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The 11 immutable laws of Internet branding
By Alf Nucifora, Columnist
The 11
immutable laws of Internet branding
The talented father and daughter
marketing team of Ries & Ries have produced another winner with their
latest publication, The 11 Immutable Laws
of Internet Branding. Once again
it’s an easy read in terms of format and style, with the marketing maestros
applying their unique strategic insights to the chaotic world of the online
brand and the Web domain.
The first question the authors say you
need to address is, “For my product or service, is the Internet going to be a
business or a medium?” If the Internet
is to be defined as a medium, they say, then use your existing brand name. In
essence, it becomes a complement to or a replacement for existing media such as
television, radio and print.
If, on the other hand, the Internet is
going to be a business, then it requires starting from scratch with a new name,
new strategy and new business paradigm.
Absent the visual element in a URL
or Web site address, naming becomes critical, according to the authors. They believe most Internet brand names are
terrible because they resort to the common name, such as flower.com or
gifts.com. Their solution? Seek a distinctive, proper noun, one that demands attention,
like yahoo.com, amazon.com, bluemountain.com.
The book provides eight guidelines
for developing an effective proper name:
1. Keep it short (e.g., CNET.com).
2. Keep it simple, not confusing (like
autobuytel.com, for example).
3. Make it suggestive of the category
(e.g., WebMD.com).
4. Make it unique (e.g., AskJeeves.com).
5. Try to be alliterative (e.g.,
frogdog.com)
6. It should be pronounceable. Don’t mix
numbers and letters.
7. Go for shock value (e.g., hotmail.com,
dogpile.com).
8. Personalize it (e.g., dell.com,
schwab.com).
According to the authors, great
Internet brands get out in front and never lose their dominant position. “On
the Internet, monopolies will rule,” they say, just as they do in computer
software (think Windows, Word, Powerpoint, Excel). The author’s “Law of
Singularity” (one of the 11 laws presented in the book) demands the brand be
first in a new category and that the opportunity to do so can always be created
by narrowing the focus. For example, if you can’t beat Amazon.com at its own
game, narrow the focus to business books only.
For Ries & Ries, interactivity
is the key to successful Internet branding, but it has to be built into the
site, otherwise failure is guaranteed.
Interactivity includes typing instructions to receive information,
handling pricing situations instantaneously, performing tests, conducting
auctions and diagnosing situations. “Interactivity” they write, “is a powerful
metaphor for the patient-doctor or the student-teacher relationship.”
In the “Law of Advertising,” Ries
& Ries maintain that the Internet will be the first new medium not
dominated by advertising. They support this claim with a recitation of the
usual facts, for example declining click-through rates and the ability of
Internet users to reject and/or disregard an ad. The real growth, according to the authors, will be in “off the
Net” advertising, which directs the user to a specific site. They also suggest
that radio will be the primary medium for dot.com advertising.
Buy this book. It helps demystify
much of the chaos, confusion and cant that surrounds the online world.
Alf Nucifora is an Atlanta-based marketing consultant. He can be reached via e-mail at alf@nucifora.com, his Web site www.nucifora.com, or by fax at
770-952-7834
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