Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition
In Differentiate or Die, bestelling author Jack Trout doesn't beat around the bush. He takes marketers to task for taking the easy route too often, employing high tech razzle dazzle and sleight of hand when they should be working to discover and market their product's uniquely valuable qualities. He examines successful differentiation initatives--from giants like Dell Computer, Southwest Airlines, and Wal-Mart to smaller success stories like Streit's Matzoh and Connecticut's tiny Trinity...
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Consumers today have an endless number of choices among products that are virtually identical. Short of slashing your prices and wrecking your margins, differentiating is the only way to gain market share and win. Since its original publication, Differentiate or Die has become the bible for marketers who must find a way to separate their products and brands from the competition. Meanwhile, competition among similar products and services has only intensified—making differentiation even more important.In this fully updated edition of Differentiate or Die, Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin bring the book in line with all the newest ideas and recent changes in marketing. Trout doesn't pull any punches, taking marketers to task for going the easy route too often—using high-tech razzle-dazzle or advertising sleight of hand to woo customers. The only way to truly differentiate yourself is by marketing the product's uniquely valuable qualities. Full of practical case studies that show great differentiation in action, including new case studies from Russia and China, Differentiate or Die, Second Edition, shows you how to tap into core differentiating ideas like heritage, market leadership, and being first to emotionally connect customers to your products. In addition, this revision includes new research on brand commoditization, new insight on using buzz to your advantage, a new chapter on differentiating absolutely anything, and a detailed look at the perils of line extension in today's marketplace. These are only a few of the valuable, proven differentiation strategies included in the book, giving you unparalleled insight into one of marketing's most intractable problems. From the classic "unique selling proposition" approach to the ins and outs of product positioning, this book contains all the best, most effective strategies for differentiating your product from the competition in tight quarters.Jack Trout is President of Trout & Partners Ltd. (www.troutandpartners.com), one of the nation's most prestigious marketing firms with offices in twenty-two countries. He is recognized as a top marketing guru and is the creator of the revolutionary concept of positioning. He is also the coauthor of the bestselling classic Positioning, among many other titles. Steve Rivkin is founder of Rivkin & Associates LLC (www.rivkin.net), a marketing and communication consultancy. He is coauthor of five books on marketing and communication strategy and is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences around the world. Harvard Business Review - John T. Landry The book explains key ideas without getting bogged down in abstract concepts.
Ch. 1The Tyranny of Choice1Ch. 2Whatever Happened to the U.S.P.?11Ch. 3Reinventing the U.S.P.19Ch. 4Quality and Customer Orientation Are Rarely Differentiating Ideas27Ch. 5Creativity Is Not a Differentiating Idea37Ch. 6Price Is Rarely a Differentiating Idea45Ch. 7Breadth of Line Is a Difficult Way to Differentiate57Ch. 8The Steps to Differentiation65Ch. 9Differentiation Takes Place in the Mind73Ch. 10Being First Is a Differentiating Idea83Ch. 11Attribute Ownership Is a Way to Differentiate95Ch. 12Leadership Is a Way to Differentiate107Ch. 13Heritage Is a Differentiating Idea115Ch. 14Market Specialty Is a Differentiating Idea127Ch. 15Preference Is a Differentiating Idea135Ch. 16How a Product Is Made Can Be a Differentiating Idea145Ch. 17Being the Latest Can Be a Differentiating Idea155Ch. 18Hotness Is a Way to Differentiate163Ch. 19Growth Can Destroy Differentiation169Ch. 20Differentiation Often Requires Sacrifice179Ch. 21Being Different in Different Places195Ch. 22Maintaining Your Difference195Ch. 23Who Is in Charge of Differentiation?205Notes213Index219
\ Dan RatherDifferentiate or Die differentiates itself on the groaning marketing bookshelf with its lucid prose, its clear vision of the future marketplace and its sensible solutions for surviving the frenzied competition we're sure to find there.\ \ \ \ \ Scott McNealyWhat I like about Differentiate or Die is the book's emphasis on the power of logic, simplicity, and claritygetting to the essence of a problem. In Silicon Valley, attributes like that can make the difference between having lunch and being lunch.\ \ \ John SchnatterAnother great book by the king of positioning!International\ \ \ \ \ Philip KotlerTrout and Rivkin marvelously illustrate that differentiation is the cornerstone of successful marketing.\ \ \ \ \ John T. LandryThe book explains key ideas without getting bogged down in abstract concepts. \ — Harvard Business Review\ \
