Listen to this article
If we are being a hundred percent honest on this blog, you’d understand how no one just wakes up craving coffee. What people crave is that first sniff… we just love that first whiff you get from roasted beans. That warmth of holding the mug. That is why smart marketers don’t just sell coffee when they have to.
They sell that pause. The moment of thinking. That one moment of craving. One of the best local companies that showcased their art of marketing for the experience was 1980. Not only did they develop their own amazing space for Gen Z, but also they were able to create a community built on emotional resonance and offering a unique cultural proposition. One that attracted a lot of youth towards their cafe. Want to know how they and a lot of other brands were able to sell that experience? That comfort? Let’s find out.
The Drive of Desire
Coffee was merely the beginning of this blog post. However, many brands get creative with selling the experience. Car brands for example, used to focus on the build of the car itself. The interior and specs. But some brands are now selling more than that. They may sell the luxury of driving a certain car. The rush another gives you. Porsche for example, is a brand that sells a mixture of egoistic elegance rather than mere engines.
Mini Coopers for example, had a whole new sales surge increase of 20% more after the bold display of Mini Coopers in the movie “The Italian Job.” That is because they sold the rush and convenience of the car rather than creating a whole campaign that focuses on the gears or stick shifts. Their ad through the movie focused on presenting a car that speaks directly to your personality. And that ladies and gentlemen, is what we call perfecting the art of selling the experience rather than the product.
The Scent of Memory
You will find that food brands always have that trick up their sleeves. A steakhouse for example, wouldn’t just market its meat and how it sizzles. It sells your dad’s (on the grill) moments. That scent of butter and rosemary that takes you back to a certain time when your grandma cooked you your favorite dish.
That primal satisfaction you get when sharing a meal with a friend at a Ramadan Iftar. One of the most successful restaurants, which even chose the name to spark nostalgia, would be TGI Fridays. (Thank God It’s Friday). A name that gives you that feeling of the comfort you experience on a Friday. This is how you sell an experience. By simply making sure that you’re allowing people to feel emotions rather than simply eating, drinking, or just purchasing.
Experience Marketing 101 with Disney
Apart from being boycotted, Disney was and is still one of the top brands that sold experiences and connected its name with memories rather than with products. Disney’s little figures that we used to have would just remind us when we used to live in our heads and become a certain Disney character.
The movie songs, animations, quotes, and every other little detail were elements. Ones that helped you feel the moment. Live in it. Remember it. There is also the remarkable Disneyland. A land that is made for pure nostalgia and fun to remind you of your childhood or help you make your child live through the same happy moments. Unlike other cartoon and series-making channels that don’t yet get the concept of selling your brand or name through the sales of a successful user experience. An emotional one that will leave them remembering your name without any effort.
Wrapping It Up: Sell the Why, Not the What
People don’t buy products; they buy better versions of themselves. The art of selling an experience lies in your capability of entwining the invisible threads between your product and how it makes people feel. Because when you sell an emotion, you’re not competing on price; you’re competing on meaning. And meaning? That’s priceless.
