War in the Boardroom: Why Left-Brain Management and Right-Brain Marketing Don't See Eye-to-Eye--and What to Do About It

304 Pages·2009·2.36 MB·English

by  Al Ries

WAR

IN
BOARD

ROOM
THE
Why Left-Brain Management
and Right-Brain Marketing
Don’t See Eye-to-Eye—
and What to Do About It
AL & LAURA RIES
De di c at e d to
peace in the boardroom
Contents

Preface: Your divided brain ix
Introduction: The velvet curtain xviii
Chapter 1
Management deals in reality.
Marketing deals in perception. 1
Chapter 2
Management concentrates on the product.
Marketing concentrates on the brand. 9
Chapter 3
Management wants to own the brand.
Marketing wants to own the category. 23
Chapter 4
Management demands better products.
Marketing demands different products. 31
Contents
Chapter 5
Management favors a full line.
Marketing favors a narrow line. 41
Chapter 6
Management tries to expand the brand.
Marketing tries to contract the brand. 51
Chapter 7
Management strives to be the “first mover.”
Marketing strives to be the “first minder.” 65
Chapter 8
Management expects a “big-bang” launch.
Marketing expects a slow takeoff. 77
Chapter 9
Management targets the center of the market.
Marketing targets one of the ends. 85
Chapter 10
Management would like to own everything.
Marketing would like to own a word. 95
Chapter 11
Management deals in verbal abstractions.
Marketing deals in visual hammers. 107
Chapter 12
Management prefers a single brand.
Marketing prefers multiple brands. 119
iv
Contents
Chapter 13
Management values cleverness.
Marketing values credentials. 131
Chapter 14
Management believes in double branding.
Marketing believes in single branding. 149
Chapter 15
Management plans on perpetual growth.
Marketing plans on market maturity. 159
Chapter 16
Management tends to kill new categories.
Marketing tends to build new categories. 169
Chapter 17
Management wants to communicate.
Marketing wants to position. 181
Chapter 18
Management wants customers for life.
Marketing is happy with a short-term fling. 189
Chapter 19
Management loves coupons and sales.
Marketing loathes them. 195
Chapter 20
Management tries to copy the competition.
Marketing tries to be the opposite. 203
v
Contents
Chapter 21
Management hates to change a name.
Marketing often welcomes a name change. 215
Chapter 22
Management is bent on constant innovation.
Marketing is happy with just one. 227
Chapter 23
Management has the hots for multimedia.
Marketing is not so sure. 233
Chapter 24
Management focuses on the short term.
Marketing focuses on the long term. 243
Chapter 25
Management counts on common sense.
Marketing counts on marketing sense. 253
Note on Sources 261
Index 263
About the Authors
Other Books by Al Ries and Laura Ries
Credits
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
vi
Management tends to attract left brainers,
people who are verbal, logical, and analytical.
Marketing tends to attract right brainers,
people who are visual, intuitive, and holistic.
(
Preface: Your Divided Brain

Y
our brain is divided into two completely separate hemi-
spheres. Each hemisphere processes information differently.
Your left hemisphere processes information in series. It
thinks in language. It works linearly and methodically.
Your right hemisphere processes information in parallel.
It thinks in mental images. It “sees” the big picture.
One side of your brain or the other is dominant. In itself,
that should not be surprising since it’s consistent with an-
other well-known human trait.
Some people are left-handed and some people are right-
handed. In a similar fashion, some people are left brainers
and some people are right brainers.
(The two are independent. Left brainers can be either
right-handed or left-handed. And vice versa.)
What are you?
If you’re the CEO of a major corporation, chances are good
you are a left brainer. Before you make a decision, you want
to be supported by facts, figures, market data, consumer re-