I was just thinking back to when I finally caved and purchased a mobile phone. At the time (2007) I was going through a bit of a rebellious stage. For years people had been telling me I “need” a cell phone. Then they proceeded to give me a laundry list of reasons why I needed one – I didn't
Then along came the iPhone. They almost had me. I wanted it. I still didn’t need it, but that didn’t matter. It just looked cool and it did a lot of great things I didn't need help with, like find a Starbucks. That sounds good, but I am capable of opening my eyes, so that wasn’t too convincing. So why did I want it?
Consumers use a combination of intellectual and emotional justifications to make purchasing decisions; therefore brand impact is more strategic when leveraging both intellectual and emotional persuasion tactics.
Consider this, Americans consistently spend anywhere from $15,000 to $75,000 on a new car. A major factor in that purchasing decision is whether or not it has a navigation system, an smartphone compatible sound system, or satellite radio. Therefore, it must be safe to say that all cars are essentially the same. It’s true; they all get about the same gas mileage, function in the same way and get us where we want to go. So what drives the purchase? Is it money? For some it is. But for others, they just want what they want.
“Want” is powerful! It is not practical.
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THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: In an attempt to cut costs, companies are sacrificing the intangibles that most often create “want”.
Principal 2: No matter how convincing you may be, you can’t create “want” by appealing to intellect alone.
Principal 3: Intellect provides justification for what you already want.
