Introduction - Branding is the single most important objective of the marketing process. What is branding??
1. The Law of Expansion - The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. What’s a Chevrolet? A large, small, cheap, expensive car.
2. The Law of Contraction - A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. Starbucks is a coffee shop that just sells coffee.
3. The Law of Publicity - Brands are born with publicity,not advertising. With no advertising, The Body Shop has become a powerful global brand.
4. The Law of Advertising - Once born,a brand needs advertising to stay healthy. Advertising "No. 1 in tires" keeps Goodyear No. 1 in tires
5. The Law of The Word - A brand should own a word in the mind of the consumer. "FedEx this to LA".
6. The Law of Credentials - The crucial ingredient to the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity. Coca-Cola is a powerful brand because it’s "the real thing."
7. The Law of Quality - Quality is important, but brands are not built by quality alone. Does a Rolex keep better time? Probably? Does it matter? Probably not.
8. The Law of The Category - A leading brand should promote the category not the brand. EatZi’s is a new brand selling quality take-out meals at affordable prices.
9. The Law of The Name - In the long run, a brand is nothing more than a name. The primary difference of a Xerox copier is the Xerox brand name itself.
10. The Law of The Extensions - The easiest way to destroy a brand is to put its name on everything. What’s a Miller? Line extensions are killing Miller.
11. The Law of Fellowship - In order to build the category, a brand should welcome other brands. The best location for a Planet Hollywood is next t o the Hard Rock Cafe.
12. The Law of The Generic - One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name. Blockbuster is a good brand name while generic brand names are not.
13. The Law of the Company - Brands are brands. Companies are companies. There is a difference. Does Tide need the name P&G on the box? Brands should stand on their own.
14. The Law of Subbrands - What branding builds, subbranding can destroy. Express, Select, SunSpree, and Garden Court erode the power of the Holiday Inn brand.
15. The Law of Siblings - There is a time and a place to launch a second brand. When Honda introduced an expensive car they didn’t call the brand, "Honda Ultra."
16. The Law of Shape - A brand’s logotype should be designed to fit the eyes. Both eyes. Avis has the right idea, Arby’s is too vertical.
17. The Law of Color - A brand should use a color that is the opposite of its major competitor. The distinctive robin’s egg blue of a Tiffany box helps burn the brand into the mind.
18. The Law of Borders - There are no barriers to global branding. A brand should know no borders. Heineken is sold in 170 countries. All brandsshould be global brands.
19. The Law of Consistency - A brand is not built overnight. Success is measured in decades. BMW has been the ultimate driving machine for 25 years.
20. The Law of Change - Brands can be changed, but only infrequently and only very carefully. Twenty years ago, Citibank was a business bank. Today Citibank is a consumer bank.
21. The Law of Mortality - No brand will live forever. Euthanasia is often the best solution. Kodak is a photographic brand that will not be as effective in the digital era.
22. The Law of Singularity - The most important aspect of a brand is its single-mindedness. By focusing on safety, Volvo has become the largest selling imported European luxury car.
source:
Ries.com 
