I’m surprised at how hard people struggle to market their products. My observation is that they are trying to make people want something they don’t need. That is so difficult. Think of me trying to sell you stuff you hate or have no interest in – I can annoy the hell out of you and maybe get you to think about my brand. Should brands be twisting arms or delighting people by solving problems? The consumer may say I need a hole, not a drill. The drill people may say, let’s sell drills because consumer’s need drills.
What type of relationship is that if I am forcing you to like my product?
Great brands understand problems that customers have – even if the customers don’t express them. Then they create brilliant solutions so the problems can go away. When the problem is seen as the hole I need not the drill you want to sell, things shift.
I’d urge you to stop selling drills when people’s needs are expressed as a hole. Don’t push your brand on me when I don’t care about you, your product or what you are selling. I have needs and your attempt to sell me something isn’t solving any problem.
STOP. Think about what motivates you to buy something?
Often you have a need that is conscious or under the surface. Or, it is something that is a common problem you deal with everyday. When a marketer understands what outcome is needed, the magic happens.
Why Advertising is a Tax When You Need a Hole Not a Drill
A lot of consumers needed to figure out how to get meals on the table in 30 minutes. Rachael Ray solved that problem with a focused offering of a TV show, cookbooks and a brand dedicated to that idea. Her brand is the solution. Rachael’s books and shows make the consumer’s life easier by helping solve a simple need.
A lot of people also need to find a community who might be willing to invest in their new product. For example, imagine if you have created a new type of helmet for children when they ride a bike. Kickstarter comes along and solves the problem of helping me find those with common interest and needs. Kickstarter solves a funding problem. They make life easier for the budding entrepreneurs.
There are so many people who are left-handed and have special needs for scissors, garden and kitchen tools. So along comes Lefty’s, the left-handed store who solves a very specific problem for a big percentage of the population. Of course they limit their market by only selling scissors for left-handed cutters. That is the point. They make a product that isn’t for everyone but is specifically for someone.
Advertising is a penalty brands pay when they have to twist the arm of disinterested consumers. Special prices and promotions are the cost when you are like everyone else. The truly unique and distinctive brand is clearly positioned to solve a need and fix a problem. Customer’s needs are your reason for being.
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