Why popular things will get even more popular?
Popular things will always become more popular in this world. Well, they will become less popular if they screwed up which is not impossible but pretty unlikely. So why are popular things become even more popular?
Because it’s our nature to celebrate, discuss and pay attention to the popular things. For example, when you go to the bookstore, do you check the top 10 fiction or top 10 non-fiction books? Or if you are planning to go to the cinema but are unsure which movie to watch, will you check the rating and also the top 10 Box Office list?
The brand new IPod. Will this become very popular too?
The same thing applies to other popular items such as Apple IPod, MacBook, Honda and Toyota cars, McDonald, etc. These are very popular brands and brands which most of us know. Imagine if Apple IPod is not Apple IPod but maybe Orange Nono….a device which nobody knows much about, will you actually take a look at it? I doubt.
Another example. Do you dare to try a new restaurant if there’s no customer in it? What if the new restaurant has A LOT of customers? You will feel like trying too right?
This is actually a very normal human behavior especially for those who are indecisive and need to refer to others in order to make decision for themselves. They will think that because Apple IPod is so popular, it must be something good. Otherwise, why would people pay for such an expensive price for a MP3 player?
To them, popular product = quality product = and buying them will not make them regret.
That’s why there are a lot of companies who are willing to spend a lot of money on branding and to make their products popular. Because once they managed to do that (to make their products very popular), they can be 100% sure that the money will start coming in.
Don’t believe me? Try to look for the top 10 books in Amazon. Do all of them have good ratings or reviews? Nope. And yet, a lot of people are willing to spend money on them. Why? Because they’re popular and they are in the “limelight”. Who cares if they are really good or not? As long as they don’t sux too much, people will still buy….provided they are “popular”.
So the next time you come out with a product, one of the main things which you need to do is to be able to sell it and sell it well. Make it popular. And from there, everything will start to fall in place. People will help you to spread words about your products – free marketing. And indecisive people will refer to the top list which your product is part of…and there is a very high possibility that some of them will buy your product.
So always try to make your products popular in your industry/field. It’s not enough to be the BEST. It also needs to be the MOST POPULAR.
Good perspective. I’ll add one more thing. Take fashion. The price of a Mercedes Benz: $300k. The price of BEING SEEN driving one: more than $300k to some. Being associated with a brand can be worth many times more than the actual value of the product. This doesn’t happen by accident. It is the result of carefully managed branding.
Or take the cellphone business. Why does 012 have a better perception value than 019, even though both are imperfect?
Perception is the mainstay of brands. Sometimes there’s nothing much behind the perception. Big Macs don’t taste all that great. Yet everybody wants one. Again, branding at work. The brand professional’s job is to create the perception of value for things that aren’t all that different than the rest. The better the perception, the higher one can charge for the product.
Damien Tan
15 Jan 09 at 1:13 pm
@ Damien
It’s all about the feeling and the level of confidence something brings. What’s so great about Coach and LV bags? Just the brand name and the status. Also, I believe that the status of Coach bags is not as ‘high-class’ in US as it is in Malaysia. Reason being the price is more affordable back in the US…but in Malaysia, only those who are willing to spend a lot…will be able to buy. The higher the price, the better class the thing is.
Maybe that’s why one of the most successful marketing technique is to associate your product with a suitable story….a story that people from your target market can associate with. That way, it’s easier to make them believe in your products…rather than having a story which they cannot relate at all.
Then there’s also the thing called peer pressure.
Just because someone close to u have it…you will feel like having it too. LOL.
Alvin Lim
15 Jan 09 at 10:29 pm
well written. and i agree on this. im learning on this too
QuaChee
18 Jan 09 at 3:31 pm
@ QuaChee
Haha, thanks for the compliment again.
Alvin Lim
18 Jan 09 at 7:52 pm