Why Great Marketers are Masters of Psychology
To be a successful marketer, you must understand human psychology.
I watched a video yesterday where these friends played a prank on their other friend. They bought $140 wagyu beef and $14 beef, then swapped the packaging.
Immediately, the friend looked at the cheap meat in the expensive package and started raving about how much better it looked.
The placebo effect kicked in during their hot pot. The friend kept saying how good the cheap meat was and how disgusting the expensive meat was.
Then, the prank was revealed.
The friend realized he had been eating cheap meat this whole time.
What happened next was even more interesting.
Once he found out, the actual cheap meat, the one he had been gobbling up and praising, was now disgusting. He shoved it away and opted instead for the wagyu, and the actual wagyu become the one he praised.
Something happened to him. Whatever he was told, influenced his experience in a real way.
As marketers, we can influence the way our products are perceived and experienced.
We can do this with:
👉 Packaging
👉 Price
👉 Positioning
👉 Messaging / copy / names
👉 Association
👉 Portion
👉 Colour, sound, smell, touch, weight
👉 Materials
👉 Story
👉 Availability / scarcity
👉 Etc.
Again, to be great at marketing is to understand people, and one of the best ways is to ask them.
Storytelling Marketing in Action
Here are some examples of brands who accel at storytelling marketing:
1. Louis Vuitton – they tell their story about a humble boy from a village in France who showed an aptitude for craftsmanship at a young age and began working as an apprentice in the box-making and packing industry.
2. UFC – they use the Ultimate Fighter and Embedded Series to go behind the scenes showcasing the backstories and training of their fighters. The two best fighters on the planet could be fighting, but if you don’t know anything about them, you become less invested and less interested in watching. Part of the promotion of big fights is the build up, which heightens the emotions and intensity for the fans. Talent shows such as X Factor and America’s Got Talent always tell the backstory of contestants for this same reason – make you more invested.
3. Dollar Shave Club – you all know the famous commercial. Besides it being funny, it was telling a story. Here’s a problem with traditional razors, here’s how we solve it.
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