Christopher Lochhead Follow Your Different™

407 The Enduring Power of Positioning with Laura Ries (Part 2)

Sep 8, 2025

Laura Ries, a leading marketing strategist and chairwoman of RIES, returns for a deep dive into brand positioning. She discusses her new book, 'The Strategic Enemy,' emphasizing why brands should define what they stand against. Laura reveals how the mind quickly grasps opposition over superiority, making distinctiveness crucial in a noisy market filled with AI and competition. Drawing from her father's legacy, she explores the importance of clarity in positioning, collaboration, and the impact of visual storytelling in effective marketing.

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ANECDOTE

Horse Sense Should Be Revisited

Christopher praises Laura's father's book Horse Sense and urges a modern rewrite.
Laura explains the original book failed commercially due to poor marketing and title choices.

ADVICE

Self-Define Your Career Brand

Self-define your personal brand because careers no longer rely on one employer.
Be ready to change 'horses' and adapt your positioning over time.

INSIGHT

Opposition Trumps Superiority

The mind understands opposition faster than superiority, so contrast wins over claims of being better.
Defining what you are not creates clarity and makes people choose sides quickly.

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On this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different, we welcome back marketing leader and author Laura Ries for the conclusion of their two-part conversation. If you haven’t listened to part 1 or would like to remind yourself where we left off, you can check it out here for a quick recap (FYD 405).

Laura shares insights from her new book, The Strategic Enemy, emphasizing the importance of defining what your brand stands against. The discussion covers lessons from her father Jack Trout’s legacy, the power of positioning, and the role of visual storytelling in marketing. Laura has been on the frontlines of marketing for decades, carrying on the legacy of her father, Al Ries, and pushing the boundaries of positioning with her own punchy perspective.

So what’s the real difference-maker in a market crowding with noise, AI, and everyone vying for a sliver of attention? It’s not merely being seen. It’s being distinct, thanks to the power of strategic opposition. Join us as we get into it and more with Laura Ries.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

Opposition over Superiority

Laura puts it in plain English: “The mind understands opposition faster than superiority.” Translation? If you want people to quickly get why they should care, you have to tell them what you’re not. Chick-fil-A isn’t just for chicken lovers, it’s for people who are tired of burgers. In-N-Out doesn’t bother with chicken or vegan burgers; they double down on a simple, hyper-focused menu that stakes out clear territory against the bells and whistles of modern fast food.

When brands define WHO or WHAT they’re battling, it’s easier for us to pick sides. Defining an “enemy” isn’t about trash talk, it’s about clarity. It sharpens what your business stands for, attracts loyal fans, and carves out space the competition can’t touch.

Laura Ries on Finding Your Horse & Riding It

This goes deeper than companies. The idea holds for personal brands, careers, even college choices.

Laura recalls her father’s (now out-of-print) classic “Horse Sense”: don’t desperately try to do everything yourself; align yourself with the right “horse” (be it a category, a company, a person) and let synergy do the work. In a world of endless new tech and shifting industries, picking the right vehicle can be everything.

Stop Chasing Attention. Start Picking Fights (the Smart Way)

At the end of the day, nobody cares about your journey just for the sake of it. They care about how you make THEM matter, how you help them win THEIR battles, or fight an enemy they find worth taking down.

So, next time you’re tempted to “go viral,” ask yourself: Are you actually useful, or just noisy? Have you defined your enemy? Because if your brand (or your career) doesn’t stand against something, it’s just floating in the middle… and nobody roots for the middle.

Laura’s full-throttle approach: get clear, get focused, and don’t be shy about drawing a line in the sand.

To hear more from Laura Ries and her thoughts on Strategic Opposition, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Laura Ries is a leading marketing strategist, best-selling author, and global keynote speaker. She is the co-author of several influential books on branding, including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR written with her late father and legendary positioning pioneer, Al Ries. Her new book The Strategic Enemy: How to Build & Position a Brand Worth Fighting For will be published in September 2025 by Wiley.

As chairwoman of RIES, the consulting firm she founded with Al, Laura has advised Fortune 500 companies and startups alike on building powerful, enduring brands. Her expertise lies in positioning, brand focus, and creating category dominance in competitive markets.

Links

Connect with Laura Ries!

Website | LinkedIn | X (Formerly Twitter)

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and subscribe on Apple Podcast / Spotify!