Imagine this: A man scoops up a big slice of pizza with his hand, and as he pulls it closer towards his mouth fat strings of mozzarella cheese drip around
slice and cling stickily to rest of pie on his plate. The man takes a bite, and more hot cheese oozes out, while thick red sauce and golden brown pepperoni and round juicy mushrooms bunch up against his mouth. Now how about this: A woman in a trench coat walks through a foggy drizzle, then pauses underneath a street lamp. She looks down at a creased card with words "meet me" in her hand. When she looks up again fog seems to lift, and she sees him -- standing cold and unsure in front of French café. He sees her and smiles, then at same moment they run towards each other and embrace on cobbled street. As they dissolve into a kiss drizzle disappears, and shy beams of sunlight begin falling on poignant Eiffel tower, watching over them and café and all lovers in world.
Now, these may seem like kind of images you usually see on tv commercials. As a matter of fact, they ARE.
But as marketers let's give them each a closer look, and find out what makes them affect not just our minds, but also places in our stomachs and our hearts.
The first image is asking you to order their pizza. The second is asking you to make flight reservations to Paris. Both are offering you tangible products & services.
But what they're really selling you on -- and what their images vividly show -- are EXPERIENCES they promise you'll get when you purchase what they offer.
Because although emotions are at heart of all human decisions, it's EXPERIENCE that catalyzes all emotion. And knowing that can help you win most any round of this marketing game.
YOUR Product Is An Experience ----------------------------- Our lives are made up of strings of experiences, and they're what define our memories, awaken our feelings, and influence our decisions both personal & professional.
As business owners, we need to understand that when clients start asking about our products, they're really not that interested in speed, gigabytes, or all flashy buttons (although they might seem to at first).
At heart of all their questions they really need just one answer: How is your product going to affect their lives?
And this question can only be answered by describing experience.
Fairy Tales and Coffee Mugs --------------------------- Disney initially defined itself as a maker of cartoons, then eventually went into other business ventures as well.
But now whether you think about movies, or toys, or a trip to Disneyland, you are clearly aware that Disney consistently promises you same kind of experience: The chance to have fun, to play, to make believe and be a child again.
