Marketing people who talk about individuals “developing their own brand” tend (rightly) to be mocked. But when the same marketing folk talk about consumers “having a relationship with brands with which they identify”, it is often they who are doing the mocking. After all, we must have been terribly clever to fool consumers into paying double the price of the rival product, so they must be rather less clever than us, yes? No.
In his new book, Spent, evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller shows how and why the object of much consumer spending is not owning things for their direct benefit, so much as their ability to send ‘fitness’ signals about their owner to other people (i.e. to impress your mates / boss / opposite sex etc).
This subtle distinction matters hugely to consumer marketing because it means that, in many cases, it’s not the potential buyer who should be the focus of attention, but those whom the buyer wants to impress.
Consumers couldn’t give a fig about having a relationship with a brand – they’re just using it (shamelessly!) for personal positioning. This is how high-end fashion ads featuring models who are gorgeous but haughty, work. They’re not supposed to make you want to buy the product. They’re supposed to make you feel inferior, so the purchaser will believe that, when she wears the product, you’ll feel inferior to her, too. Closer to home, a booklet on the history of Notting Hill which I produced for estate agents Bective Leslie Marsh positioned my client as better educated, more professional and a little idiosyncratic. Which, in Notting Hill, turned out to be exactly the sort of firm with which owners of big houses would be prepared to advertise their association, not least by sticking a big ‘for sale’ sign outside.
But does this have any real relevance in professional B2B markets? I think so, mainly because it draws attention to how your firm can affect your client’s positioning. How will hiring you make the hirer look to his or her bosses, colleagues etc? Will the client’s rivals and customers react to your appointment with excitement, derision or indifference?
Most of all, Miller’s revelations highlight how, even if all of your new business comes through word of mouth, if your positioning to the rest of the world is poor, potential clients are going to think twice before hiring you. Your superficial shortcomings could make them look bad in the eyes of others. As Darwinian-driven individuals have known for millennia, if the positioning of your otherwise brilliant offering isn’t up to scratch, its chances of a long and productive life will be much diminished.
Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behaviour by Geoffrey Miller is by William Heinemann Ltd (Amazon page).
