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b'\\u201cThe tactics have changed but the strategy of owning and building a brand hasn\\u2019t.\\u201d Laura Ries can share first hand how branding has stood the test of time. \\u201cIt\\u2019s why some rise and others don\\u2019t \\u2014 it\\u2019s the brand.\\u201d Together with her father, positioning pioneer Al Ries, Laura authored some of the seminal branding texts of our time including\\xa0The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. We discussed positioning, visuals, slogans, and more on this week\\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by\\xa0Twenty20.\\nAbout Laura Ries\\nLaura Ries\\xa0is an internationally recognized branding expert, best-selling author and television personality. After graduating from Northwestern University in the top 2% of her class, she worked at TBWA Advertising before partnering with her father and positioning pioneer Al Ries. Al and Laura founded Ries & Ries consulting in New York in 1994.\\nIn 1997, Ries & Ries relocated to Atlanta, GA. Together the dynamic duo consults with companies around the globe including Disney, Ford, Frito-Lay, Papa John\\u2019s Pizza, Samsung and Unilever on branding and marketing strategy. Laura has co-authored five books with Al including\\xa0The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,\\xa0The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR,\\xa0The Origin of Brands, and\\xa0War in the Boardroom.\\nLaura\\u2019s first solo book,\\xa0Visual Hammer\\xa0has been translated into the Chinese, Russian, Turkish, Polish, and German languages. Words alone can\\u2019t build a brand, driving an idea into the mind is best done with the emotional power of a visual. Her latest book\\xa0Battlecry\\xa0complements\\xa0Visual Hammer\\xa0by outlining five strategies for improving the effectiveness of a company\\u2019s slogan or tagline.\\nIn addition to her consulting assignments and corporate speeches, Laura is a frequent guest on major television programs from the Today Show to Squawk Box. She appears regularly on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, CNN,\\xa0and HLN.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nThe more things change, the more they stay the same.\\xa0As co-author of a landmark book on branding, I was eager to ask Laura how her work has stood the test of time \\u2014 and rapids media shifts. \\u201cPositioning is owning an idea in the mind of the customer. The tactics of how that happens have changed but the strategy of owning and building a brand hasn\\u2019t.\\u201d\\nWhat startups and emerging brands have in common with airplanes.\\xa0\\u201cCompanies and brands are like airplanes. You spend 110% to get off the runway but once you\\u2019re in the air it\\u2019s not hard. Startups and small companies are like brands on the runway.\\u201d\\nUsing visuals to hammer home your brand\\u2019s big idea.\\xa0From Coke\\u2019s iconic contoured bottles to Colonel Sanders, strong brands are built with icons, or visual hammers as Laura describes in her book of the same name. Why are visuals so appealing? \\u201cThey appeal to both the left and right brain. You can further hammer that home with your advertising.\\u201d\\nWords matter.\\xa0From slogans to taglines, Laura admitted that brand strategists like us have muddied the lexicon of labels. That\\u2019s why in her book on brand language she focuses on the idea of a battlecry. \\u201cIt has to get you up and excited.\\u201d It also has to say something relevant. She pointed us to Little Caesar\\u2019s whose battle cry, \\u201cPizza! Pizza!\\u201d built upon their strategic positioning of two pizzas for the price of one.\\nWhat brand has made Laura smile recently?\\xa0First, Laura asked the million-dollar question. \\u201cIs it a good or a bad smile?\\u201d After a laugh, Laura noted that Tommy John, the underwear brand that promises \\u201cno adjustment needed,\\u201d has made her smile \\u2014 particularly as a mother of teenage boys. I can relate!\\nTo learn more, go to\\xa0ries.com.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'