This Christmas break was supposed to be full of winter activities, but it’s -30C here. So, I ended up trying to spend some time navigating a maze of brands in a huge department store, which made me think about one peculiar thing: I keep falling for one simple trick.
I was wandering from one brand corner to another and realized that only the pieces hung properly and in order caught my eye. Although digging up a deal nugget used to be my favourite part of shopping, I had to make an effort to pay attention to anything on sale racks. Why? You know the answer because you’ve seen those racks a hundred times: a total mess of pants/tops/dresses in all possible sizes and colours. Even when I found a great deal, I couldn’t help but think that something was wrong with the item. Why is it hanging so lonely here? Have dozens of other girls tried it on but didn’t like how it fits them? Is it just a brainchild of exhausted designer fantasy? What’s curious is the reason I started asking these questions.
Picture any store and compare their “New Arrivals” section to the “Sale.” Turtlenecks organized by colours and sizes, living their best life in front of the store, have extra value for a regular shopper (me). However, the materials, the quality, and even the colours can be the same as what you can dig up in the Sale section. Digging is the problem. Having to search in a cramped and dusty space in the back of a store where the lighting is the worst is the problem.
Remember those billboards with royal green or deep blue velvet background and a single watch shining like Rhianna’s inspiration? The purpose of those billboards was not only to sell the watch but to make you feel the luxury that could become yours. And it did the trick, right? It’s as easy as the order of clothes in stores. The value can be added in a million ways, but you have to find the right one. That’s what marketers do every day. I do too.
As a part of the audience, or as a consumer who tries to track what triggers me to buy this shampoo instead of another one, I feel that today it’s not enough to promise luxury only. We need more than the promise. We need things that are familiar, authentic, relatable, unique. That empower, become a part of our life, and tell a story.
A good story is what any product, service, corporation and charity need. If the goal, mission, vision, product descriptions, and other parts of your business tale are like passages from different novels and genres, no matter what great things you do, they fall under the “sale” category in our, users and consumers, minds. If you use words to construct your company’s digital presence in a way that forces people to dig meanings up, welcome to the “sale.” Tell your brand’s story in a way that will make people think, “That’s the clever trick I’m proud to fall for.” Being honest and consistent is more than enough to start with.