Remember the feeling of a movie sequel that was one too many? Or that favorite sitcom that that went for that extra season but in reality should not have? Well, that is the taste left in my mouth after reading through the last edition of the Trout series, well I should say the Ries and Trout duet, although Trout is flying solo on this one. My first thought, of course, was about this very point: Is one‐half of a winning combination still as interesting after the other one is gone? Think of peaches and cream, Laurel and Hardy, M & M's, Batman and Robin, Siskel and Ebert. Can you really appreciate one as much without the other?
I must confess that I have been a convert to the Ries and Trout teachings since the 1980s when, as a young student of marketing, I first read Positioning: The Battle for your Mind by Ries and Trout. What an insightful little gem that I have carried around with me ever since. This was followed by multiple sequels, so many that I have stopped counting, and obviously the “Ries and Trout” moniker became a brand in its own right to be marketed like any other. Who could forget the wonderful Guerilla Marketing title and the marketing warfare jargon that came out of that military adaptation. But how many “line extensions” can this brand deliver? Well, I think one too many with this latest release.
What made the original books in this series so powerful was the ability to trace back key examples of success and failure among the “big boys” of marketing, mostly US‐based. A powerful example was why AVIS was so successful being in the number two slot behind HERTZ in the car rental business simply because their positioning acknowledged this fact clearly as demonstrated in their classic tagline “We're number two, but we try harder.” Or, recall how the Alka‐Seltzer “Plop‐plop, fizz‐fizz” campaign was so memorable but the product configuration itself was not up to scratch. Great classic stuff, invaluable to an academic as they provide good material to illustrate key points in a lecture. But surprisingly, over 20 years after their first publication, most of the examples in this edition are pretty much the same as back then. It would have been way more interesting if Trout had chosen to tackle additional players in the game since then to contrast his historical findings. In the list of case studies examined below, none of these have emerged in the last 20 years or so, and certainly none are from the new economy. Nonetheless, for those who may have not read any of these books in the past (what planet are you from?), then this book may be of some interest.
The first chapter is a review of the most popular mistakes made by large organizations, and this provides the backbone for the rest of the book. Most of these are culled from years of experience dealing with and observing large firms’ market behavior. These include the “Mee‐Too” mistake, the “Truth will out”, the “Other guys idea”, the “Everything for everybody”, and the “Not attacking yourself” mistake, to name just a few.
This drop‐down list of typical mistakes is then used as a framework to analyze specific cases treated under the next ten chapters. Firms and/or brands under the microscope include: General Motors, Xerox, Digital, AT&T, Levis, Crest, Burger King, Firestone, Miller Beer and Marks & Spencer. In subsequent chapters, Trout also tackles some doomed‐to‐failure ideas like the Porsche SUV concept (p. 172) and McDonalds’ attempt to venture in the New Tastes menus (p. 173).
Perhaps the most insightful conclusion of this book is found on p. 207 in the last chapter:
If there's one lesson to take out of this book, it is this: Success or failure is all about perceptual problems and opportunities in the marketplace. And it's all about understanding that the mind of the customer is where you win and lose.
And this is what Ries and Trout have been advocating ever since their first publication, so the message should come out loud and clear. Is it still accurate and relevant? Most likely yes. Has Trout made a convincing case for adapting this to the new environment with additional case studies? Perhaps not…
This book should appeal mostly to … people who have not read previous editions of the Ries and Trout paper trail. But even then, I would suggest digging up some of their earlier work if you really want to sink your teeth in the good stuff. Academics will find countless examples in there to jazz up their lectures, while practitioners will find useful tips on how to better position their brands in the minds of that elusive consumer.
