Part of introductory lecture on product relevance as it relates to advertising (for beginning marketing and advertising students).

1. There is no spoon
Understanding what people
really “purchase”

2. “Matrix” marketing
 Boy: Do not try and
bend the spoon.
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That's impossible.
are needed to see this picture.
Instead... only try to
realize the truth.
 Neo: What truth?
 Boy: There is no
spoon.

3. What v. Why
 Why do
women pour
hot wax on
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their skin and
rip out their
hair by its
roots?

4. zero point
People don’t want
things.
They want what the
thing can do for
them.

5. QuickTime™ and a
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are needed to see this picture.
What do we really want?

6. An easier starting point
 Net
 Lock
 Eraser (talk about later)

7. Nets
 Help us get what
we don’t have
yet.
 What we desire.
 Why a powerful
new car?
 ….maybe we
desire for more
control in our
life.

8. Locks
 Help us protect
what we already
have.
 What we fear
losing.
 Why drive a
hybrid?…
because we fear
losing our natural
habitat.

9. Erasers
 We’ll go over that one later :-)

10. Which is more persuasive?
 It’s 2 am…

11. Fear of loss

12. Net or Lock?
Target?
Promise?

13. Net or Lock?
Target?
Promise?
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

14. Clarifier
Nets, Locks & Erasers
are metaphors of a product,
not an ad.
The ad merely communicates
the metaphor.

15. Benefit v. Feature
 Desire (net) and Fear-of-loss (lock)
 Two major emotional persuaders
 Message strategy
 Understand feature v. benefit
 Let’s learn the difference now!

16. Strategy in action…

17. What’s the
STRATEGY?
Is the ad’s message
trying to appeal to your
desires or your fears of
loss?
Or both?

18. What’s the
STRATEGY?
Is the ad’s message
trying to appeal to your
desires or your fears of
loss?

19. What’s the
STRATEGY?
Is the ad’s message
trying to appeal to your
desires or your fears of
loss?

20. What’s the
STRATEGY
behind this ad?
Who are they
talking to?
Who would create
an ad like this?

21. Match.com

22. What Desire(s) could
you appeal to with this
product?

23. Why do people vacation?
 Desire______?
 Fears losing_____?
 How does a specific
destination (brand)
become a tool for
helping someone get
their desire(s) or
avoid their fear(s)?

24. Sympathy. Not Selling.
 Benefits more than features
 What does product do for user?
 Why should they care?

25. The first step
 Before you write anything, you learn
everything. (Ed McCabe)
 First - your audience.
What do they desire? Fear losing?
 Second - your product.
What does it “do” for people?

26. Connect the dots
 Desires  Alloy rims
more time  Low CO2
with family emissions
 Fears  Large trunk
damaging space
the planet
consumer research product features

27. Connect the dots
 Desires  Alloy rims
more time  Low CO2
with family emissions
 Fears  Large trunk
damaging space
the planet
consumer research product features

28. The benefit statement
 You protect the planet because of
the VWs low CO2 emissions.
 The large trunk space fits big coolers
and your daughter’s little bike -
perfect for a day at a park and more
time with your family.

29. Assignment 1
 Your turn
 First: Read
 Next: Brief
QuickTime™ and a
 Men: Miss
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are needed to see this picture.
Clairol® hair
coloring
 Ladies: Just for
Men® hair coloring