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 Check out this thought provoking look at marketing strategy in general. Marketing means a lot of things to different people. The following points are not text book definitions - if you want a text book read Kotler. This is more about principles to bring to bear on your marketing thinking.
The 22 Immutable Laws:
1. The Law of Leadership
It's better to be first than it is to be better. The basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in. E.g., most people know who flew across the Atlantic first, but not second.
2. The Law of Category
If you can't be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in. E.g., most people don't know who flew across the Atlantic third, but they know who the first woman to do that was.
3. The Law of the Mind
It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace. E.g., Altair 8800 was the first PC, but Apple got first in the mind.
4. The Law of Perception
Marketing is not a battle of products; it is a battle of perceptions.
5. The Law of Focus
The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect's mind. E.g., Xerox this or FedEx that.
6. The Law of Exclusivity
Two companies cannot own the same word in the prospect's mind.
7. The Law of the Ladder
What strategy to use depends on which rung you occupy on the ladder. E.g., Avis is 2nd - We try harder.
8. The Law of Duality
In the long run, every market becomes a two horse race. E.g., Coke v Pepsi, Kodak v Fuji, McDonalds and Burger King.
9. The Law of the Opposite
If you're shooting for second place, your strategy is determined by the leader. E.g., Coke is an old soft drink, so Pepsi went successfully for the choice of a new generation.
10. The Law of Division
Over time, a category will divide and become two or more categories, e.g., computers.
11. The Law of Perspective
Marketing effects take place over an extended period of time.
12. The Law of Line Extension
There is an irresistible pressure to extend the equity of the brand.
13. The Law of Sacrifice
You have to give up something in order to get something. E.g., FedEx sacrificed other air freight options for small packages overnight, and owned the word "overnight".
14. The Law of Attributes
For every attribute, there is an opposite, effective attribute. E.g., Crest toothpaste fights cavities, but Close Up freshens breath.
15. The Law of Candour
When you admit a negative, the prospect will give you a positive. E.g., the 1970 VW will stay ugly longer - implies reliability not good looks.
16. The Law of Singularity
In each situation, only one move will produce substantial results. In a military sense, this is called the line of least expectation, e.g., the Allied invasion of Normandy.
17. The Law of Unpredictability
Unless you write your competitors' plans, you can't predict the future.
18. The Law of Success
Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance to failure.
19. The Law of Failure
Failure is to be expected and accepted.
20. The Law of Hype
The situation is often the opposite of the way it appears in the press. When IBM was successful, the company said very little. Now it throws a lot of press conferences.
21. The Law of Acceleration
Successful programs are not built on fads; they're built on trends. Ninja turtles could have been the next Barbie dolls if the market hadn't been flooded, and the makers had tried to turn the fad into a trend.
22. The Law of Resources
Without adequate funding an idea won't get off the ground.
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