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Sell the Sizzle not the Steak

by The Copy Nazi Banned
6 replies
Great article here on branding. Everything you need to know about Moleskine ahead of its IPO – Quartz

Wrap your head around that for a second. Here is the company acknowledging that it doesn't so much sell notebooks as it does a sense of identity and culture. But that's the essence of luxury brands: they don't sell physical goods so much as the notions that the goods are supposed to represent. These intangibles--"culture, design, imagination, memory, and travel," according to the company's bankers--are a better business to be in than paper.
People don't buy a Moleskine to scribble in. They buy them for important projects...sketching...travel journals etc.

...prices in China and Japan almost double what the company charges for the same products in Italy
And those guys love brands. They fly to Paris, Milan and New York just to load up on luxury brands - REAL luxury brands, not Chinese knockoffs.
#sell #sizzle #steak
  • Profile picture of the author DanMurray
    This is why people buy IPODS instead of MP3 players! They do the same thing, and there's tons of chinese knockoffs about, but nobody wants them. Their brand is so strong, the competition is irrelevant.

    This is something people who sell info products really need to consider more!

    Thanks for the post,
    Daniel
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Steve Jobs would agree.

    Apple went from a counter-culture to THE culture.

    Of course, their products over the last 10 years have redefined the computer world and led the way in tablet superiority. Here's the thing: There are some fantastic Droid products that are way cheaper and do the same essential things. Apple has managed to maintain their stronghold on the marketplace because of their branding influence in our culture.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tinkerbell
    Don't sell sizzle, however, if you have no steak.

    Your product has to be "beef enough" to back up what you promised. Otherwise, you're going to have a lot of disgruntled buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author CopyMonster
    Ever consider that maybe for high end products... the sizzle IS the steak? Why sell paper when you can sell a dream, a feeling, an identity?
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    Scary good...
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  • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
    Here's another example:

    Does copy matter? Lessons from an icecrem scope

    It shows how good copy can position and sell the same product for higher profit.
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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