Hi I'm Graeme Newell.
Today, the important difference between ego-focused brands and product-focused brands.
It's the critical identity question every brand must ask itself.
What motivates your customer?
Vanity or functionality.
"You gotta work hard to win, you gotta want it!"
Nike ads never try to convince customers that Nike gear is the secret to success.
Winning comes from just one place...from deep within.
"You can accept defeat, or you can stare at it until defeat blinks."
The brand message is that if you believe in unstoppable tenacity and perseverance, then
you're in the Nike club.
"Go go go go go go go go go go go!
Be aggressive!"
Nike isn't a product line, it's a way to live your life.
Nike's brand is built on customer ego.
But Gatorade takes a different tack.
"At the limits of your ability, you need to hydrate fast."
It's a product-focused brand.
Sure, they use the same sweaty, straining athletes, but the ads don't just build egos,
they also cast doubt.
"Your moisture wicking fabric isn't enough.
Your zero weight shoes aren't enough."
...and maybe YOU aren't enough.
But maybe, just maybe, if you drink Gatorade, you still might be able to pull it out.
In this Gatorade ad, an athlete drinks the magical Gatorade elixir...
"Trial number 10.
Fuel training.
Trigger muscle response."
...and Gatorade empowers him to beat his weaker self in a race to glory.
Product focused brands showcase the product as the key to solving a problem or achieving
a goal.
"I got to take care of my heart, for me, Cheerio's is a good way to start."
Ego-focused brands stay away from pain & doubt.
The product isn't just a tool, it's proof you're at the top of your game.
Only wonderful parents take their kids of Disney World.
Has a moment ever hugged you and never let go?
Yay" "We're getting on the plane right now and
going to Disneyland.
We're going to California.
Only confident men use Gillette razors.
"We all have confidence.
We all have doubt.
But when the moment comes, what's gonna win?
Here's to confidence.
I've been dreamin' a dream."
Feel that uplift?
That's a hallmark of ego-focused brands.
So which is right for your brand?
An ego-focused brand or a product-focused brand?
Most brands inevitably dabble in both, but the general rule is, the more mature the product
category, the more you must appeal to your customer's identity.
If there's not much difference between your product and others, get busy stroking some
egos.
I'm Graeme Newell and that's emotional marketing.