In marketing, there’s a simple yet incredibly powerful principle: if you can associate a single word with your brand in the customer’s mind, you gain a lasting competitive advantage. This is the essence of the Law of Focus — one of the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing proposed by Al Ries and Jack Trout.
This law states: “The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect’s mind.” Not a long slogan, not a list of features — just one word, or a short, simple phrase that’s easy to understand and remember. And if you’re the first to claim that word, you become the default choice in the customer’s perception.
For example, when people hear “safety,” they think of Volvo. When they hear “personal computer,” they think of IBM. When someone says “search,” Google is the first name that comes to mind. These brands succeeded not because they had the best products, but because they owned a key word in the customer’s mind.
To apply the Law of Focus, a business must clearly identify the word it wants to own. From there, every marketing activity — from messaging to branding — should revolve around that word. This requires discipline and sacrifice: you can’t communicate too many things at once. The more focused you are, the easier it is to be remembered. The clearer your message, the more likely you are to dominate perception.
In a world overloaded with information, customers don’t have time to remember everything about your brand. But if you can get them to remember one word — just one — you’ve already won. And that is the power of the Law of Focus in marketing.
