Promise More Than a Product

How to create a brand that’s infinite.

The pursuit that a company undergoes to sell a product is similar to how you’d attempt to impress a guy or girl at a party.

You don’t just walk up and recite your life story only to close out with a list of your best qualities — you’d probably find more success with a witty joke or some drunk philosophy.

Instead, you’re selling an idea that’s more intriguing than you alone, giving the person something to chase after. You’re teasing them with a glimpse of the life they could have with you (or at least a memorable night out).

In the same kind of way, ad campaigns are made successful. Take Apple’s 1984 commercial. Rather than focus on a particular computer model, feature, or technology, they pitched something deeper; a future life that promised change and innovation. By giving the consumer something to dream about, Apple created one of the most effective ads of all time.

No matter how smooth your bourbon is, durable your boots are, or secure your cloud service is… someone, somewhere, someday will offer a better product.

So you’ve got to sell something even bigger than that. Something that lives on through everything you bring to market. What is that thing? Well, friend, that’s worth thinking about.