Negotiate Anything Stop Playing Nice: Make an Enemy, Build a Brand
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Aug 14, 2025 Laura Ries, a branding strategist and best-selling author with over 30 years of experience, reveals the art of strategic branding. She discusses how brands can avoid the trap of playing nice by choosing a strategic enemy to dominate their category. Listeners learn about the impact of visual hammers on brand recognition and the pitfalls of line extensions. Ries emphasizes the importance of a strong personal brand and the necessity of clear messaging to create a powerful brand narrative that resonates with consumers.
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Coke Life Made Coke Its Own Enemy
- Coca-Cola launched Coke Life in green and it failed because it contradicted Coke's red identity.
- Laura Ries says making your own brand the enemy can make your flagship look like "Coke Death."
Multi-Brand Strategy Beats One-Name-for-All
- Strong companies use multiple brands for different categories rather than stretching one name.
- Visual hammers like Apple's design or Coke's contour bottle unify diverse products under one emotional cue.
Apple Missed The Streaming Wave
- Apple invented iTunes and the iPod but lost music leadership to Spotify's subscription model.
- Laura Ries notes Apple was late to the streaming category and lost dominance in music.
