How to Strut Your Stuff

November 26, 2014

Make any product fascinating by displaying your best features.

Let’s face it. Not all products are interesting to talk about, let alone look at. Fast cars and fancy evening wear are sexy, but tire wrenches and lug nuts are not. Neither are bars of soap, toilet plungers, or light bulbs, but competition for these products is every bit as fierce as for cars and little black dresses.

Whether it’s in direct mail, a newsletter, an email, or a television commercial, how do you sell a product that doesn’t sell itself?

Define how it creates value

Ask how your product creates value. Does it improve the customer’s quality of life? Solve a problem? Save money? Pinpoint the value that the product provides.

Tell a story

Craft a story around the product’s value. There is a reason Lowe’s uses the phrase, “Let’s build something together.” Its print and television ads don’t show lumber and nails. They show the process of building and the joy the homeowner experiences from doing the project themselves. In other words, Lowe’s isn’t selling paint and plumbing supplies. It is selling homeowner pride. That’s the Lowe’s story. What’s yours?

Be creative

To tell a story, some products need a little help. That’s why Beldent, a South American snack company, took a very unusual approach to selling sticks of gum. Beldent set up an experiment with the help of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Buenos Aires. It created exhibits of identical twins who were almost identical except that one was chewing gum. Then it asked visitors a series of questions such as which twin they thought was more fun, had more friends, or was more likely to give employees a raise. Overwhelmingly, museum visitors chose the twin chewing gum, and a marketing campaign was born.

Help customers visualize

People remember images better than they remember text. Images also communicate complex concepts quickly. That’s why we have the soft, cuddly Snuggle bear and the fat, green Mucinex blob with suspenders. These characters communicate concepts of softness and sticky goop in your lungs with speed and clarity that text alone cannot. Plus they produce almost instant recall. Just one glimpse on a package, a print ad, on a point-of-purchase display, and the entire campaign comes roaring back.

Personalize it

When used alongside storytelling, powerful imagery, and creativity, personalization packs a powerful punch. Target your value message based on demographic or market segment, then personalize using relevant variables. If you need to append your database to increase your targeting and personalization, let us help. That’s what we’re here for.

When it comes to print and multichannel marketing, there is no excuse to be boring. Tell a story. Without lug nuts, tires fall off of cars. Without plungers, toilets overflow. There’s nothing boring about that!

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