Stop Playing Nice: Make an Enemy, Build a Brand

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

• Connect with Laura

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

  Laura Ries Website

  Contact ANI

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