The document summarizes 22 marketing laws described in a book by Jack Trout and Al Rie. The laws provide guidance on how to effectively market products and services to consumers. Some key laws discussed include the importance of being first in a new category rather than competing head-on in existing categories, focusing on how consumers perceive a product over its actual features, and understanding that marketing effects take place over an extended period rather than focusing only on short-term gains. The laws also emphasize flexibility in marketing strategies and the need for adequate funding to successfully launch new products or services.

1. G-Squared Marketing

2. These are the laws that help marketers to
win the MIND of a consumer or a potential
consumer.
The laws were designed by Jack Trout and Al
Rie in their book the 22Immutable laws of
marketing.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
G-Squared Marketing

3. Being first in the Market is better than
having a better product than a
competition. Example: we all remember
who was the first man on the moon but
almost no-one knows who was the second.
Econet was the first mobile
telecommunications company in
Zimbabwe. Being first does not matter if
the idea/product is not good
LAW 1 (law of Leadership)
G-Squared Marketing

4. Given that its very hard to gain leadership
in a category where competition already
exists, its better to create a product in new
category than trying to attack existing
categories. Category doesn’t have to be
radically different, e.g. if there’s dominant
player in voice then one can become the
first in data.
LAW 2 (law of Category)
G-Squared Marketing

5. Its not important to be the first in the
market but the first in the mind of
consumers. In Zimbabwe if you talk
about a soft drink the first thing to
come into mind is Coca-Cola. Washing
powder is Surf though Omo is the first
in the Market.
LAW 3 (law of Mind)
G-Squared Marketing

6. Marketing is not about products (their features
or quality) but about perceptions (how people
perceive products). Honda is a leading Japanese
car manufacturer in US but only third in Japan
after Toyota and Nissan. In Japan however
people perceive Honda as a manufacturer of
motorcycles. Therefore what's important is that
marketing should be focused on changing the
perception.
LAW 4 (law of Perception)
G-Squared Marketing

7. The most powerful concept in marketing is
owning a word in the prospect’s mind.
Owning in this context means that if
people hear or see this word they usually
connect it with a company that owns this
word. Unilever owns ‘cosmetics.’ Swift
owns ‘overnight.’ you can’t take somebody
else’s word.
LAW 5 (law of Focus)
G-Squared Marketing

8. Its fruitless to try to take over a word that is
already owned by a competitor. Econet tried to
own word ‘value for money’ which was already
owned by Telecel and failed miserably. FedEx
tried to take over ‘worldwide’ from DHL.
LAW 6 (law of Exclusivity)
G-Squared Marketing

9. Marketing strategy depends on your
position in the market. If you’re No. 2 you
use different strategy than when you’re
No. 2 or 3. Econet always advertise using
the fact that they are the best
Telecommunications company in
Zimbabwe and they keep on being the
market leader because everyone wants to
be associated with the best.
LAW 7 (law of Ladder)
G-Squared Marketing

10. In the long-run, every market
becomes a two-horse race. Econet
and Telecel. Nike and Reebok.
Crest and Colgate. Bakers Inn and
Lobel’s. Irvine's and SunCrest.
LAW 8 (law of Duality)
G-Squared Marketing

11. If you’re shooting for second place, your
strategy is determined by the leader.
Leverage the leader’s strength into
weaknesses. Don’t try to be better than the
leader, try to be different. E.g. Pepsi
marketed itself as a ‘choice for the new
generation’ when faced with Coca-Cola ‘old
and established’ brand.
LAW 9 (law of Opposite)
G-Squared Marketing

12. Over time a category will divide and become two
or more categories. E.g. computers started as a
single category but broke up into mainframes,
workstations, personal computers, laptops etc.
Leader can maintain dominance by addressing
emerging categories with new brand names
instead of using brand name successful in one
category in a new category. E.g. when Econet
wanted to go up-market it created a new brand,
Ecocash.
LAW 10 (law of Division)
G-Squared Marketing

13. Marketing effects take place over an
extended period of time. It’s a mistake to
sacrifice long-term planning with actions to
improve short-term balance sheet. E.g.
sales increase short-term profits but in
long-term educates people not to buy for
regular price, therefore decreasing long-
term profits.
LAW 11 (law of Perception)
G-Squared Marketing

14. There’s an irresistible pressure to
extend the equity of the brand and it’s
a mistake. Instead should create new
brands to address new
markets/products. E.g. Telecel
introduced the new Red products,
Tel•One introduced ADSL broadband
product.
LAW 12 (law of Extension)
G-Squared Marketing

15. You have to give up something in
order to get something. There are
three things to sacrifice:
1) Product line- EcoLife was
abandoned.
2) Target market.
3) Constant change.
LAW 13 (law of Sacrifice)
G-Squared Marketing

16. For every attribute, there is an
opposite, effective attribute. You can
own the same word as the
competition. You have to find another
word to own, another attribute.
LAW 14 (law of Attributes)
G-Squared Marketing

17. When you admit a negative, the
prospect will give you a positive.
Candor is disarming. Its ok to admit, as
Avis did, that ‘Avis is only No. 2 in rent-
a-car.
LAW 15 (law of Candor)
G-Squared Marketing

18. In each situation, only one move will
produce substantial results. People
tend to think that success is the result
of a lot of small efforts well executed,
that working harder is a way to
success. In marketing the only thing
that works is a single, bold stroke.
LAW 16 ( law of Singularity)
G-Squared Marketing

19. Unless you write your competitors’ plans, you
can’t predict the future. You don’t know the
future, you don’t know what your competition
will do so you have to build your company and
marketing strategies to be flexible, to be able to
quickly respond to changing situation. E.g. the
Telecel marketing strategies for their mobile
money were not flexible that when Econet came
with EcoCash they did not respond to the
situation.
LAW 17 (law of Predictability)
G-Squared Marketing

20. Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance
to failure. Don’t be arrogant, drop ego, be
objective. The reason why PTC failed was because
they had that ego that they are protected by the
government regulation and they failed to be
objective and Econet came and take the lead.
Don’t cling to the fast because if you cling to the
past they will be sacrificing the future. Change is
about excitement, adventure and success.
LAW 18 (law of Success)
G-Squared Marketing

21. Failure is to be expected and accepted. Drop
things that don’t work instead of trying to fix
them. Don’t punish for failures (if you do people
will stop taking risks). A work place must be an
experiment laboratory leave the workers to
experiment at work because competitive
advantage comes from them. E.g. Econet
dropped EcoLife when it failed to work as per
their objective.
LAW 19 (law of Failure)
G-Squared Marketing

22. The situation is often the opposite
of the way it appears in the press.
The amount of hype isn’t
proportional to success; often
failed products are heavily hyped.
LAW 20 (law of Hype)
G-Squared Marketing

23. Successful programs are not built
on fads but on trends. The success
of EcoCash was based on the
success of Buddie and Econet
Broadband.
Law 21 (law of Acceleration)
G-Squared Marketing

24. Without adequate funding an idea
won’t get off the ground. You need a
lot of money to market your ideas.
The laying of fibre optic cables was
not success to Tel•One because they
didn’t have adequate funding but for
Liquid Telecoms it is a success because
they have the resources.
LAW 22 (law of Resources)
G-Squared Marketing

25. G-squared Marketing
‘Always Ahead’
THE END
G-Squared Marketing ‘Always Ahead” © 2013