Repositioning by Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin) - Book review

Repositioning

Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change, and Crisis

By: Jack Trout, Steve Rivkin

Published: October 2009
Format: Hardcover, 224pp
ISBN-13: 9780071635592
ISBN-10: 0071635599
Publisher: The McGraw-Hill Companies





"Repositioning is how you adjust perceptions, whether those perceptions are about you or about your competition", write co-authors Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin in their idea challenging and important book Repositioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change, and Crisis. The authors move beyond Jack Trout's classic book Positioning, and describe how winning the minds of customers is only part of the road to success, and demonstrate the critical role of strategy in beating the competition in times of change and crisis.



Jack Trout (photo left) and Steve Rivkin recognize that the concept of positioning within the marketplace is still critical to success. A business must differentiate its products and services in a crowded marketplace if it is to survive and prosper. At the same time, however, change is happening in the competition, the industry, and the economy as a whole. A company or its competitors may face a crisis of due to economic conditions, cost increases, or a serious product or public relations disaster. A failure to meet these challenges, along with the constant threat of being overtaken by the competition, serve to make repositioning a crucial part of overall business strategy. Through examining the potential impact of the competition, change in the market, and the potential for crisis within a company or the economy, an organization can meet those challenges through a strong. well planned repositioning strategy.



Steve Rivkin (photo left) and Jack Trout provide a powerful framework for establishing a repositioning strategy that not only shows the weaknesses of the competition, but also the strengths and advantages of one's own company. To build that successful repositioning strategy, the authors provide a five step process:

* Rethink your current marketing
* Refocus your consumer branding
* Reassess your company’s strengths
* Reposition your corporate identity
* Reclaim your competitive edge

With these important steps in place, a company can meet the challenge of the competition which may not be considering a repositioning strategy. The dynamic of change in the marketplace and the economy can be overcome through an understanding and consideration of the process. In the event of a crisis in the company or industry, the repositioning steps create a road map for rebuilding customer confidence and moving ahead of the competitors.

For me, the power of the book is how Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin add the important strategy of repositioning to the well known concept of positioning. They describe why repositioning is much more than finding weaknesses withing the competition. While that idea is part of repositioning, the authors demonstrate that moving ahead of the competition is not simply about the negative aspect of the competition, but about creating positive differentials to claim the competition's market share as well. Repositioning is also a timely topic for today's rapidly changing economic and market conditions. Knowing when to change from the current market position into a new repositioned area of the market can mean the difference between company success and failure. The specter of crisis looms large within today's economy, and whether a crisis hits on a company only or industry wide scale, the ability to utilize the five step repositioning strategy outlined in the book, can be a game changer.

I highly recommend the brilliant and destined to become classic book Repositioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change, and Crisis by Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin), and put the transformational power of repositioning to work in your company. The book provides a powerful combination of theory and practical application that can be utilized to strengthen your organization while leaving the competition far behind.

Read the essential and revolutionary book Repositioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change, and Crisis by Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin), and put the power of repositioning to work for your company. This book will improve your organization's strategic thinking during these times of change and crisis, and leave the competition in the dust.

Tags: Repositioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change, and Crisis, Jack Trout, Steve Rivkin, business strategy, business book reviews.