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Content provided by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
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Stop Playing Nice: Make an Enemy, Build a Brand

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Manage episode 500175542 series 2285815
Content provided by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Be nice, be invisible—brand leaders pick a strategic enemy and own the category.

Buy the book The Strategic Enemy - How To Build & Position a Brand Worth Fighting For. By Laura Ries⁠

In this episode, branding strategist Laura Ries (daughter of positioning pioneer Al Ries) breaks down why playing it safe kills momentum, how to define a category you can own, and how the psychology of contrast turns brands into movements. We dig into visual hammers, multi-brand vs. line extensions, and the bold decision to say no so a brand can finally say something.

You’ll learn:

  • What a strategic enemy is (and isn’t)—and why it supercharges word-of-mouth

  • How to choose the right category first, then dominate it with brand

  • The role of a visual hammer (icon, color, shape) in instant recognition

  • Why line extensions backfire—and when a new brand is the winning move

  • How personal branding uses the same rules (signature look, ruthless focus)

  • Why advertising should reinforce, not introduce, a positioning

  continue reading

1663 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 500175542 series 2285815
Content provided by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A.. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by American Negotiation Institute, Kwame Christian Esq., and M.A. or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Be nice, be invisible—brand leaders pick a strategic enemy and own the category.

Buy the book The Strategic Enemy - How To Build & Position a Brand Worth Fighting For. By Laura Ries⁠

In this episode, branding strategist Laura Ries (daughter of positioning pioneer Al Ries) breaks down why playing it safe kills momentum, how to define a category you can own, and how the psychology of contrast turns brands into movements. We dig into visual hammers, multi-brand vs. line extensions, and the bold decision to say no so a brand can finally say something.

You’ll learn:

  • What a strategic enemy is (and isn’t)—and why it supercharges word-of-mouth

  • How to choose the right category first, then dominate it with brand

  • The role of a visual hammer (icon, color, shape) in instant recognition

  • Why line extensions backfire—and when a new brand is the winning move

  • How personal branding uses the same rules (signature look, ruthless focus)

  • Why advertising should reinforce, not introduce, a positioning

  continue reading

1663 episodes

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