“If you want to be a great marketer, forget about marketing and think of real life and real people and what real people want.” – Dr. Bob Deutche, Fashioning Conversations, Fashion Forward Digital
It’s so important to remind ourselves, that at the end of the day we are all just real girls who love fashion. Some times we get so caught up with tactics and the latest trends, that we forget that on the other end of our message, there is a real person, who feels, who thinks, who makes decisions for herself. I know that I totally forget sometimes, hell, I even forget to take care of myself lately.
For someone to buy from you, they need to buy into an idea of themselves associated with you. It used to be the product as brand, but now it’s “me” being a brand, and every social network focuses on the “me aspect”. We need to think in terms of emotion, NOT always logic and talk to people like we’d talk to our friends.
A great brand merges ”my” story with yours ( “brand”) and seamlessly merging into “my” life. I will never forget the first time I saw this Ralph Lauren Romance ad in Elle Magazine. I felt as if I knew this feeling. It was such a tender, sweet, personal moment, that I almost had tears in my eyes. For some reason, I could just relate to it, and I instantly had a connection to this brand and am a big admirer of how they create experiences and connections with their imagery, campaigns, and beliefs. Even without words, Ralph Lauren speaks to us in a real way.
With social media and tons of messages being thrown at us every minute, we cannot forget that its not a better formed “marketing” slogan that will make us stand out, it’s listening to what people want, recognizing people through every day conversations, and delivering on your promise.
People want to be recognized. It’s not what you do or what you have, but why you do it, is why people buy into an idea. It’s why people choose you, over the other guy down the street (even though he’s selling the same thing for 1/2 the price).
Sometimes forgetting a little bit about marketing rules is a good thing and remembering that people are the core of what makes the world go round – can really help us thrive.
