When watching Simon
Sinek’s TEDxPuget Sound talk, one brand kept coming to mind that embodies
everything Sinek brought up. “People
don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it,” he said, as I thought back on
everything I had done as recently as yesterday.
What was the driving force behind every decision I made? Why did I decide to do the things I did and
not the alternatives? And I quickly
realized, it was happiness.
My happiness and the happiness of the people around me was
my reason for doing the things I did and for making the choices I made, even
the simplest decisions. This is the same
driving force Coca-Cola uses to sell their products. Consumers don’t buy a Coca-Cola product
because they necessarily believe it tastes the best, or because it is the
healthiest alternative for them, they buy a Coca-Cola product because of what
the brand represents.
Simon Sinek states that in order for people to follow a
brand, understand it, or purchase it, the brand must appeal to the market in
the form of “why, how, what.” This means
that a brand must help the market understand why they are important and why
their products are relevant before they explain what it is they are trying to
sell.
Coca-Cola bases their marketing strategy on selling
happiness, not on selling a drink. The
brand is associated with the joy of Santa Claus during the
holiday season, they are linked to having fun at the beach in the
summertime, and for years the brand has been an icon at movie theaters. Coca-Cola has explored with marketing all
around the world, they have brought countries and
cultures together, always showing the happiness that they can bring to
people. All of these marketing efforts
revolve around the pursuit of happiness, they just happen to show people
sharing a Coca-Cola drink.
Coca-Cola explains to consumers how the brand’s goal is to
make them happy, to share memories and great times with their friends and
family, and to forget about the stresses and negative parts of life. This is the “why” in Simon Sinek’s
model. Then the brand goes into the drinking
and sharing of a Coca-Cola drink while spending time with your loved ones in
different scenarios, which explains the “how” aspect in Sinek’s model. Lastly, (and briefly, as to not take the
attention away from the happiness factor) the brand explains that they create
these beverages the consumer is drinking, the “what” part of the model. This model not only helps Coca-Cola sell
their product, it makes the consumer see the whole brand as more than just a
drink maker. For Coca-Cola, this has
meant being a synonym for happiness for over 100 years.
The second part of Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, explains how the
law of diffusion of innovation affects brand outcomes and their impact on the
market. He explains how innovators,
early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards each have different
ways of seeing things, and therefore will have different views and opinions on
a brand’s marketing efforts.
At one point or another, I have found myself in several of
these categories as a consumer. This
usually depends on the potential impact a decision might have on my life
personally and professionally, and on the product knowledge there is available. For simpler purchases such as a pair of
running shoes, I have fallen under the early
adopters category for years. I am
always open and willing to try fitness gear as soon as I learn about it,
especially if they are Nike running shoes.
Not having to research much before making the purchase, I quickly
embrace the idea and will be open to trying the products that will have a
certain impact on my everyday fitness.
On the other hand, a purchase or decision that will have a
heavy and long term impact in my life usually places me in the late majority category. This was especially true when it came to
deciding where to go to Graduate School.
After much research, asking a lot of questions and numerous pros and
cons lists, I had two choices for where I would get my Masters Degree. I contacted alumni, visited campuses and
interviewed with both before I made a decision.
I had very practical concerns, such as costs, living arrangements,
transportation and education, and I was very careful as to what I would be
getting myself into. This lead to an
educated choice that has positively impacted my life, but only after a lot of
thought went into making the decision.
Every consumer is different and has a different way of
making purchasing decisions. It is up to
a brand to captivate the market in a unique and effective way in order to
encourage purchases and brand recognition.
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