The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding

I hope I had read this OUTSTANDING marketing book a year ago. I would have made more intelligent use of my investment dollars, by buying stock only from the dotcoms that comply with the author's guidelines. You don't need to be a genius to see the pattern. Just look at what stocks 'survived' the dotcom crash. All of them (or, well, almost all) follow the 'laws'. Now take a look to the struggling dotcoms: they are violating the rules outlined in this book.It's just makes sense. As always, Al Ries books are out-of-this-world in terms of common sense.This one is brilliant. There's only one thing I don't like: why in the world Al and Laura Ries are using AGAIN the "immutable Laws" name... It's a paradox, if you consider who they are and what they teach. I see the publisher's hand on the title...

ok, so we don't all agree @ the yahoo=land. I found this book to be a great read...the easy to understand rules are important because there is very little written about this space to distinguish brand from Internet branding. I really agree with the writers' viewpoints about distinction (autos.com, etc.) and think that it can help would be start ups avoid incredible mistakes.As an Internet professional, i also recognize the importance of a book providing hands on advice regarding today's decisions that impact tomorrow's brand. This book provides this in spades.My copy of the book is marked up with pull quotes that will certainly make it into my powerpoints, i appreciate the work and apologize for all other tim sanders of the world (and my world) that may not get the insight of this story.Tim Sanders Director, Yahoo! ValueLab San Jose, LA, NYC

I had problems with Ries's previous books. Back then it was Ries and Trout, instead of Ries and Ries (his daughter). In the older books his basic message was very simple (niche and be the first in the mind of the buyer, position). Ries and Trout are credited with popularizing this positioning subject.From this very simple message, they wrote books that endlessly repeated this important, but very simple, message. Thus, his previous books were tedious, and sometimes boring. I had the same problem with Andy Grove's book, with his basic theme of "Only the Paranoid Survive": one concept... many pages.Thus, I thought his previous books were over kill. But this book is different. Maybe because Ries's daughter kept him on track. This is one of the best books on branding that I've read so far. And, it really does a great job on discussing branding as it applies to internet sites. For example, don't even think of naming your web site without reading this book. From reading this book, I have a much better understanding of how to structure my web site, how to name it, how to come up with internet site business ideas.Although Ries is a marketing guru, and not an internet techno-weenie, his understanding of the internet runs deep, from a business point of view. This is a masterful book, and I recommend it highly. I think a lot of VC firms should have read it before they invested in many of the copy-cat web sites that took their money.

This book won't grant you an MBA in Web Marketing. It won't replace sound business practices. It won't be 100% right in its predictions. It won't make you rich. It won't tell you how to make a better widget for your web site."Ries & Daughter" provide Eleven (11) Laws by which you can judge any Internet business. These are helpful to investors, business owners, venture capitalists, designers, and stock option holders. Or if you just are interested in "the way things work" this book will be of interest.But why should you consider this book when there are so many other Internet business books?First, brand names are important. Look in your kitchen cabinets, the name of your car, etc. Look at the names of the web sites you frequently visit. A good brand name is an often overlooked part of building a business. This book's focus is Internet branding, something that is vitally important to every Internet web site and business.Second, Ries is a good brand. Ries is co-author of Positioning, the most important business book I've ever read. His two other Immutable Law books are also considered by many as classics. In other words, Ries as been talking about branding for sometime and that knowledge is an important component of this book.Third, 11 Immutable Laws is a good start. Another reviewer called it an "easy read." That is a high compliment since complex ideas get explained concisely without a lot of fluff. The book is full of examples and predictions. Names are named. I think the other books can wait until you read this.Fourth, it will give you an understanding about why you like some sites and not others. After you read one law, you might say, "That was obvious." Then that make you think about why the other laws are not obvious to you. That is learning. That is why I went back an re-read the first law.If you are not sure, then read the publisher's information and visit their interactive web site.But I'm biased. Ries and his former partner Trout are two of my five favorite authors. Regardless, I think anyone in the Internet business will find this a useful business tool. Right now I'm examining how our four current and two future Internet products comply with the 11 Laws. Certainly sparks some interesting possiblities.