One of the key benefits of any product aimed at young consumers is Social Utility; how does this product aid my social life?
There are 2 key drivers of consumer behavior and any product needs to fulfil these drivers:
* 1) The need to belong
* 2) The need to be significant
Consider for example Starbucks; it's no coincidence that this popular youth brand hailed from Seattle - the US city with the highest level of inbound migration. What does that mean? It means a large number of displaced young mobile consumers who wanted a social network to plug into - enter Starbucks delivering Social Utility in the form of a) the "third place" as CEO Schulz says and b) a $4 highly visible cup of coffee that not everyone can afford (plus all the nonsense that goes with defining your cup of coffee, "decaff skinny soya whatever").
That's Social Utility.
So consider when you market your product how much more Social Utility does it offer over and beyond what's already out there?
A new perspective
If you start your marketing team meeting with the question - how we can we sell this product? or how can we outsell our nearest rival? then you're on a one way train ride to product obscurity. Understanding social utility first comes from taking a fresh perspective on your product and marketing.
Start with the premise that your consumers don't wake up every morning thinking about your produt and you start to unravel the technology ivory tower.
* When you look at a T-shirt do you see clothing or a statement?
* Is Makeup a fashion item or a reflection of your values and lifestyle?
* Should auto manufacturers make themselves more flash or give parents a reason to feel good about themselves?
* Is Social Media a tech-fest for early adopters or a channel to better deliver Social Utility to youth?
Understand the lifestyle dynamics of the Beachhead whether selling soda to students, cars to youth, sneakers to young office ladies or simply selling bras to young women, you are targeting and design your product and your marketing around delivering better social utility than the whole raft of products they deal with on a daily basis.
There are 2 key drivers of consumer behavior and any product needs to fulfil these drivers:
* 1) The need to belong
* 2) The need to be significant
Consider for example Starbucks; it's no coincidence that this popular youth brand hailed from Seattle - the US city with the highest level of inbound migration. What does that mean? It means a large number of displaced young mobile consumers who wanted a social network to plug into - enter Starbucks delivering Social Utility in the form of a) the "third place" as CEO Schulz says and b) a $4 highly visible cup of coffee that not everyone can afford (plus all the nonsense that goes with defining your cup of coffee, "decaff skinny soya whatever").
That's Social Utility.
So consider when you market your product how much more Social Utility does it offer over and beyond what's already out there?
A new perspective
If you start your marketing team meeting with the question - how we can we sell this product? or how can we outsell our nearest rival? then you're on a one way train ride to product obscurity. Understanding social utility first comes from taking a fresh perspective on your product and marketing.
Start with the premise that your consumers don't wake up every morning thinking about your produt and you start to unravel the technology ivory tower.
* When you look at a T-shirt do you see clothing or a statement?
* Is Makeup a fashion item or a reflection of your values and lifestyle?
* Should auto manufacturers make themselves more flash or give parents a reason to feel good about themselves?
* Is Social Media a tech-fest for early adopters or a channel to better deliver Social Utility to youth?
Understand the lifestyle dynamics of the Beachhead whether selling soda to students, cars to youth, sneakers to young office ladies or simply selling bras to young women, you are targeting and design your product and your marketing around delivering better social utility than the whole raft of products they deal with on a daily basis.
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