Positioning, by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Most people file Positioning under marketing. I think that's a mistake.So much of what we do in public affairs is positioning — positioning an issue, positioning your organisation as a stakeholder, positioning a specific policy ask. The discipline that Ries and Trout describe is core to what we do. But it's a discipline most practitioners have never been formally trained in.In this episode, I break down the 1981 book that changed how we think about communication. We cover:Why communication itself became the communication problemOutside-in vs. inside-out thinking — and why practitioners default to the wrong oneHow the mind filters, ranks, and anchors informationFour mental models: The Ladder, The Créneau, The Teeter-Totter, and SacrificeWhy leading with your cognitive argument is the most common mistake in the fieldNaming as a strategic weapon — lessons from the PMOThe coalition dilution trapWhy audiences filter your issues through their own self-identityConnections to Lippmann, McRaney, Luntz, and CentolaKey quote from the book: "Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect."Book: Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries and Jack Trout (McGraw-Hill, 1981)The Canon So Far:Walter Lippmann — Public OpinionDavid McRaney — How Minds ChangeFrank Luntz — Words That WorkDamon Centola — ChangeRobert Cialdini —Pre-suasionAl Ries & Jack Trout — PositioningMasters in Public Affairs is a podcast about the fundamentals of public affairs — one book at a time. Hosted by Joseph Lavoie.