People care more about the categories that brands are in rather than the brand itself, contends marketing expert Laura Ries. Whoever is the category leader often becomes the generic for all brands. Want a photocopy? Xerox it. Want to send a package? FedEx it.

Are you marketing whether someone should buy or which one they should buy once they have a need? It takes a lot of time and money to get new people to enter your market, writes marketer Seth Godin. Would you rather sell the college experience or the benefits of your school? It's usually left up to the market leader to sell the category. Think Nike's Just Do It campaign.

Branding is about expectations - putting your brand first in the mind of customers who care about that particular category. Focus on mindshare, not market share, says Ries.

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"$53 billion is wasted in marketing as a result of missing the mark on consumers' motivations."

Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart

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