Do $100 speaker cables sound better than $10 cables?

Is a Mercedes 15 times better than a Toyota to justify being 15 times the price?  Rationally - no. 

But - the sound the Mercedes door makes when it closes tells a story – a story that appeals to the world view of their target customers.  This story of quality and workmanship is something their target customers think is worth talking about and spreading to other people who share their world view.

People don’t buy the functional benefits – they buy the story that appeals to their emotions.

People buy SUV’s because of the story (the way it makes them feel) – not because it rationally makes sense.

People drive Toyota Prius – not because of the mileage, but because of the story Toyota has marketed to them, and the statement it makes about them as owners to others.

People don’t buy what they need (commodities) – they buy what they want (brands).

They buy bottled water with Fiji on the label because of the way it makes them feel (emotions).

Most companies still make the marketing mistake of promoting product / service superiority. 
It’s not the utility of the product / service (better / faster / cheaper / etc) that matters – it’s the story you tell – it’s how you make them feel.

The $80K Porsche Cayenne and the $36K VW Toureg are essentially the same vehicle. 

In blind taste tests – people prefer Pepsi.  But people drink the brand – not the contents – and Coke is still #1.

The exact same wine in 2 different bottles, one with a premium label and price tag – the other one with a budget label and price tag.  In blind taste tests when asked which one they prefer the taste of, people claim to enjoy the premium version more

In taste tests organic food does not taste any better in tests.  It does make organic consumers feel better about purchasing it however.  Wholefoods sells organic foods at inflated prices.  People don’t shop there for the food.  They shop there because of the way it makes them feel.

You can’t spend money and hope to change people’s minds with advertising or campaigning.

Facts are irrelevant.  What matters is what the customer believes

To succeed marketers must tell great stories.  A great story:

• Makes a promise
• Is trusted by those that share that world view
• Is not aimed at everyone
  

In marketing, you need to tell great stories that spread or you will become irrelevant.

Your story must appeal to the “world view” of the target customer (the beliefs / biases / lens / filters - through which they perceive things).  Don’t try to change peoples’ world views – you can’t – you need to find something they already agree with and market to that. You need to reinforce a bias they already have.

People tend to ignore (filter out) information that contradicts their worldview, and look for information that supports it.

Don’t market to the majority.  It’s at the edge where you will find customers whose worldviews are unfulfilled.  Find a neglected world view and frame your story to this group of customers - in a way you can reach them cost effectively.

Make your story “remarkable” = (able to be remarked about) = worth talking about by key influencers in this group (thought leaders / “sneezers”).  Keep your story simple and easy to spread.

The process:

• Target a group of customers who share the same world view
• Market your story to appeal solely to that world view
• Make it easy for the story to spread
• Everyone in your company and everything you do must completely embrace and “live” your story – so it will be believed
• The result = you create a new market which you “own” 

People only notice stories that are new and different.  In a world of information overload and infinite choices – consumers make snap judgments.  First impressions influence our decisions – you don’t get much time to tell a new story.

Once people have made a decision based on first impressions – they stick with it – regardless of new information that might prove them wrong (about people, products, companies).  People don’t want to be wrong, so they stick with their first impression.

Amazon.com has told a story and worked hard to build a great reputation for customer service.  They so exceeded expectations that their target customers started spreading this story about Amazon.   If they do mess up now, people tend to forget it as a random event, because it does not support their world view of what Amazon stands for.  As a result, it’s now easier, not harder for Amazon to maintain its great reputation.  People believe it because they want to believe it.

Be authentic.  If your marketing is cool, your location is cool, but your products and services aren’t – you won’t get talked about for long.  Everything counts!

If you want to grow, you must do something worth talking about = remarkable (= the purple cow concept)

Whilst your story may not be rationally “true” – you must NOT be fraudulent.  You must not harm anyone.  You must do the right thing by people.  “The cigarette preferred by doctors” (Phillip Morris) and encouraging mothers to use milk formula rather than breast feeding (Nestle) - is both inauthentic and fraudulent – and both companies were exposed as such.

You must be authentic and keep your promises.  Your marketing won’t work for long if it really is a lie.  Once fooled, a person will never repeat your story to someone else.

As per the book “Purple Cow” - you need to be remarkable.  That is you need to do something worth remarking about.  Remarkable products and services are worth talking about – not hype filled advertising.  You need to build your entire organization around providing the experience that supports your story.  You need to sell it to yourself first!

You cannot “out yell” someone who already owns a story.  A boring “me too” story is not worth a 2^nd look.

Once people have bought a story, persuading them to switch to an alternative is like telling them they were wrong – and people hate admitting they are wrong.  Don’t try to outdo a leader.  Find a different customer with a different world view.  Create your own category and story.

If you tell the right story you will automatically become a purple cow.  A purple cow is not about simply being different – its about being remarkable – able to be remarked about – to be doing something meaningfully different that is worth talking about

Crossing the chasm:  Go to the edges first.  Be extreme in your storytelling.  Win a loyal following.  Then gradually make it more palatable to more mainstream audiences who are persuaded to buy from you by your loyal customers through their own storytelling (not by your advertising).