Exclusivity. Everyone wants to achieve the status of saying that they participated in some sort of exclusive occasion. It could be getting a reservation at the hottest new restaurant, or it could be becoming a frequent flyer with flyer miles. This sets up the perfect situation for companies to advertise products. As I mentioned last week, Berger thinks that the most important form of communication around a product or service is through word of mouth. People are willing to casually bring up a new or interesting product they tried through day to day conversations. According to Berger, people are even more inclined to brag about achieving some form of exclusiveness. Companies that are able to cater to this exclusive title are some of the major successful brands. No wonder so many credit card companies have platinum, silver, gold, and sapphire cards. It makes people feel special and achieving a goal that they want to share with those around them. Of course I had thought about the human tendencies to brag and achieve a goal. It is natural. But Berger is opening up my eyes to how these important parts of human nature are used in the world of marketing.
Another important way of spreading knowledge about a company is by making the brand different and unique. Snapple started putting weird and obscure facts on the inside of the bottle caps. The facts were so strange that people felt an inclination to share them with friends. They would say things like "Hey I just read the weirdest fact on my Snaffle bottle!" This spreads awareness of the brand, Snapple, just by that one person sharing their weird fact. I found this part of the chapter to be very intriguing. I had never really thought about why Snapple would put weird facts on the inside of their bottle caps. Now I know. It makes them different and it spreads knowledge of the brand through basic daily conversations.
Interesting paradox: companies want to foster a sense of exclusivity in a brand while, at the same time, selling the brand as widely as possible. It's almost as if you're trying to make it so that everyone feels exclusive, right? You feel as if you're having a personal experience with your snapple cap yet you know that there are millions like it. An interesting lesson in marketing.
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