I was reading a post by Seth Godin on the new Harry Potter book this morning and something he said about the book got me thinking about what people really buy. He said, “Holding and owning the book, remembering when and how you got it… that’s what you’re paying for.” Exactly. As any good marketer would tell you, you are not just buying a product, you may be buying buying ideals, memories, image, prestige, friendship, or more. As a fun exercise, let’s take some no-name products and associate them with motives for purchase:
- Sports Drinks: Energy, determination, commitment to fitness.
- The Latest MP3 Player: Makes me hip and cool, tech geek bragging rights, I look expensive, and therefore, important (if you buy the high end ones), people will like me more.
- Convertible Sports Cars: I look rich, I want to be young, I want to feel the wind in my hair, I’ll be a hit with the ladies.
These are just a few quick examples. What other ones can you, the reader think of?
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July 31st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Thanks for the posts. I will have to read Seth Godin’s Blog about Harry Potter.
I agree about how they are selling memories.
Recently bought the last Harry Potter Book myself. O.K. how about T-shirts. I usually buy one in NY or say at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Also, thanks to you I made my own car magnet.
Visit my Blog today on July 31. Let me know what you think. I have been out of town on vacation and also riding around with my car magnet. I did visit several states.
I got this great idea from reading your posts about the Car is your advertisement.
Thanks again,
Elizabeth G.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:35 pm
That’s great! I am glad that you were able to do this. I read your post and I see you outlined how you did it for others. Good post. Thanks for the heads up.