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The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding
As we move into the twenty-first century the most important question for businesses everywhere is: What are we going to do about the Internet? The two most qualified people in the country to answer that question may be Al Ries and Laura Ries. Not only are they the authors of the BusinessWeek bestseller The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, they are also consultants to dozens of Fortune 500 companies.
This book is the result of their hands-on work with both large and small companies as well as Internet start-ups and established Internet brands. Brash, bold, and mercifully succinct, The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding is the definitive text for businesses eager to jump on the Internet expressway.
In the book you'll learn why:
The Internet can be a business or a medium for your brand, but not both.
Interactivity is the single most important ingredient of any Internet site.
The kiss of death for an Internet brand is a common name.
Being second in a category is tantamount to being nowhere.
You have to be fast. You have to be first. You have to be focused.
Everyone is talking about convergence while just the opposite is happening.
The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding will also give you tangible information on how to successfully build your company, product, service, or self into a hot and profitable brand on the Internet. Specifically you'll learn how to:
Build a brand that will dominate a category over an extended period of time.
Find a proper name (instead of a common one) for your Website.
Take your brand into the global marketplace.
Avoid the biggest mistake in Internet branding: the belief that you can do everything.
Take advantage of the transformations that will occur in all aspects of life, thanks to the power of the Internet.
With characteristic counterculture observations and signature marketing savvy, Ries and Ries bring their expertise to branding on the Internet, the most challenging problem in the world of marketing today. No one who wants to turn a brand into a global phenomenon should ignore their sage advice.
This book is the result of their hands-on work with both large and small companies as well as Internet start-ups and established Internet brands. Brash, bold, and mercifully succinct, The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding is the definitive text for businesses eager to jump on the Internet expressway.
In the book you'll learn why:
The Internet can be a business or a medium for your brand, but not both.
Interactivity is the single most important ingredient of any Internet site.
The kiss of death for an Internet brand is a common name.
Being second in a category is tantamount to being nowhere.
You have to be fast. You have to be first. You have to be focused.
Everyone is talking about convergence while just the opposite is happening.
The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding will also give you tangible information on how to successfully build your company, product, service, or self into a hot and profitable brand on the Internet. Specifically you'll learn how to:
Build a brand that will dominate a category over an extended period of time.
Find a proper name (instead of a common one) for your Website.
Take your brand into the global marketplace.
Avoid the biggest mistake in Internet branding: the belief that you can do everything.
Take advantage of the transformations that will occur in all aspects of life, thanks to the power of the Internet.
With characteristic counterculture observations and signature marketing savvy, Ries and Ries bring their expertise to branding on the Internet, the most challenging problem in the world of marketing today. No one who wants to turn a brand into a global phenomenon should ignore their sage advice.
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Published July 19, 2005
14 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Al Ries
54 books377 followersAlfred Paul Ries 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.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 30, 2013
Yes, it's out of date and flat out wrong about many of its predictions about how branding would work on the Internet. However, it's entertaining to see what people were thinking about the web and how we'd best handle it in 2000. It's a quick read and might be worth it if you're interested in Internet history.
Read
December 7, 2020O carte scrisa-n anul 2000, inca utila. Multe predictii s-au adeverit, nu toate, insa nu din acest motiv trebuie citita. Mi se pare ca e utila si ca istorie, sa vedem cum se gandea in anul 2000. E util de stiut. Zic.
March 29, 2020
Like most books about the internet, this one hasn’t aged well. However a lot of interesting notions about the dotcom bust and failed brands from the early years of the internet. Many of the laws and ideas still ring true today, some predictions however are way off. Worth a read, just skip or laugh your way past the authors wrong predictions.
November 8, 2010
some good information in here, although they are blatantly wrong in some of their predictions of the development of the internet.
Also, the internet is not a medium, as they proclaim. The internet is a networktechnology. Big difference.
Apart from that, Ries&Ries deliver. They always do.
Also, the internet is not a medium, as they proclaim. The internet is a networktechnology. Big difference.
Apart from that, Ries&Ries deliver. They always do.
Read
May 16, 2025*The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding* explores the fundamental principles businesses must follow to build strong, lasting brands in the digital space. Al and Laura Ries—renowned marketing strategists—apply timeless branding concepts to the rapidly evolving online world, emphasizing focus, simplicity, and strategic positioning. The book serves as a guide for companies aiming to stand out and thrive in the crowded internet landscape.
---
### **Core Premise**
The internet is a unique environment that changes how brands are built, but it does not eliminate the foundational laws of branding. In fact, these laws are even more critical online, where attention spans are short, competition is vast, and first impressions are decisive.
---
### **The 11 Immutable Laws**
1. **The Law of Either/Or**
The internet doesn’t change branding rules—it magnifies them. Brands must adapt to the medium, not abandon traditional principles.
2. **The Law of Interactivity**
The internet is a two-way communication platform. Brands that engage users rather than just broadcast messages are more effective.
3. **The Law of the Common Name**
Generic names don’t work online. Unique, memorable brand names are essential to avoid getting lost in search results and mental clutter.
4. **The Law of the Proper Name**
A strong brand starts with a strong name. The right name is critical for visibility, recall, and legal ownership.
5. **The Law of Singularity**
Own a word or category in the mind of the consumer. Focus on a narrow niche to dominate it, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
6. **The Law of the Internet Name**
Your domain name matters. The brand name and the URL should be the same, making it easy for users to find and trust you.
7. **The Law of Publicity**
Brands are built through publicity, not advertising—especially on the internet. Early buzz and media exposure are more impactful than paid promotions.
8. **The Law of Advertising**
Advertising is for maintaining brands, not building them. Once established, internet brands should advertise to reinforce their position.
9. **The Law of Globalism**
The internet is inherently global. Brands must think beyond borders from day one, or risk losing relevance.
10. **The Law of Time**
Building a brand online takes time. Instant success is rare; sustained visibility and credibility require patience and consistency.
11. **The Law of Expansion**
Resist the temptation to expand your brand beyond its focus. Overextension weakens brand clarity and dilutes online authority.
---
### **Key Themes**
* **Focus builds power**: The narrower your niche, the more memorable your brand becomes.
* **Simplicity wins**: Clean design, clear messaging, and consistent branding are non-negotiable.
* **The internet rewards first movers**: Getting to market early and staking a clear position creates long-term advantages.
---
### **Core Takeaways**
* Branding on the internet is about clarity, not complexity.
* A strong domain name, focused strategy, and consistent messaging are foundational.
* The best internet brands dominate narrow categories and grow through earned attention, not broad advertising.
---
### **Core Premise**
The internet is a unique environment that changes how brands are built, but it does not eliminate the foundational laws of branding. In fact, these laws are even more critical online, where attention spans are short, competition is vast, and first impressions are decisive.
---
### **The 11 Immutable Laws**
1. **The Law of Either/Or**
The internet doesn’t change branding rules—it magnifies them. Brands must adapt to the medium, not abandon traditional principles.
2. **The Law of Interactivity**
The internet is a two-way communication platform. Brands that engage users rather than just broadcast messages are more effective.
3. **The Law of the Common Name**
Generic names don’t work online. Unique, memorable brand names are essential to avoid getting lost in search results and mental clutter.
4. **The Law of the Proper Name**
A strong brand starts with a strong name. The right name is critical for visibility, recall, and legal ownership.
5. **The Law of Singularity**
Own a word or category in the mind of the consumer. Focus on a narrow niche to dominate it, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
6. **The Law of the Internet Name**
Your domain name matters. The brand name and the URL should be the same, making it easy for users to find and trust you.
7. **The Law of Publicity**
Brands are built through publicity, not advertising—especially on the internet. Early buzz and media exposure are more impactful than paid promotions.
8. **The Law of Advertising**
Advertising is for maintaining brands, not building them. Once established, internet brands should advertise to reinforce their position.
9. **The Law of Globalism**
The internet is inherently global. Brands must think beyond borders from day one, or risk losing relevance.
10. **The Law of Time**
Building a brand online takes time. Instant success is rare; sustained visibility and credibility require patience and consistency.
11. **The Law of Expansion**
Resist the temptation to expand your brand beyond its focus. Overextension weakens brand clarity and dilutes online authority.
---
### **Key Themes**
* **Focus builds power**: The narrower your niche, the more memorable your brand becomes.
* **Simplicity wins**: Clean design, clear messaging, and consistent branding are non-negotiable.
* **The internet rewards first movers**: Getting to market early and staking a clear position creates long-term advantages.
---
### **Core Takeaways**
* Branding on the internet is about clarity, not complexity.
* A strong domain name, focused strategy, and consistent messaging are foundational.
* The best internet brands dominate narrow categories and grow through earned attention, not broad advertising.
April 21, 2021
Hay que tener en cuenta que el libro fue escrito hace 20 años aprox. y que el título indica un contenido algo diferente al presentado.
Apesar de que tiene buenas ideas, son muy subjetivas, falta aportar más ejemplos con fundamento, que tengan un soporte demostrable. Se basa en la experiencia de los autores, que es amplia, pero no es la verdad absoluta, y en lo que piensan que puede pasar en cierto tiempo.
Llega un punto del libro en que se vuelve repetitivo y muestran los mismos ejemplos en varias leyes.
Se rescatan algunas ideas, leyes y frases que después de varios años valen la pena tener en cuenta.
Apesar de que tiene buenas ideas, son muy subjetivas, falta aportar más ejemplos con fundamento, que tengan un soporte demostrable. Se basa en la experiencia de los autores, que es amplia, pero no es la verdad absoluta, y en lo que piensan que puede pasar en cierto tiempo.
Llega un punto del libro en que se vuelve repetitivo y muestran los mismos ejemplos en varias leyes.
Se rescatan algunas ideas, leyes y frases que después de varios años valen la pena tener en cuenta.
February 11, 2023
Not worth reading this book today. Their other branding books are still valid, but they are so wrong here. Slightly entertaining, but you won’t learn anything. Below are two fun examples…
…
Amazon.com has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dominate the book business on a worldwide scale. Why throw away this opportunity in order to chase a dozen other markets, none of which they are likely to dominate?
…
10. INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES WILL
DECLINE
IN IMPORTANCE.
Search engines like Yahoo! are busy adding functions when they should be battening down the hatches for the rough water ahead. Search engines (or portals) are going to be less important in the future than they were in the past.
…
Amazon.com has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dominate the book business on a worldwide scale. Why throw away this opportunity in order to chase a dozen other markets, none of which they are likely to dominate?
…
10. INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES WILL
DECLINE
IN IMPORTANCE.
Search engines like Yahoo! are busy adding functions when they should be battening down the hatches for the rough water ahead. Search engines (or portals) are going to be less important in the future than they were in the past.
June 21, 2020
Did not age well. I loved their take on emergence of the internet and the consequences it had on society. And the idea that television helped with the fall of communism in the late 80's. Unfortunately, a lot of their predictions for marketing on internet have not met their point fully. They were right with some things, to a certain extent. Maybe they should update the book from today's perspective. Also, I find it hilarious that there was not a single mention of Google, but Yahoo! found its way into every chapter.
September 20, 2022
This book is a lot of nonsense.
It’s an old book, but they should also know when it should go off the shelves.
Though the ideas might have made sense 25 years ago, the authority and confidence with which they say amazon.com will fail, Internet company names like buy.com apple.com will no survive is just utter nonsense. No author is above the industry, it’s important for them to be humble. Shred this book!!
It’s an old book, but they should also know when it should go off the shelves.
Though the ideas might have made sense 25 years ago, the authority and confidence with which they say amazon.com will fail, Internet company names like buy.com apple.com will no survive is just utter nonsense. No author is above the industry, it’s important for them to be humble. Shred this book!!
March 17, 2024
Excelente para mejorar o iniciar una nueva marca para internet, puntos claves como decidir entre negocio o medio de comunicación,marcas genéricas,marcas propias.Da ejemplos sobre las principales en el mundo y errores comunes.
August 5, 2017
pretty f**king terrible
September 10, 2018
Hay buenos consejos para la creación de una marca en Internet.
June 1, 2020
Outdated, no longer relevant.
January 21, 2022
This laughable shortsighted, smug book is in sharp contrast to its well-written companion, "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding".
November 26, 2022
Most likely a great book to read all the way back in the early dotcom era. Still containing many truths, though not an extreme value add if you have read the 22 immutable laws of marketing by Ries.
January 31, 2008
Don't bother. Written in 2000, this book was just flat out wrong about how companies would brand themselves on the Internet. For example, early on they said the Internet was a business, not a medium, and as such brick and mortar stores wouldn't survive using the Internet only as another means of touching their customers. He was wrong about that, most brick and mortar stores use online shopping in much the same way they use catalogs, perhaps more of their business comes from online, but it's not a new way of doing business as much as shift. For every Amazon.com and Ebay.com you can point to, you can mention all of the brick and mortar stores that have enjoyed continued success in their physical and cyber locations.
Other examples missed
They write about the rise of AOL, supplanting the cable companies, but Comcast is having the last laugh. Another example they missed was the continued success of Slate.com and Salon. They argued that the business model for magazines, adverstising, wouldn't work online. Again, they were flat out wrong. Although in the Reis's defense, print publications have been faced with shrinking readerships, but that's mostly because you can find the content online faster and easier, but it's still supported by ads, even if those ads are more targeted.
The Internet has turned out to be precisely a medium for conducting business, where most models mimic their real life counterparts.
If we were to talk about social networking on the other hand or travel ....
Other examples missed
They write about the rise of AOL, supplanting the cable companies, but Comcast is having the last laugh. Another example they missed was the continued success of Slate.com and Salon. They argued that the business model for magazines, adverstising, wouldn't work online. Again, they were flat out wrong. Although in the Reis's defense, print publications have been faced with shrinking readerships, but that's mostly because you can find the content online faster and easier, but it's still supported by ads, even if those ads are more targeted.
The Internet has turned out to be precisely a medium for conducting business, where most models mimic their real life counterparts.
If we were to talk about social networking on the other hand or travel ....
December 21, 2016
This is a painful book of failed predictions.
Predicting that advertising won't work online.
That clothes and anything that needs returned won't sell online.
That Amazon shouldn't expand beyond books, because it's bad branding.
I quote, "It will never happen", in regards to computers, internet, and TV converging.
About the smart phone, "palm pilot, phone and CD player converge... It will never happen! Technologies diverge, not converge. Yet the hype continues on."
Etc...
Painful. 1) He/they see the internet as a medium (like radio), and 2) Makes repeated non-branding predictions. 99% of them not even close to right... which makes you question the "immutable" principles guiding the examples.
It is almost the EXACT same book as 22 Immutable Laws of Branding (which is decent)... Mostly the same stories, except with the added bad internet predictions.
Predicting that advertising won't work online.
That clothes and anything that needs returned won't sell online.
That Amazon shouldn't expand beyond books, because it's bad branding.
I quote, "It will never happen", in regards to computers, internet, and TV converging.
About the smart phone, "palm pilot, phone and CD player converge... It will never happen! Technologies diverge, not converge. Yet the hype continues on."
Etc...
Painful. 1) He/they see the internet as a medium (like radio), and 2) Makes repeated non-branding predictions. 99% of them not even close to right... which makes you question the "immutable" principles guiding the examples.
It is almost the EXACT same book as 22 Immutable Laws of Branding (which is decent)... Mostly the same stories, except with the added bad internet predictions.
Read
October 8, 2008The book that changed my life. Prior to reading this I was just an ordinary HTML coder.
April 15, 2012
A little out of date at this point in time, but still some relevant information. I basic foundation of Internet Branding!
September 18, 2012
Wow, it's only ten years old, but this book is OLD. Maybe it was impressive and analytical at the time, but by now everything in it is either obvious or has been proven wrong. Oh well.
March 30, 2013
A should-read book on branding for the knowledge worker, manager, executive, or entrepreneur.
August 12, 2013
Don't expect too much from this introduction to online marketing treatise.
January 29, 2014
So many wrong ideas, proven by time as wrong.
December 1, 2015
Showing its age a little, however still very good points are made. Interesting to see how companies mentioned in the book broke certain laws and you can see how it is slowly eroding them.
October 7, 2016
This is the least useful book by Al Ries, in a field not as familiar to him. But he still takes home some powerful points.
don-t-want-to-read
April 1, 2009Too HEAVY for me
September 19, 2011
Okay. Written in late 90's. Some of his predictions are prophetic through, others, way off.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews