This Christmas reminded me of a post I made to this blog some time back on a goodie bag I received at a golf tournament several years ago. Anyone who has participated in golf tournaments knows and looks forward to these goodie bags. I have received golf shoes, cover-ups (golfspeak for a windbreaker) shoe bags, golf shirts – you name it. And when I come home from these tournaments my wife takes the bag and goes through it for her own booty – pens, mini-first-aid kits and anything else that catches her eye.
One particular goodie bag contained, of all things, a thick terrycloth bathrobe. What the heck, I thought. A bathrobe? I can’t wear this around the golf course to prove what a cool guy I am, that I am a part of many tournaments and obviously far better than my current game might indicate (I tell people I don’t just suck at golf, I SUCK!!!).
Well, as I pointed out in my previous post, of all the things I have ever received at a golf tournament, that bathrobe has gotten more use than anything else. I wear it virtually every morning, and every morning I see the tournament sponsor’s logo emblazoned on the chest (Walter’s Mercedes Benz, in case you are ever in the market for a ‘Benz). But this year my tattered and stained bathrobe has been retired.
What this got me thinking about, though, was that lately I have been noticing how I have come across things I never thought I would get much use out of, and how I have become completely reliant upon them.
When I started Gonzo Marketers I got an internet service with happened to include as one of its features an FTP function. FTP -- file transfer protocol -- is a fancy name for a privately accessed location on the web where people can send me files that are too large for e-mail. I did not think I would have much use for this feature, but I use it all the time. It is a regular part of doing business. In fact, my clients have asked me if they can use it!
I recently came across a good deal on a scanner. Again, something I thought was a frivolous purchase has turned into something I use all the time. Okay, I’ll admit, half the scans are of my grandchildren – but I am still using it much more for business than I ever thought I would.
Last year a columnist in Esquire magazine was writing about things we don’t need -- at least things we don’t think we need, and how they become indispensable. His main example was the capability of text messaging on your cell phone. Now I have to admit, when you have the capability of calling someone, text messaging does not make much sense. Text messaging is wildly popular though, especially with kids. They are now building cell phones with small keyboards. A friend of mine summed it all up when she explained her use of text messaging.
“I text message my boyfriend all the time because at his job using a cell phone is a problem.” The very intrusiveness that is a problem for cell phones makes text messaging more useful. If fact, if anyone out there can tell me what percentage text messaging is of the overall profit pie for the cell phone companies, I’d like to know.
What it comes down to is marketing, and marketing starts with the inception of the product. One school of thought is that you should never develop a product unless there is a market for it. But the other school says that the best products are those developed before the consumer is able to recognize or articulate the need.
Text messaging and the iPod are both good examples. I purchased an iPod because I was curious about the marketing applications. Now I cannot imagine life without my iPod.
I didn’t think I’d need a bathrobe until I was given one (of all places at a golf tournament). Now I know that I need a new one. I have incorporated a bathrobe into my everyday life. I tried using a PDA, but for some reason that technology did not stick. But I can tell you now that I can’t live without my iPod.
The best products are those developed for a need to we didn’t know we had. That is an important concept to keep in mind when you are marketing that product.
Also if you know of a good copy editor I need someone to copyedit my posts before I ignore proper grammar, and typo myself into the Internet equivalent of Alphabet soup!
Posted by: Scott Reinhart | July 04, 2007 at 09:54 PM
If the best products are those that we didn't first know we needed but that become part of a new culture in many cases inspited by the technology filling a niche then we must assume that defining a lifestyle for a product to be the most important aspect of marketing. How is this what you want to be? How does this work for you now? How would this make your life easier? In the new culture of America we struggle between excess and minimalism. Technology allows us to spend more to provide the illusion of having a simplified life. MP3 files and the iPod being the first example, by moving your CDs to MP3 format you minimize the physical size of you music collection taking it from open display (something that takes up quite a bit of space if you are a collector) to a smaller less visible Personal Computer which saves space prevents scratching and makes available the sum of your entire collection in the form of jukebox applications and only requiring you to retrieve your CDs from storage when you wish to use them in your car. Enter into this picture the iPod... now you have that same jukebox concept carried out to the real world. Instead of just existing within the bubble of the home you can take your entire colelction of music (and sometimes movies) out into the wild! you no longer have to keep your MP3 files on your PC, you do not need to worry about scratching your CDs through normal use... and you don't need to listen to/keep any of the songs you dislike, and iPod is gradually tuned to the interests of its owner and as it is filled and pruned becomes as unique as a thumbprint, and unlike a PC an iPod can be used as a utility device that expands other devices in the home, at work, during travel, and within your car...
So really what I am saying is this a good product becomes a lifestyle and cultural movement... so then as a marketer shouldn't you ask yourself what makes that product a lifestyle or cultural necessity?
For me I have always throught of a bathrobe as a luxury item that meant I had free time and could relax before or after my shower... now since you know me already this is the most absurd idea ever... I hardly have enough time to wake up... but if my perspective was that a bathrobe is infact an item that assists with relaxation or speediness of task I might be persuaded to buy one... if by owning that bathrobe I somehow managed to accomodate a relaxing moment of time into my schedule and speed up my daily task of getting ready that bathrobe become golden to me... and to everyone else who sees the benefit it gives to me. All are convinced by example... and the bathrobe becomes a must have.
Do you know any places I can buy a nice bathrobe?
- Scott
Posted by: Scott Reinhart | July 04, 2007 at 09:49 PM