Al Ries

Al Ries
Photo of Al Ries
Born
Alfred Paul Ries

(1926-11-14)November 14, 1926
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 7, 2022(2022-10-07) (aged 95)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
EducationDePauw University (1950)[1]
Years active1950–2022
Websitewww.ries.com

Alfred Paul Ries (November 14, 1926 – October 7, 2022) was an American marketing professional and author. He was the cofounder and chairman of the Atlanta-based consulting firm Ries & Ries with his partner and daughter, Laura Ries. Along with Jack Trout, Ries is credited with resurrecting the idea of "positioning" in the field of marketing.[2]

Life and career

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1926, Ries graduated from DePauw University as a mathematics major in 1950.[3][4][1] He accepted a position with the advertising department of General Electric[5] before founding his own advertising agency in New York City, Ries Cappiello Colwell, in 1961.[6][7] Jack Trout joined the agency in 1967.[7] Ries and Trout wrote a three-part series of articles for Advertising Age in 1972.[8] The themes discussed in that series of articles inspired their later book, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, published in 1981.[7] Ries wrote an article for AdWeek that centered around the historical failure of converged devices, Why the iPhone will fail, published in 2007.[9]

The American Marketing Association, NY Chapter announced Ries as one of the 2016 inductees to the Marketing Hall of Fame.[10]

Ries died in Atlanta, Georgia on October 7, 2022, at the age of 95.[3][11]

Books

  • Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. Warner Books. 1981. ISBN 9780446308007. OCLC 881659550.
  • Ries, Al; Trout, Jack (1986). Marketing Warfare. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 9780070527300.
  • Ries, Al; Trout, Jack (1990). Bottom-up Marketing. Plume. ISBN 9780452264182.
  • Ries, Al; Trout, Jack (1991). Find A Horse to Ride: The Key to Marketing Yourself. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070527355.
  • Ries, Al; Trout, Jack (1994). The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. HarperBusiness. ISBN 9780887306662.
  • Ries, Al; Ries, Laura (2000). 11 Immutable Laws of Branding on the Net. HarperCollinsBusiness. ISBN 9780002572224. OCLC 43674591.
  • Ries, Al (2005). Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends On It. Collins Business Essentials. ISBN 9780060799908. OCLC 977381847.
  • Ries, Al; Ries, Laura (2012). The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. HarperBusiness. ISBN 9780060007737. OCLC 934866574.
  • Ries, Al; Ries, Laura (2012). The Origin of Brands: How Product Evolution Creates Endless Possibilities for New Brands. HarperCollins books. ISBN 9780060570156.

References

  1. ^ a b "Business Week List of 'Books That Matter' Includes Work Co-Authored by Al Ries '50". DePauw University. 7 August 2006.
  2. ^ Schudel, Matt (June 13, 2017). "Jack Trout, marketing expert who sought an edge through 'positioning,' dies at 82". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Al Ries, Father of Positioning, Dies at Age 95". AdAge. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. ^ Encyclopedia.com
  5. ^ Ries, Al (October 10, 2016). "Polarize, Don't Demonize: Politics and Marketing". AdAge. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "Indiatimes Seminars: Profile of Al Ries". seminars.indiatimes.com (Press release).
  7. ^ a b c Sandomir, Richard (June 7, 2017). "Jack Trout, Who Fought for Consumers' Minds and Money, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  8. ^ Trout, Jack; Ries, Al (1972). "The Position Era Cometh" (PDF). Advertising Age.
  9. ^ Ries, Al (June 18, 2007). "Why the iPhone will fail' Convergence Devices Have a Frequent History of Failure". Ad Age. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "2016 Marketing Hall of Fame Inductee". New York American Marketing Association. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  11. ^ Sandomir, Richard (October 19, 2022). "Al Ries, Adman Who Sought a Portal Into Consumers' Brains, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2022.


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