We have seen people do amazing things…
- Land on the moon.
- Drive faster than 330mph on a public road.
- DJ for 230 hours straight.
- Run a sub-2 hour marathon.
- Become our first Black U.S. President…
…or our first bi-racial female Vice President (elect). - Free climb El Capitan in less than 24 hours.
Through it all, I see so many people saying “See, kids, look what they’ve accomplished. Anything is possible!”
But anything already was possible, right?
True, maybe. I like your attitude… Hold that thought.
We might be amazed by what people accomplish, but admiration doesn’t always translate to inspiration. Or action. Or purchase.
If the role models we see don’t “look like us”, if we can’t see ourselves in their shoes, then we’re less likely to believe that we, too, could follow in their footsteps.
And if those role models are your brand ambassadors, as much as they may credit your product with helping them achieve their success, we won’t believe your product will also help us achieve that same success.
We don’t care what they’re doing…
We care about what we are doing.
The problem with assuming any accomplished person (like a celebrity ambassador) will inspire a purchase is it assumes everyone’s starting from the same place. The reality is, none of us are.
Our upbringing, age, education, family dynamic, race, income, and so many more factors all impact our mindset… our starting point.
(BTW, Great marketing, like Nike’s You Can’t Stop Us video [above] transcends these differences beautifully by intertwining regular folks’ accomplishments and spirit with those of the superstars)
Example, please.
Imagine you’re a shoe brand…like Nike.
Your marathon running ambassador, Amy, is starting at point (A), which includes altitude training, 10 years of consistent 100-mile weeks, and nine hours sleep every night. She’s training daily for the marathon (Z), and pitching your new shoes as her secret weapon.
Meanwhile, Susie just registered for the marathon (Z), but has a different starting point (B) that includes a full time job, family, and a wishful-thinking running history. She’ll maybe get 2 runs in per week…maybe.
Susie might admire Amy’s running speed, but thinks “Amy’s not like me, those shoes won’t make me run like Amy.” So, even though your new shoes may actually help Susie crush that marathon, Amy’s story isn’t the one to convince her of that.
The Takeaway:
Your marketing needs to show folks who are starting at B (or C, or D…) how to get to Z, too.
It’s one thing to say your product can help somebody reach a goal.
It’s quite another to show how PEOPLE LIKE US can use your product to reach OUR goals.
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