Focus or Perish

If you’re in the business of marketing, stop what you’re doing right now and go get a copy of Al Ries’ new book Focus (Harper Business, New York, 1996).

You may agree with this book - which says successful businesses focus on a particular product or service and avoid defocusing (although they may change focus as markets and technologies change). Less successful companies keep trying to grow by broadening their focus (defocusing) which never works.

He cites dozens of examples, many of them household names or computer industry stalwarts, so you’ll feel immediately exalted or insulted and right at home.

I think some of this is great - and some of it is stretched a bit - but I got five great ideas in the first hour. You have to read this. I taught one of my positioning classes half-way through reading it and must have mentioned it ten times!

(Incidentally if you’re too young to know who Al Ries is, go back and read his classic original book Positioning or his later The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.)

And please write or email me and tell me what you think of all this. Is he on to something?

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If you are interested in ordering:
Focus (hardcover), click here
Focus (paperback), click here
Positioning, click here
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, click here