing is a bad thing, very detrimental to your career. A better strategy is to discover mistakes early and take measures to stop losses.
If a company wants to operate ideally, it should adopt teamwork, promote team spirit, and have a leader who can make self-sacrifices.

**20. The Law of Hype**
Hype is hype. True revolutions do not come with noonday parades or evening news reports. True revolutions come quietly at midnight.
When things are going well, companies do not need hype; when they need hype, it usually means they are in trouble.

**21. The Law of Trends**
If you are facing a rapidly growing industry with all the characteristics of a fad, you had better downplay the fad. By downplaying the fad, you can extend its popularity, making it more like a trend.
Fads are like waves in the ocean, while trends are like tides. Fads always get hype, but trends rarely attract attention. Like waves, fads are visible but come and go quickly; trends are like tides, almost invisible, but their power persists over the long term.
Companies often mistake fads for trends and develop blindly. When the fad fades, companies chasing it often suffer severe financial shocks.
One way to maintain long-term demand for your product is not to fully satisfy demand. In marketing, the best and most profitable approach is to grasp long-term trends.

**22. The Law of Resources**
Marketing is a game of winning customer perceptions. You need money to get your idea into the prospect's mind, and once it is there, you also need money to keep it there.
Remember: an idea without financial support is worthless. Be prepared to give up many things to raise funds.

**On October 23-24, during the Autumn Sugar and Wine Fair, the '2018 FMCG City Distribution Logistics Conference' hosted by New Distribution will be held.** We will invite industry experts, FMCG warehousing and distribution specialists, and distributors who have transformed into unified warehousing and distribution platforms to discuss and answer questions on the future development trends of FMCG city distribution logistics and practical cases of distributor transformation to unified warehousing and distribution, under the theme 'New Distribution, New City Distribution.' We hope to bring you different inspiration and thinking! The specific meeting topics are as follows:

**List of Participating Companies**
(In no particular order)
Hunan Zonglan Diandan Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Jingbang (Wuhan) International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.
Mengniu Dairy
Qinghai Hanxiang E-commerce Co., Ltd.
Unilever Service (Hefei) Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch
Huicong
Hunan Xuan'ang Food Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Tongdaoren Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Qingdao 888 Trading Co., Ltd.
Uni-President Enterprises (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
Hunan Zhongxiang Gongpei Logistics Co., Ltd.
Shenglong Ingredients
COSCO Shipping Logistics Warehousing and Distribution Co., Ltd.
Guangxi Yongpai Wine Industry Co., Ltd.
Shangqiu Kangrong Trading Co., Ltd.
Jinan Dingzhong Economic and Trade Co., Ltd.
Liaoning Bimai Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Kunming Xiongjia Trading Co., Ltd.
Shaanxi Houheng Trading Co., Ltd.
Guangzhou Dingwo Enterprise Information Consulting Co., Ltd.
Shaodong Jiajiale Commercial Firm
Boda Trading
Industrial Bank Changsha Branch
Wuhan Muchen Convenience Store Chain Co., Ltd.
Fujian Fuxing Yuncang Logistics Co., Ltd.
Guizhou Yilimi E-commerce Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Xiao Laoer E-commerce Co., Ltd.
Jinshan Koufu
Shanxi Taihang Yuanjing Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Shanxi Dezhun Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Shaoyang Tongdeli Trading (Xiangbang Logistics)
Huanfu
Tongda Express City Distribution
Beijing Xinjingxiang Food Co., Ltd.
Wuhan Huizhong Tianhong Wine Co., Ltd.
Changsha Paide Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Chao'an Tuqiang
Guizhou Yihe Bopin Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Kang'en Industrial Co., Ltd.
Xiangtan County Yisuhe Town Yuhua Paper Store
Luoyang Yuanlang Trading Co., Ltd.
Tongchuan Yaozhou District Huayuan Supermarket Co., Ltd.
Hunan Yongfu Jiujiu Trading Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang Chengchengtong Logistics Co., Ltd.
Chongqing Kaiguo Materials Trading Co., Ltd.
Beijing Xianmaixianmai Data Technology Co., Ltd.
Hanchuan Qixing Trading Co., Ltd.
Tongxin Jiuzhiru Trading Co., Ltd.
Guizhou Meiguo Guoguo Network Technology Co., Ltd.
......

**Distributor Transformation Representatives (Tentative)**
(In no particular order)
Rong Jun, Chairman of Jiangsu Huashang City Distribution Network Co., Ltd.
Wang Bo, Chairman of Hubei Yijiaren Logistics Co., Ltd.
Jiang Shuming, General Manager of Sichuan Chengdu Xingrenxing Trading Co., Ltd.
Liu Jichen, Chairman of Shandong Yunbang Warehousing and Logistics Co., Ltd.
Tu Mingyu, Chairman of Chongqing Lingyu Consumer Goods Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Yang Su, Chairman of Guangzhou Zhongshan Wanrong Marketing Co., Ltd.
Yuan Xia, Chairman of Sichuan Bajie Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Li Qiangyun, Co-founder of Hubei Pengdun Meiyitian Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Zhang Jianyong, Chairman of Henan Xuchang Jiulegou E-commerce Co., Ltd.
Ma Haichao, Founder of Hebei Changyi Logistics Co., Ltd.
Meng Yucun, General Manager of Hebei (Chengde) Wulian Yuncang Co., Ltd.
Zhang Xun, Chairman of Xinjiang Urumqi Su'an Jinchi Logistics Co., Ltd.
Zhang Hailing, Chairman of Jilin Sanxing Lian'gou
Qiang Huitao, Founder of Hebei Dunjie Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
Liao Lei, General Manager of Hunan Damei Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
......

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