This article distills the timeless wisdom of Al Ries and Jack Trout’s iconic marketing book The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing into 22 must-follow rules for Indian freelancers targeting Tier 1 markets such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
Table of Contents
Previously on Customer Education Graph…
Raghunandan discovered that writing words isn’t enough. The real power move is teaching customers what to want. By leveraging AI-assisted education, he positioned himself as more than just a copywriter. He became the architect of demand.
But as he built his influence, he saw a brutal truth: most freelancers sabotage themselves by refusing to specialize. They chase every gig, serve everyone, and stand for nothing, violating the very laws that make brands unshakable.
Now, the gavel is about to drop. Raghunandan is on trial for breaking the 22 Iron Laws of Niching. His sentence? A lifetime in no-profit jail… unless he can prove he’s learned the rules of positioning.
(Continued…)
The courtroom was suffocating. Dimly lit. Heavy with the scent of old parchment and ink-stained confessions of failed marketers.
At the center of the grand hall, bound in chains of unpaid invoices and rejection emails, stood Raghunandan Parvathishankar Dayanidhi Venkatanarasimhan Subramaniam Nair. Once a freelancer, now a felon, he was accused of the gravest crime: breaking the 22 iron laws of marketing.
Behind the towering judge’s bench sat Justice Parvathishankar Dayanidhi Venkatanarasimhan Subramaniam Nair, his father and the court’s most feared executioner of bad marketing decisions. His robe was embroidered with the failed logos of businesses that had crumbled under ignorance. In his grip rested the Gavel of Undeniable Truth, a hammer that sealed the fate of the incompetent.
In the prosecutor’s seat was Swathisundari Ranganayaki Rajalakshmi Parameshwari Ranganathan Iyer, the CEO of Tantra perfumes.
“Raghunandan Parvathishankar Dayanidhi Venkatanarasimhan Subramaniam Nair, you stand accused of violating the sacred laws that govern success in business, branding, and copywriting.”
Parvathishankar’s eyes burned into his son. “Do you deny the charges?”
Raghunandan gulped. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Silence!” thundered Parvathishankar. “Ignorance is no defense in this court. You have violated laws that cannot be broken without consequence.”
The jury gasped. Somewhere in the gallery, a failed entrepreneur wept.
Parvathishankar raised his gavel. “For each crime, you will be tried. For each violation, you will receive your sentence. Only if you learn and repent will you be granted mercy.”
The room fell silent.
The trial was about to begin.
The law of leadership
Swathi stood. “What’s the #1 luxury perfume?”
“Chanel No. 5.”
“The number 2?”
Silence.
Justice Parvathishankar sighed. “Exactly. No one remembers the second place. You made Tantra just another perfume. If it had been the first Indian mysticism perfume, it would own the category.”
Freelancer reality check
If you’re competing, you’re invisible.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of category
Swathi leaned in. “If you can’t be first in a category, what do you do?”
Raghunandan hesitated. “Be better?”
Justice Parvathishankar shook his head. “Wrong. You create a new category where you’re the first.”
Swathi smirked. “Chanel No. 5 was the first luxury perfume. But what was the first eco-luxury perfume?”
Raghunandan blinked. “Tantra?”
“Exactly. If Tantra were the first Ayurvedic artisanal perfume, it wouldn’t compete. It would own.”
Freelancer reality check
Create a category of one.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of the mind
Swathi’s voice was sharp. “You said you’d make Tantra the go-to name in luxury perfumes.”
Raghunandan swallowed hard. “I did everything – ads, emails, influencer outreach…”
“And yet,” she snapped, tossing a glossy magazine onto the table, “when Vogue listed the must-have artisanal perfumes of the year, Tantra wasn’t there. But a brand launched six months after us was.”
Parvathishankar tapped his gavel. “Marketing isn’t about who’s first in the market. It’s about who’s first in the mind. And you, Raghunandan, failed to put Tantra there.”
Raghunandan’s face burned. He had chased visibility instead of memory, noise instead of mental real estate.
Freelancer reality check
If you’re not the first name they think of, you might as well not exist.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of perception
Swathi’s glare could cut steel. “You thought Tantra would win because it’s better?”
“It is better,” Raghunandan argued. “The ingredients, the formulation…”
“And?” Swathi snapped. “You think people read lab reports before buying perfume?”
Silence.
Parvathishankar sighed. “Marketing is not a battle of products. It’s a battle of perceptions.”
Swathi tossed a printout onto the table. A forum post:
“Tantra? Never heard of it. If it’s that good, why isn’t anyone talking about it?”
She folded her arms. “You didn’t perfect the story. And that’s why Tantra is invisible.”
Freelancer reality check
Perception is truth. Reality is irrelevant.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of focus
“You lack focus.”
Parvathishankar’s voice was calm, but his eyes burned.
Swathi leaned in. “What’s Tantra’s one word?”
Raghunandan hesitated. “Seduction?”
“Wrong.” Swathi’s gaze was sharp. “Tantra is about dominance.”
Parvathishankar nodded. “Brands that try to stand for too much stand for nothing. One word. That’s all you get.”
He turned to Raghunandan. “And you? You’ve mastered GEO, AI branding, and persuasion. What’s your one word?”
Silence.
Swathi smirked. “That’s why clients see you as a service provider, not a leader.”
Freelancer reality check
Branding is about owning a word in the prospects’ mind the way Xerox owns photocopying.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of exclusivity
Swathi slid her phone across the table. A tweet from a perfume influencer:
“Tantra? Sounds like a Desi Tom Ford wannabe. Hard pass.”
Raghunandan felt his stomach drop.
“Problem?” Parvathishankar asked.
“They think we’re copying Tom Ford,” Raghunandan muttered.
Swathi smirked. “Because you tried to own ‘seduction.’ But Tom Ford already does. You didn’t claim a word. You reinforced his.”
Parvathishankar leaned back. “You can’t change people’s minds once they’re made up. If a word is taken, you need a new one.”
Swathi raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s Tantra’s real word?”
Raghunandan hesitated. Then, it hit him.
“Dominance.”
Swathi smiled. “Now you’re thinking like a brand.”
Freelancer reality check
If you chase a word someone else owns, you’ll only remind people of them.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of the ladder
Justice Iyer adjusted his glasses. “You claim to be the best copywriter?”
Raghunandan gulped. “Uh… yes?”
Justice Iyer scoffed. “Prove it.”
Silence.
Parvathishankar sighed. “There’s only one No. 1. If you’re not Nike, you’re Adidas. Who are you?”
More silence.
“Fine. Who’s the No. 1 AI writing tool?”
“ChatGPT.”
“And No. 2?”
“Would Claude saying ‘We’re the best AI’ make sense?”
“No. That spot’s taken.”
“Exactly. Instead, they own their rung. Claude is ‘thoughtful.’ Gemini is ‘integrated.’ They don’t claim No. 1. They claim different.”
Justice Iyer smirked. “So… are you still ‘the best’?”
Raghunandan’s brain fired up. “I’m India’s top AI-powered, memory-optimized copywriter!”
Parvathishankar beamed.
Freelancer reality check
You don’t need to be No. 1. Just own your spot.
- The fastest? Own speed.
- The best storyteller? Own narrative-driven copy.
- The best at conversions? Own high-ROI copy.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of duality
Justice Iyer tapped his gavel. “Tell me, Raghunandan, who dominates smartphones?”
“Apple and Samsung,” Raghunandan replied.
“And food delivery?”
“Zomato and Swiggy.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “In the long run, every market becomes a two-horse race. The leaders fight. Everyone else fights for scraps.”
Parvathishankar chimed in. “Amazon vs. Flipkart. Coke vs. Pepsi. OpenAI vs. Anthropic. If you’re not one of the two, you’re nobody.”
Raghunandan frowned. “So what if I’m No. 3?”
Justice Iyer adjusted his glasses. “Then you’d better carve out a niche before the big guys crush you.”
Parvathishankar smirked. “Or do what Swathi did. Make the game about something else. When the market said, ‘Chanel or Dior,’ Tantra said, ‘Forget them. We’re the only Indian luxury perfume.’”
Freelancer reality check
If you’re not No. 1 or No. 2, own a unique position or prepare to vanish.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of the opposite
Raghunandan stood before Justice Iyer, his face blank. He had no defense this time.
Justice Iyer leaned forward. “So you positioned Tantra as Indian luxury. Good. But what happens when Chanel and Dior launch ‘exclusive Indian collections’?”
Raghunandan swallowed. “Then… we’re just another perfume brand.”
Parvathishankar smirked. “Exactly. They’re bigger. They have budgets. If you fight them on their terms, you lose.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “Where is the leader strong?”
Raghunandan exhaled. “Heritage. Legacy. French craftsmanship.”
“And how do you turn that strength into a weakness?”
Raghunandan’s eyes lit up. “By being the opposite. If they’re heritage, we’re modern. If they’re old world, we’re futuristic. If they’re for royalty, Tantra is for rebels.”
Parvathishankar grinned. “Now you get it.”
Freelancer reality check
Agencies are slow, bloated, and overpriced. You’re fast, lean, and lethal. Win on difference.
Justice Iyer slammed his gavel.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of division
The Law of Division
Swathi smirked. “What’s the biggest social media platform?”
“Facebook.”
“And what’s the biggest professional networking platform?”
“LinkedIn.”
Justice Parvathishankar leaned in. “Markets don’t merge. They split. Facebook tried to be everything – news, video, shopping. But serious professionals needed something different, so LinkedIn took over.”
Swathi crossed her arms. “I almost made the same mistake with Tantra. Tried to be ‘luxury perfume’ instead of owning a division like ‘Indian power scents’. But once I did, no one could touch me.”
Raghunandan gulped. “So… trying to be a ‘one-stop AI content agency’ was a mistake?”
Parvathishankar nodded. “Instead of doing it all, you should’ve specialized – AI-powered email sequences for e-commerce, AI-driven sales pages for SaaS. Own a subcategory or drown in generalist hell.”
Freelancer reality check
Markets evolve by splitting, not merging. Carve your niche before someone else does.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of perspective
Swathi paced in front of Raghunandan’s desk. “Marketing is like investing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You lost me.”
“In the short term, speculation feels exciting. Quick wins, viral spikes, and discounts bring instant gratification. But in the long run? It’s strategic compounding that builds true wealth.”
Justice Parvathishankar sighed. “Businesses make the same mistake. They chase short-term highs, flash sales, gimmicks, and growth hacks, without realizing they’re sabotaging long-term value.”
Raghunandan swallowed hard. “So you’re saying… my aggressive discounting strategy…”
Swathi smirked. “Short-term high. But Tantra? I built it slow. No sales, no discounts. Just premium pricing and category ownership. And now? It’s untouchable.”
Parvathishankar leaned in. “You, my boy, built a drug addiction for your clients. They crave immediate dopamine hits. But the brands that last? They play the long game.”
Freelancer reality check
A quick win today can be your downfall tomorrow. Build something that compounds over time.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of line extension
Swathi stared at Raghunandan with a raised eyebrow. “What’s the worst thing a brand can do?”
Raghunandan thought for a moment. “Extend itself too far? Overreach?”
Swathi nodded. “Exactly. Line extensions. Trying to be everything to everyone.”
Justice Parvathishankar leaned in. “You’ve seen brands do it. They start with a strong identity, then dilute it by launching random product lines, confusing their audience.”
Swathi smirked. “Tantra could’ve done it – bath oils, body lotions, candles. All the usual crap. But I didn’t.”
Raghunandan’s eyes widened. “You kept it focused. Stayed true to the essence of Tantra.”
“That’s right,” Swathi said. “Because once you start spreading yourself thin, you risk losing the very thing that made your brand special.”
Justice Parvathishankar nodded. “Every product you launch has to align with the core identity. The moment you chase cash, you forget who you are.”
Freelancer reality check
Dilute your brand, and you dilute its power.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of sacrifice
Swathi crossed her arms, her gaze hard. “To win, you have to let go of something.”
Raghunandan blinked. “What do you mean?”
Parvathishankar leaned forward. “You can’t be everything to everyone. To own a category, to truly dominate, you must give up something.”
Swathi nodded. “I gave up the idea of being a mass-market brand. I had to sacrifice volume for exclusivity. Tantra is for those who understand its essence. Not for everyone who walks into a store looking for a scent.”
Justice Parvathishankar smiled wryly. “In marketing, that sacrifice is essential. The more you try to be universal, the more you’ll fade into the background. Tantra’s strength comes from its sharp focus on a select audience, the powerful few who crave what only it can give.”
Raghunandan swallowed hard. “But… I thought scaling meant more offerings. More reach.”
Swathi’s smile was tight. “Scaling isn’t always about bigger. It’s about deeper. Tantra doesn’t want the masses. It wants the elite. And for that, we made a sacrifice.”
Freelancer reality check
The price of success is always a sacrifice. You can’t win everything, but you can dominate your niche.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of attributes
Swathi leaned in. “What makes Tantra different from all the other perfumes?”
Raghunandan blinked. “It’s artisanal, Indian… premium?”
Swathi shook her head. “Not enough. You need one defining attribute.”
Justice Parvathishankar nodded. “Think Chanel No. 5 – elegance. Tom Ford – seduction. Tantra needs to own one thing, and it has to be mysticism.”
Raghunandan hesitated but remembered just in time. “Dominance?”
“Exactly,” Swathi grinned. “Make Tantra synonymous with dominance. Reinforce it in every message, every touchpoint.”
Freelancer reality check
For Indian freelancers targeting American brands, your edge isn’t just your service. It’s your unique perspective. Find that one defining attribute that only you can offer and make it the heart of your brand.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of candor
Justice Iyer leaned forward. “Raghunandan, tell me. Why would a brand admit its flaws?”
Raghunandan hesitated. “Isn’t marketing about highlighting strengths?”
Swathi smirked. “And yet, Tesla openly says, ‘Our cars aren’t perfect, but they get better with every update.’ Duolingo jokes, ‘We’re the reason you cry at 2 AM.’
Parvathishankar nodded. “Because when you admit a negative, people trust you. They assume the rest must be true.”
Justice Iyer tapped his gavel. “People doubt perfect claims. But honesty? That’s disarming. The key is to turn the flaw into a strength fast.”
Raghunandan’s eyes widened. “So if I admit, ‘I’m not the cheapest freelancer, but I’ll make you the most money,’ I’m using the law of candor?”
Swathi grinned. “Exactly. Even Tantra leaned into this. ‘Too niche for the masses. Too luxurious to ignore.’”
Freelancer reality check
Admit the flaw. Flip it into an advantage. That’s how you win trust and clients.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of singularity
Justice Iyer steepled his fingers. “Raghunandan, when Google wanted to dominate AI search, what did it do?”
Raghunandan thought for a moment. “They released Bard?”
Parvathishankar shook his head. “Too scattered. Too reactive. The real move? They made Search Generative Experience the default, pushing AI answers to billions overnight. One singular, decisive stroke.”
Swathi added, “Tesla didn’t try to make better gas cars. They went all-in on electric. Amazon didn’t just improve bookstores. They made them obsolete with one-click shopping.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “The mistake? Trying to win with minor tweaks. Success comes from one bold, unexpected move that shifts the battlefield.”
Raghunandan frowned. “So freelancers shouldn’t try to be slightly better than the competition?”
Swathi smirked. “If you’re competing on price or speed, you’ve already lost. Tantra didn’t try to out-luxury Chanel. We rewrote the game. ‘Indian heritage, French craftsmanship, no Western equivalent.’”
Freelancer reality check
Small optimizations don’t change the game. One well-placed, unexpected move does.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of unpredictability
Swathi leaned back, arms crossed. “Raghunandan, did you predict that Tantra would dominate luxury wellness?”
Raghunandan chuckled. “Not exactly. But you built for it.”
Justice Iyer adjusted his glasses. “And that’s the lesson. The greatest mistake in marketing is assuming you can predict the future. You can’t. But you can prepare for it.”
Swathi smirked. “When I launched Tantra, competitors laughed. They thought ‘luxury Ayurveda’ was a contradiction. But I tracked two trends. Premiumization of wellness and a shift from synthetic to natural solutions. I didn’t predict the future. I positioned for it.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “IBM bet on OfficeVision. Kodak clung to film. Both were erased by unexpected shifts. Freelancers and brands suffer the same fate when they chase outdated models. SEO writers ignored AI. Now GEO specialists thrive while they fade into obscurity.”
Raghunandan exhaled. “So the key is flexibility?”
Justice Iyer tapped his gavel. “Correct. The brands that survive disrupt themselves before the market does. Change is an opportunity.”
Swathi locked eyes with Raghunandan. “Tantra didn’t succeed because I had a perfect 10-year plan. It thrived because I moved fast when the market shifted. The moment you stop evolving, you start dying.”
Freelancer reality check
You don’t predict the future. You position for it. Stay ahead of trends or get left behind.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of success
Justice Iyer adjusted his glasses. “Tell me, Raghunandan, what almost killed Tantra?”
Raghunandan clenched his fists. “We were doing great. Then… I got comfortable. Stopped innovating. Stopped listening.”
Swathi sighed. “Success is a drug. The moment you believe you’ve ‘made it,’ it blinds you.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “Big brands fall when they get arrogant. BlackBerry ignored the iPhone. Nokia laughed at Android. Kodak dismissed digital cameras. Success breeds ego. Ego breeds downfall.”
Parvathishankar leaned in. “And you? You stopped testing, stopped adapting, and stopped questioning. You thought you were untouchable.”
Raghunandan’s throat went dry. He had spent months basking in Tantra’s rise. Until he realized the market never stops moving.
Swathi smirked. “And now?”
Raghunandan exhaled. “Now, I stay paranoid. Always evolving. Always hungry.”
Freelancer reality check
Success isn’t a finish line. It’s a slippery slope. Stay sharp, or you’ll slide off.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of failure
“Failure isn’t fatal. Refusing to admit it is.”
Raghunandan sat, shoulders slumped, as Justice Iyer peered at him over his glasses.
“So, you had a bad idea.”
Raghunandan swallowed. “I thought it would work.”
Swathi crossed her arms. “And when it didn’t, what did you do?”
He hesitated. “Tried to force it. Tweaked it. Poured more money in. I told myself I just needed to ‘push harder.’”
Justice Iyer sighed. “Classic mistake. The market whispers its verdict early. Winners listen. Losers double down on failure.”
Swathi shook her head. “Netflix killed DVDs when streaming took over. Apple axed the iPod for the iPhone. Smart companies don’t ‘fix’ dead ideas. They bury them.”
Parvathishankar leaned forward. “But you? You let your ego get in the way. You held on, hoping to ‘prove’ you were right.”
Raghunandan exhaled. “And I paid for it.”
Justice Iyer nodded. “Next time, recognize failure early. Cut your losses. Move on.”
Freelancer reality check
The market doesn’t care about your feelings. If something isn’t working, kill it before it kills you.
BANG. GUILTY.
The law of hype
“The louder the hype, the bigger the flop.”
Raghunandan fidgeted as Justice Parvathishankar eyed him.
“So, you jumped on the AI viral content bandwagon?”
Raghunandan nodded. “It had so much buzz. Everyone said it was the future.”
Swathi’s lips curled. “And did you test it?”
“…No.”
Justice Parvathishankar sighed. “And when it failed?”
Raghunandan swallowed. “I had already built my brand around it. I couldn’t back out.”
Swathi shook her head. “Hype isn’t proof of success. Coca-Cola learned that with New Coke. You should’ve learned it before betting everything.”
Justice Parvathishankar’s voice hardened. “Smart freelancers ignore the noise and follow results. You followed the crowd.”
BANG. GUILTY.
Freelancer reality check
Trends fade. Real demand lasts. Don’t let the hype bankrupt your career.
The law of acceleration
“Fads burn bright and die fast. Trends reshape the world.”
Justice Parvathishankar steepled his fingers. “So, you bet everything on a video production studio?”
Raghunandan exhaled. “The demand was insane. Clients couldn’t get enough.”
Swathi arched an eyebrow. “And now?”
“…Ghost town.”
Justice Parvathishankar sighed. “Classic mistake. You mistook a sugar rush for a sustainable diet.”
Swathi nodded. “Like Clubhouse. Everyone raved about audio-only social media. Investors threw in millions. Brands rushed to build a presence. Then? Silence. Meanwhile, podcasting? Slower, steadier. It kept growing.”
Freelancer reality check
If your service depends on a hype cycle, you don’t have a business. You have an expiration date.
Justice Parvathishankar’s gavel came down hard. BANG. GUILTY.
The law of resources
The Law of Resources
“Marketing is like a bonfire. A few twigs won’t keep it burning. You need enough fuel to sustain the flame.”
Justice Parvathishankar tapped his gavel. “So, let me get this straight. You ran Meta ads with a ₹5,000 budget, targeting high-ticket US clients, and expected a flood of leads.”
Raghunandan fidgeted. “I optimized my copy, refined my targeting, and even ran A/B tests.”
Swathi sighed. “But you didn’t put in enough to get past Meta’s learning phase. Small budgets mean limited reach, inconsistent results, and wasted effort.”
Justice Parvathishankar leaned forward. “Some things in marketing can be hacked. Some things just require money. No exceptions.”
Swathi nodded. “Freelancers don’t need to waste money, but they can’t be allergic to spending it either. Some doors only open when you pay the price.”
What does this mean for freelancers?
- Some strategies are free but take time (organic content, cold outreach, referrals).
- Some strategies are fast but cost money (ads, sponsorships, premium tools).
- Some things don’t work on a shoestring budget (if you’re competing in a crowded space, $10 ads won’t cut it).
Freelancer reality check
You can be smart with money, but you can’t escape the need for it. Some strategies require patience. Some require investment. Choose wisely.
BANG. GUILTY.
Life Sentence in Broke Jail
“For the crime of failing to niche down and trying to serve everyone…
“I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment in Broke Jail, where freelancers survive on exposure, wait months for payments, and negotiate with clients who ‘circle back later’ but never do.”
BANG. GUILTY.
The courtroom spun. Raghunandan felt the cold steel of the cell door slam shut.
“No… NO! I can’t be here! I wrote for tech startups! I wrote for DTC brands! I wrote for SaaS! I…”
A voice from the darkness whispered, “Should’ve niched down, genius.”
He turned. The shadows flickered. A ghostly swarm of forgotten LinkedIn posts, ignored cold emails, and clients who “went in a different direction” hovered around him.
Raghunandan gasped.
…and bolted upright, drenched in sweat.
The dim light of his desk lamp flickered. His copy of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing lay open beside him. He had fallen asleep reading it.
A rustle.
Parvathishankar stood by the door, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. “What’s wrong, da?”
Raghunandan rubbed his eyes. “I… I was in court. You were the judge. Swathi was the prosecutor. I got sentenced to life in Broke Jail for trying to be everything to everyone.”
Parvathishankar chuckled. “Serves you right. What did you learn?”
“That generalists starve. Specialists thrive.”
His father smiled. “Good. The fact that these laws are haunting your dreams means you’re absorbing them. And if they’re in your dreams, your success is inevitable.”
Raghunandan exhaled. The fear faded.
He glanced at the book. The Law of Focus.
Lesson learned.
(To be continued…)
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