MARKETING WARFARE

Prepared by:

Deepak Doddamani

AUTHORS:

AL RIES & JACK TROUT

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Praise for Marketing warfare“By far the most valuable & exciting business book

to come along years” – Glamour

"Had Coca-Cola only listened to Trout and Ries, it would have known that to tamper with the Real Thing would be to court disaster." New York

"Chock-a-block with examples of successful and failed marketing campaigns. . .Makes for a very interesting and relevant read." USA Today

"Revolutionary! Surprising!"Business Week2

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CONTENTS :M

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2500 Years of War. The Principle of Force. The Superiority of the Defense. The New Era of Competition. The Nature of the

Battleground. The Strategic Square. Principles of Defensive

Warfare. Principles of Offensive Warfare. Principles of Guerilla Warfare. The Cola War. The Beer War. The Burger War. The Computer War. Strategy and Tactics. The Marketing General

WARFARE

Al Ries and Jack Trout argue that marketing is war and that the marketing concept customer-oriented philosophy is inadequate. Rather, firm would do better by becoming competitor-oriented.

The principle of force: There’s saying that it is easier to get top than

to stay there. They disagree, arguing that once at the top, a company can use the power of its leadership position to stay there.

o The superiority of defense:4

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DEFENSIVE WARFARE

PRINCIPLES

1) Only the market leader should consider playing defensive

2)The best defensive strategy is to attack yourself

3) Strong competitive moves should always be blocked

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Adopted when your organization is clear market leader

Examples:

OFFENSIVE WARFARE

It should be used when your organization is No. 2 or No. 3 and it has resources to sustain a challenge to

leader

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PRINCIPLES

1) The main consideration is the strength of the leader

2) Find a weakness in leader’s strength and attack at that point

3) Launch the attack on as narrow a front as possible

Examples:

FLANKING WARFARE

Adopted when Your organization is no. 4-6 in market You have resources to pursue flanking move Resources to sew-up that market segment

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PRINCIPLES

1) A good flanking move must be made into uncontested area

2) Tactical surprise ought to be an important element of the plan

3) The pursuit is as critical as attack itself

Examples:

GUIRELLA WARFARE Appropriate for other 96 organization in 100

organizations market.

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PRINCIPLES

1) Find a segment of a market small enough to defend

2) No matter how successful you become, never act like the leader

3) Be prepared to bug out at a moment’s notice.

Example:

CASE STUDIES:

The cola war

The beer war

The burger war

The computer war

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CRITICISM OF THE BOOK

(a) they have copied a little too much from Sun Tzu and samurai literature.

(b) they often forget that there are more subtle ways of bringing down an enemy than tanks - to stay in the books military slang, and finally 

(c) they completely ignore that there are ethics even in a corporate world

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THANK YOU

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