I went to Best Buy to buy a new Dell laptop. I have used a Dell for the last ten years at work. I didn’t have any other brand in mind when I walked in the store. I needed this for my new marketing consulting business and I needed it that day.
I didn’t want to wait to custom build one from Dell as I have done in the past. However, I also liked that I could play with it in the store and get a feel for the design, keyboard action, and overall look. So off I went to Best Buy.
I ended up buying the new Lenovo YOGA.
I had a complicated experience buying this Lenovo computer, and I’ll save that for another day. The short version is that this computer was so new that they didn’t have it in stock, but they didn’t note that on the display.
Why I Bought A Different Brand
As I think about my purchase, here is the thought process that went into this decision. (at least on a conscious level)
- I wanted something different and was tired of the same old, same old.
- The Dell design was chunkier and clunky. At least the ones in the store all felt like old news.
- The Dell screen was smaller for the same amount of money as the Lenovo.
- The Dell had a thicker screen whereas the Lenovo was thinner and more elegant and nicely beveled.
- I didn’t want to buy an Apple since I wasn’t interested in learning a new system – I’m happy with my PC world.
- I thought the name YOGA was a hip name.
- I liked how the computer can be folded so I could use the monitor like a tablet.
- I hadn’t thought of the benefit of a touch screen and a PC in one – but it opened up my imagination to some new possibilities.
- I liked how this computer could be used to present slides or video in a meeting. It folds in a cool way to make that very easy.
- I liked silver versus black for the overall look and color.
- Dollar for dollar, I felt that I was getting the same computing power and battery life.
- I don’t know a lot of others with a Lenovo YOGA, so it’s different. And as a marketing consultant, I want to project differently.
Hello Lenovo
What did I learn about marketing from my experience?
- Products need to keep evolving. Dell may have something that matched the YOGA product from Lenovo, but I wasn’t aware of it.
- Brands can feel old and stale. Dell is known. It is comfortable. I am changing into a different chapter or phase of my life and wanted something that reminded me of that feeling each and every day.
- We buy into the feeling of a brand. Lenovo and the YOGA product line didn’t have a sharp, well-defined meaning so I could project myself with the product. Is there a lesson in a brand that allows you to see yourself without it being so restricted?
Are you communicating how your brand is evolving? A brand needs to be about tomorrow, not today.
Like Wayne Gretzky’s famous saying about skating where the puck is going, a brand needs to move where the consumer is heading.
Brands need to live in the future, now.
______________
