UFC, Strikeforce, and the Law of Fellowship

Selected quotations from Chapter 11, The Law of Fellowship in The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al and Laura Ries:

• In order to build the category, a brand should welcome other brands.
• Greed often gets in the way of common sense.
• Not only should the dominant brand tolerate competitors, it should welcome them. The best thing that happened to Coca-Cola was Pepsi-Cola.
• Choice stimulates demand. The competition between Coke and Pepsi makes customers more cola conscious. Per capita cola consumption goes up.
• Customers respond to competition because choice is seen as a major benefit. If there is no choice, customers are suspicious. Maybe the category has some flaws? Maybe the price is too high? Who wants to buy a brand if you don’t have another brand to compare it with?
• Your brand should welcome healthy competition. It often brings more customers into the category.
• And remember; no brand can ever own the entire market (unless of course it is a government-sanctioned monopoly) [emphasis added].