Marketing Laws
Evidence-based principles on how marketing actually works. From Ehrenberg-Bass to behavioral science, from Binet & Field to attention research.
Double Jeopardy Law
Big brands have more buyers and higher repeat rates. Loyalty follows size, not strategy.
Penetration Drives Growth
Brands grow mainly by reaching more buyers, not by increasing loyalty.
Light Buyer Law
Most sales come from buyers who purchase infrequently, not heavy users.
Repertoire Buying Behaviour
Consumers buy from a set of acceptable brands, not one favorite.
Market Share Predicts Profitability
Larger brands tend to be more profitable due to scale advantages.
Mental Availability
Brands grow by being easily thought of in buying situations.
Physical Availability
Brands must be easy to buy wherever and whenever people want them.
Memory Building
Advertising works by building memory structures, not changing minds.
Distinctive Assets Law
Consistent brand cues drive recognition faster than differentiation claims.
Fluency Over Persuasion
Easy-to-process messages outperform complex, rational arguments.
Emotion Outperforms Rational Messaging
Emotional advertising drives stronger long-term effects than rational ads.
Fame Beats Persuasion
Being noticed matters more than convincing people with arguments.
Alienation Paranoia
Marketers overestimate how many people they'll offend by being distinctive.
Distinctiveness Over Differentiation
Being recognisable matters more than being meaningfully different.
Being Ignored Is the Biggest Risk
Neutral, safe advertising underperforms more than bold work.
Long and Short of It
Brand building and activation do different jobs and require different strategies.
60/40 Rule (Contextual)
Long-term brand investment typically outperforms short-term activation alone.
Short-Term ROI Bias
Short-term metrics undervalue long-term brand effects.
Brand Effects Compound
Long-term brand investment creates compounding returns over time.
Effort Minimisation
People choose the easiest acceptable option, not the best one.
Autopilot Decision-Making
Most brand choices are made without conscious deliberation.
Category Entry Points Matter
Brands grow by linking to more buying situations.
People Pay Less Attention Than You Think
Most advertising is processed passively, if at all.
Attention Is Emotional First
Emotion drives attention faster than logic.
Left-Brain Bias in Modern Advertising
Over-rational advertising underperforms emotionally rich work.
Excess Share of Voice (ESOV)
Brands with higher share of voice than market share tend to grow.
Reach Beats Precision
Broad reach usually outperforms hyper-targeting for growth.
Over-Targeting Limits Growth
Narrow targeting reduces future demand potential.
Social Proof Effect
People copy the behavior of others, especially in uncertainty.
Pratfall Effect
Admitting a weakness increases credibility and likability.
The Generation Effect
People remember better what they've actively completed themselves.
Peak-End Rule
People judge experiences by their peak moment and ending, not the average.
Costly Signaling
Expensive advertising signals quality and commitment to customers.
Context Effects
Context changes perceived value more than the product itself.
Reciprocity Principle
People feel obligated to return favors and gifts.
Scarcity Bias
Limited availability increases perceived value.
Anchoring Effect
The first number you see influences all subsequent judgments.
Active vs Passive Attention
Not all attention is equal; active attention builds memory.
Attention Threshold
There's a minimum attention level required for advertising to have an effect.
Platform Attention Inequality
Different platforms generate vastly different attention quality.
Pixels vs Seconds Trade-off
Larger ad size requires less time to build memory.
Price-Quality Heuristic
Higher price signals higher quality in consumers' minds.
Decoy Effect
A third option changes preferences between the original two.
Loss Aversion
Losses hurt twice as much as equivalent gains feel good.
Pain of Paying
Payment method affects perceived value and spending behavior.
Psychological Pricing
$9.99 vs $10.00 works, but not for the reasons you think.
Differentiation Is Overclaimed
Most brands are less unique than they believe.
Optimization Kills Distinctiveness
Excessive testing leads to average, forgettable work.
Loyalty Programs Rarely Drive Growth
They mostly reward existing behavior without changing it.
Brand Purpose Rarely Drives Choice
Purpose matters more internally than in buying decisions.
Strategy Is Not Messaging
A slogan is not a strategy.
95/5 Rule
95% of B2B buyers are not in-market at any given moment.
B2B Buyers Are Still Human
B2B decisions are as emotional as B2C.
The Long & Short of B2B
60/40 rule applies in B2B (adjusted to ~46/54).
Category Entry Points in B2B
B2B brands need mental availability too.
Attribution Fallacy
Digital attribution overvalues the last click.
Incrementality Gap
Most conversions would happen even without the ad.
Maintain Investment in Downturn
Brands that don't cut during recession grow faster after.
ESOV Multiplier in Recession
ESOV effect is stronger when competitors cut budgets.