Rating: 
Summary: An over-extended brand
Review: Al Ries has written or contributed to some stellar marketing books including "Focus" and "Positioning". The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding is a disgrace compared to previous works. It appears the Reis' got caught up in the Internet hype, stating things like "putting your name on both your physical store and your Website is a serious error" and "On the Internet you should start the brand-building process by forgetting everything you have learned in the past", WHAT? The authors demonstrated their knowledge of the net by introducing us to FrogDog (FogDog.com) and the infamous JRKoop (DrKoop.com), which makes one wonder if the authors were even awake when they wrote this book. You'll find as much hype and as many ill-conceived marketing laws in this book as any on the market. I'd take this book over something like Charles W. Kadlec's "Dow 100,000: Fact or Fiction" so maybe it's worth a second star. The bottom line: DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: Poor book with fine content
Review: Al Ries is, undoubtly, one of the best marketeers alive. However, I think he wrote this book trying to make a "first move" in e-business lectures. To me, this book by itself is not completely good, it seems to have been writen in a rush. Besides, it looks like a copy of the "22 Inmutable Laws of Marketing". Anyway, it is still a great book for those who are just starting their own business and those who have been running it for a while but still have a long way to go. It is a little boring after 3 or 4 chapters, but you'll find valuable information that guides you in developing an strategy for your own brand in the WWW (you can use it off-line, too). If you can combine it with Ries' "22 Inmutable Laws of Marketing" ("Positioning" will also help), then you can get a better picture. I rated it 4 stars because of the quality of the content. It is also a good book for students in the first grades of college.
Rating: 
Summary: As always, Al Ries is RIGHT
Review: Few laws are "immutable" in a business world in which change is the only constant. Indeed, the Rieses' use of the word "laws" may itself be subject to debate. However, the authors do provide 11 helpful guidelines when suggesting how to achieve effective "Internet "branding." For example, (1) The Internet can be a business or a medium, but not both, (6) Advertising off the Net will be a lot bigger than advertising on the Net, (9) The biggest mistake of all is believing that you can do anything and (10) Everyone talks about convergence., while just the opposite is happening. Perhaps you have already read previous books authored or co-authored by Al Ries. Positioning, for example, in which several of the same branding "laws" or guidelines are advocated. In this book, he and his co-author apply them specifically to the Internet. For small-to-midsize companies especially, this can be a very valuable book. In the Age of Commoditization, it is seldom possible for such companies to be ranked first in their category or first entrant in their competitive marketplace (see Laws #5 and #8). Of course, the Rieses understand that. However, small-to-midsize companies CAN prosper if they take full advantage of certain competitive advantages which their size makes possible, especially speed (eg rapid response to a given situation) and resiliency (eg "turn on a dime"). Interestingly enough, huge corporations such as GE and Cisco Systems implement strategies based on essentially the same principles which the Rieses advocate.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read and some thought provoking ideas
Review: I am not sure if I totally agree with everything Al and Laura are saying, some of the argument seem somewhat loosely based on circumstantial evidence, yet on the other hand much of what they have to say makes a lot of sense. I am not so sure that all the 11 laws promulgated are indeed "immutable". The law of vanity (chapter 9), for example, I would like to know what the Ries's think of the Virgin brand and how it has transcended from being a record label to a airline carrier, health club operator, cell-phone service provided among others, is this just and exception or is mutation possible? The book enlightened me into some key insights about the Internet that I had not considered relevant before, like the issue of interactivity and the consequential impact on Internet advertising. I was also particularly irritated at first by their chapter on "divergence" and their strong feelings on the myth of "convergence", but then I gave it some thought, I consider that maybe we are being misled by the media hype in respect of convergence in respect of gadgets, but where I think the Ries's are missing the point is in the convergence at the service level - here I think there is a strong case for convergence of content with medium and billing etc. I think the merger of Time Warner with AOL will prove to be model for future survival. For example if the cable company delivering the pay-per-view TV can also give me my telephone and Internet connection - great. Overall this book definitely provides some useful and sound advice for the entrepreneur considering an e-commerce presence, and which one can avoid this today?
Rating:
Summary: Ries's best book so far
Review: I had problems with Ries's previous books. Back then it was Ries and Trout, instead of Ries and Ries (his daughter). In the older books his basic message was very simple (niche and be the first in the mind of the buyer, position). Ries and Trout are credited with popularizing this positioning subject. From this very simple message, they wrote books that endlessly repeated this important, but very simple, message. Thus, his previous books were tedious, and sometimes boring. I had the same problem with Andy Grove's book, with his basic theme of "Only the Paranoid Survive": one concept... many pages. Thus, I thought his previous books were over kill. But this book is different. Maybe because Ries's daughter kept him on track. This is one of the best books on branding that I've read so far. And, it really does a great job on discussing branding as it applies to internet sites. For example, don't even think of naming your web site without reading this book. From reading this book, I have a much better understanding of how to structure my web site, how to name it, how to come up with internet site business ideas. Although Ries is a marketing guru, and not an internet techno-weenie, his understanding of the internet runs deep, from a business point of view. This is a masterful book, and I recommend it highly. I think a lot of VC firms should have read it before they invested in many of the copy-cat web sites that took their money.
Rating: 
Summary: Most inane book I have ever read
Review: I like reading the books written by Ries, all of which are excellent. This one is no exception! With the trend of using Internet, many Internet businesses emerge. However, many of them find it hard to operate online. What's wrong with them? It is good for Al and Laura Ries to first clarify that the Internet is either a medium or a business. It is really a fundamental and important decision for companies to make. They are sure to be greatly benefit from thinking about this question. In addition, most businesses neglect or even do not know the importance of a good name. With the lack of the good "seeing and touching" visual impact, the powerful tool companies can put in the prospects' mind is a good name. The law of the common name and proper name can give us a clearer picture. A good Internet brand cannot solely rely on a good name. It also depends on the interactivity of the website, singularity in the category, off-line advertising¡KMore of which can be found in the book. This book is very clear. The concept is profound and easy to understand, supported by plenty of examples. I can get a lot of insights from it. And it is interesting! I enjoy reading it!
Rating:
Summary: will the real Tim Sanders please stand up? this book rocks
Review: ok, so we don't all agree @ the yahoo=land. I found this book to be a great read...the easy to understand rules are important because there is very little written about this space to distinguish brand from Internet branding. I really agree with the writers' viewpoints about distinction (autos.com, etc.) and think that it can help would be start ups avoid incredible mistakes. As an Internet professional, i also recognize the importance of a book providing hands on advice regarding today's decisions that impact tomorrow's brand. This book provides this in spades. My copy of the book is marked up with pull quotes that will certainly make it into my powerpoints, i appreciate the work and apologize for all other tim sanders of the world (and my world) that may not get the insight of this story. Tim Sanders Director, Yahoo! ValueLab San Jose, LA, NYC
Rating:
Summary: Worth Reading for those in this field
Review: This book by Al Ries and Laura Ries is Good overall and is in lines with their previous works with similar titles. The author's style of writing itself is impressive with so many examples to prove the point or at least to convince the reader. Although at times I felt that the examples of extranet brands are more than internet brands and even wanted to know the sources of the Data the authors have quoted in various examples. An appendix of the same would have helped to make the book more credible and convincing! But definitely it is worth reading for all those in the field of Internet Marketing and Brands for it gives some invaluable tips.
Rating:
Summary: Most inane book I have ever read
Review: This book offers conclusory statements with very superficial, if any, analysis. For example, the authors argue that technologies tend to diverge, and not converge. For support, they say "[i]n biology, the law of evolution holds that new species are created by the division of a single species. Convergence, instead, suggests that the combining of two species will yield you a new one. Invaraibly in nature you see things divide and not converge. We have hundreds of varieties of dogs and hundreds of varieties of cats, but "very few" dogcats, or chickenducks, or horsecows." What?! I haven't the foggest idea how a system like technology controlled by humans has to do with biology, a system of nature. When there's human intervention, convergence occurs all the time - such is the case with many modern fruits and vegetables that have been bred by humans. And really,there are "very few" varieties of dogcats? I'm not aware of any. I'd be curious as to what the authors have to say about the trend towards bigger corporations, through mergers. According to the authors, these big corporation really shouldn't exist, because things diverge, and not converge. They also make the pompous statement that the purchasers of business.com could have saved $7,499,979 if they had bought the authors' book. The fact that they could claim credit for saying that a brand name shouldn't be generic is preposterous. That is one of the most basic tenet of branding. Of course, the authors does not discuss sex.com, an equally generic name, which has made $40 million in the course of a few years.
Rating:
Summary: Start Improving Your Internet Business Skills Here
Review: This book won't grant you an MBA in Web Marketing. It won't replace sound business practices. It won't be 100% right in its predictions. It won't make you rich. It won't tell you how to make a better widget for your web site. "Ries & Daughter" provide Eleven (11) Laws by which you can judge any Internet business. These are helpful to investors, business owners, venture capitalists, designers, and stock option holders. Or if you just are interested in "the way things work" this book will be of interest. But why should you consider this book when there are so many other Internet business books? First, brand names are important. Look in your kitchen cabinets, the name of your car, etc. Look at the names of the web sites you frequently visit. A good brand name is an often overlooked part of building a business. This book's focus is Internet branding, something that is vitally important to every Internet web site and business. Second, Ries is a good brand. Ries is co-author of Positioning, the most important business book I've ever read. His two other Immutable Law books are also considered by many as classics. In other words, Ries as been talking about branding for sometime and that knowledge is an important component of this book. Third, 11 Immutable Laws is a good start. Another reviewer called it an "easy read." That is a high compliment since complex ideas get explained concisely without a lot of fluff. The book is full of examples and predictions. Names are named. I think the other books can wait until you read this. Fourth, it will give you an understanding about why you like some sites and not others. After you read one law, you might say, "That was obvious." Then that make you think about why the other laws are not obvious to you. That is learning. That is why I went back an re-read the first law. If you are not sure, then read the publisher's information and visit their interactive web site. But I'm biased. Ries and his former partner Trout are two of my five favorite authors. Regardless, I think anyone in the Internet business will find this a useful business tool. Right now I'm examining how our four current and two future Internet products comply with the 11 Laws. Certainly sparks some interesting possiblities.
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