Life benefits vs. product benefits
Simply singing the merits of what your brand sells isn’t enough to win the hearts, minds and dollars of consumers these days. Consumers have been put through a lot in the last couple years, and as a result, it’s never been more important for brands to talk about why they do what they do to make consumers’ lives better vs. simply selling the merits of what they sell. Consumers are looking for brands to prove that they go to work every day not just to make sexy sneakers or sweet-smelling deodorant, but that they actually make people’s lives better. Now don’t get us wrong, consumers still want to hear about sexy sneakers and sweet-smelling pits, just not without some bigger picture love.
Consumers in general expect more from brands today, and that spells big opportunities for brands that can step up to the plate. The current state of the world feels uncertain, unpredictable and unstable. Brands that can illustrate that they’re in it for more than just a buck have an opportunity to forge relationships that are deeper than a transactional swipe of a credit card. And for the record, this does not require brands to make momentous shifts in who they are or what they make. Nailing your why vs. what simply requires the right lens and tools to see what’s already in your brand’s DNA.
When you look at Nike advertising, you understand how they are trying to make people’s lives better. Sure, they make the sexiest, most cutting-edge athletic shoes in the world, but why they make shoes is to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” Nike employees work to inspire people to exercise and strive athletically through their shoes. Microsoft’s mission is “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” Microsoft makes software, but why they go to work every day is to empower people. And Tesla has a keen sense of their why, which is “accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
At Unbound, we love helping brands pinpoint, sharpen and then communicate their why. Merging a brand’s why with their what generates a powerful brand/product amplification that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Unbound’s extremely experienced strategic team, dynamic research tools and proprietary customer targeting process provide a powerful set of resources to help brands identify, distill and showcase their why and what in a harmonic force to be reckoned with.
