Friday, December 05, 2008
Brilliant marketing – cheap
By Mike Lake
I saw a television commercial last night that was brilliant. Actually, it wasn’t the commercial itself, although it wasn’t bad. What caught my attention and deep respect was the marketing message delivered superbly through the product itself.
It was a commercial for womens’ pajamas. The company sells a nice selection of pajamas: Flannel, silk, nursing, maternity, sexy – something for everyone. They come in a “hat box” along with something called bath tea. But what I find absolutely brilliant is the other component they throw in with each purchase.
Before I disclose it to you, think for a moment about marketing. We’re all trying to… get people to purchase our product or service, right? We spend so much time writing sales and brochure copy to compel people to buy, that we forget about the product or service experience. More importantly, we frequently forget to tap into the beliefs of the buyer that our product or service will reinforce. That’s VERY powerful. The premise behind Seth Goden’s brilliant book, All Marketers are Liars is that we need to discover the story that our prospective buyers believe, then show them how our product/service will confirm, reinforce and help them experience that belief or story.
Back to pajamas. With each set of pajamas, the company also includes a Do Not Disturb door hanger. First, think about the story they are reinforcing: You’re not wearing these pajamas to cook breakfast, clean up after your toddler’s latest accident or do laundry. You’re wearing them behind closed doors in the privacy of your bedroom. Do Not Disturb. ROMANCE! They’re tying their product for women into romance, and doing it in a very powerful and cunning way. Even Victoria’s Secret didn’t come up with anything this good.
Here’s the second key point: This door hanger costs the company almost nothing. It’s a piece of cardboard! And the takeaway for you is that there is an inexpensive something that YOU can add to your product or service that has a low cost and high perceived value to your customer. And when that add-on actually makes your product more compelling, your in rarefied marketing air! Now, you just have to discover it.
Your assignment is to think about the story that your customer believes relative to your product or service. Then figure out what simple element will reinforce that story in her mind. Again, the magic of the door hanger is that it costs almost nothing. We’re not talking about a $500,000 television campaign to convince people that they should like purple shoes. Instead, you’re tapping into an existing belief (I deserve more romance) then providing the means for your customer to experience it through the use of your product or service (hanging the Do Not Disturb sign behind a closed door as you wear – and perhaps disrobe – your beautiful new pajamas.)
By the way, the company is Pajamagram. Great work, guys!
December 19th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?