'Positioning' Delivers in These Times of Business Terror, Says World's Top Marketing...

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

Famed Jack Trout addresses 500 in event sponsored by Innis Maggiore

AKRON, Ohio, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing guru Jack Trout 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.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090429/CL08197 )

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.
Visit www.innismaggiore.com.

SOURCE Innis Maggiore

Jack Wollitz, 800-460-4111, jack@innismaggiore.com, of Innis Maggiore