I’m integrating many facets of what I do into one place. In my quest for examples of interesting people who do a disparate array of things and had personal websites that brought them all together, I wound up finding the following phrase: “sell an experience, not a product.”
The concept was probably coined by someone famous or at least famous within marketing circles–I’ll let others point to the source for now. The idea however is interesting–even marketers (presumably good marketers), some of the greatest product pushers of all-time, look for truth and meaning in what they purvey. I don’t think I’m off-mark to say “selling an experience” plugs into the essence of existentialism. Experience is irreplaceable and particular to one’s perception and circumstances (which are subjective enough to present real challenges to anyone attempting to replicate them). Yet the bigger question for me is this: how much can one intrinsically and extrinsically integrate into what they do?
Here’s where outreach and marketing overlap in my opinion (and why I believe outreach is the superior concept to marketing, though with all due respect to marketers) I believe both are still important and useful. Both operate on transdisciplinary principles of design–particularly through communication.{continued after the jump}
An organization or individual (the entity initiating the marketing/outreach) conceives a desire and/or need among audiences/consumers. The conceiver(s) communicate the existence of their product(s) and/or services to the audience/consumers–this is the most visible part of the marketing and outreach–and ideally deliver or facilitate some connection between the desired good/service (plus a new sub-category: experience) and audience/consumer.
-> Conceiver <–> Communicator <–> Audience/Consumer <- [I wish I could draw triangles and circles with text]
In most capitalistic arenas, marketing strives to stimulate and serve desires for some kind of product (material stuff–frequently stuff you don’t need, I’ll let the great Annie Lennox walk you through its impacts through “the story of stuff“) or service (again, not necessarily something you need but may want). In the buzz I’m reading from this admittedly narrow cross section of the marketing community, the best tangible way to justify product hustling is to give something that’s well beyond the value of the product–by emphasizing how the context of your life fits around the product. It’s the experience and story for the product’s discovery and procurement (or potential experience and stories) which potentially shapes the identity of its consumer that makes it worthwhile. Apple is a commonly cited “experience” brand. Indeed, I’ve friends who are downright upset about the hardware, software, and interface about the actual products, but there are plenty who can affirm their enamory (I’ll fiat the existence of this word and make it so via urban dictionary someday). When word of this magical realization spreads exponentially, the mystery of hype becomes manifest!
Outreach in non-profit circles, which normally focus on meeting needs (though sometimes takes on the guise of marketing to simply promote awareness about an organization’s existence), ought to be driven to communicate the availability, accessibility, relevance, and/or significance of a good, service, and/or experience.
In most capitalistic organizations I can imagine, marketing a service means that a company may provide the things you need for the experience (think skydiving), but I’m drawing a blank about how they’d market an experience–perhaps movies? Experiences are used to market goods all the time though.
Outreach marketing (think AdCouncil PSA marketing) is a bit different. The experience benefits people in ways that are not monetizable. It’s about good lifestyle choices, spending time with the kids, etc.
Where does propaganda fall into this spectrum? …
Interestingly, fostering identity is intrinsic to good leadership too (for scholarly backing to this claim, see The New Psychology of Leadership borrow it from a University Library network, it’s priced like a textbook around $90, there are other things I could point to also, but I’m not essaying with my strict scholar’s hat at this time). In this writing, we’re now entering the bigger picture of collective social behavior. Sources: “Sell an experience, not a product”.
Light Telecommunication 