'Positioning' Delivers In These Times of Business Terror, Says World's Top Marketing Strategist

Famed Jack Trout address 500 in event sponsored by Innis Maggiore

AKRON, Ohio (April 29, 2009) - Marketing guru Jack Trout (photo) told more than 500 Ohio business leaders today that the answer to the challenges of the unprecedented economic turmoil rests on effectively differentiating and repositioning their companies against their competition.

In his address entitled "'Tis the Time to be Terrified," Trout outlined the three C's that threaten business - competition, change and crisis - and counseled that now is a prime time to pounce. The author of numerous best-selling books on positioning and marketing, Trout appeared at the John S. Knight Center in Akron. The event was sponsored by Canton-based advertising and public relations agency Innis Maggiore, the nation's leading agency in the practice of positioning.

Among all of the responsibilities of CEOs, presidents and other top business managers, marketing becomes even more critical in recessionary times, Trout said.

"Crisis times are not to be wasted," Trout said. "Times like these are opportunities for companies to reposition themselves, to make tough changes, to attack their competitors' inherent weaknesses, and promote their position while the competition is being quiet."

Trout referred to his most recent book, In Search of the Obvious - The Antidote to Today's Marketing Mess, in fortifying his comments.

"Repositioning is an obvious strategy, especially right now," Trout said. He outlined a list of guiding thoughts from his book:

• • “The problem, when solved, will be simple.”
  • "Does it check with human nature? Remember, you're dealing with people's minds."
  • "Put it on paper. Tell the story simply. Be direct, not complicated."
  • "Does it explode in people's minds? Will they say, 'Ah, I get it!'"
  • "Is the timing right? An idea too far ahead or too far behind is no good."

Trout's In Search of the Obvious is dedicated to Dick Maggiore, president and CEO of Innis Maggiore. He has adopted Trout's counsel to guide his own business to recognition as a leader in the practice of positioning.

"Jack has taught us that whether you win or lose in the battle for your customers' minds depends on your success with identifying and articulating your brand's position," Maggiore said. "Today's overwhelming number of choices and avalanche of information have made it even more critical to simplify the value proposition into a single-minded winning differentiation, which we call 'positioning'."

Innis Maggiore is the nation's leading agency in the practice of positioning, building strong brand positions for companies in competitive markets. The advertising and public relations agency, with 2008 capitalized billings of more than $28 million, employs more than 40 associates. Key clients include Alside, Aultman Health Foundation, Bank of America, Goodyear, GuideStone Financial Resources, NEOUCOM, Nickles Bakery, Parker Hannifin, Progressive Foam Technologies, RTI International Metals, Republic Engineered Products and Shearer's Foods, Inc. Innis Maggiore is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Direct Marketing Association, the National Investor Relations Institute and the Public Relations Society of America.  

Best-selling author Jack Trout, the world's number one marketing strategist, addresses 500 Ohio business executives Wednesday in Akron, Ohio. His talk, entitled "'Tis the Time to be Terrified," was sponsored by Innis Maggiore, the nation's leading agency in the practice of positioning. (Photo by Joe Smithberger.)