From the Heart
"A Diamond is for up to 77.43 Years."
It sounds lovely. But for most people, the moment they buy a diamond ring for that special someone isn't when they're thinking about the average life expectancy.
You could say the same for the life expectancy of batteries, too. Duracell knows that when you buy a battery, you're not thinking about parasitic drain (which, as we all know, can be verified with an ammeter). That's why in their Super Bowl commercial this year, they didn’t talk about amps—or even hours of use, for that matter.
"Only Duracell has Power Boost ingredients."
Ingredients like that will make most battery users blush. Sometimes, we marketers forget to connect with our customers. Instead of making them blush, we try to force them to think.
I recently had a brand strategy discussion with the founder and operator of a successful apparel brand. His was a challenger brand—coming up in the market but often edged out of retail floor space by leading brands. I asked why he believed his brand deserved more floor space.
"Ours is 30% warmer."
Selling Percentages
By the sound of it, he was right. He described the technology they had put into designing the product and pointed me to documentation on his materials. It sounded pretty accurate—at least 30% more accurate than anything else I heard that week.
This was great, but unfortunately, when kids are waiting for the bus, they’re not thinking about percentages. More importantly, retail buyers couldn’t care less about those numbers if customers aren’t looking for the product. They want to reserve their precious floor space for the brands that sell best—the ones that allow them to feed themselves and their families. The only number they care about is how many customers walk through the door asking for a brand by name.
If your audience is the retailer, this brand challenge isn’t about pitching your mathematical superiority—it’s about creating demand. Demand starts with customers, and what customers want is often a hidden ingredient in the product experience.
Consider Apple’s wildly successful iPod: customers didn’t want 2 megabytes; they wanted 200 songs. When it comes to batteries, customers don’t want 30 more minutes—they want power that lasts as long as winners do.
Don’t make 'em think when you can make 'em blush.
When it comes to outdoor apparel, "30% warmer" may not grab a customer’s attention—but being more comfortable on the job site might. Customers want to travel lighter, enjoy life longer, and look good while doing it. So start by uncovering what connects your end user’s experience with your product. Then, you’ll be able to build a case that connects with your retailers.
Just as the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so too is it for the retailer.
