Feature Friday: Mini marketing and why lifestyle sells

Why it pays to put things out there.

Have you ever heard of the phrase “just putting it out there”. If not, this phrase is generally used when you want someone to do something, but you’re not forcing them to do it. Normally when you suggest something to someone but you tell them that you’re just putting it out there, it makes them feel more at ease and they normally agree with your suggestion. Many companies have used this phrase and turned it into a smart marketing strategy. Naturally we as humans don’t like to be forced to do things, that is why I have never bought a dead sea skin product at the mall. The sales people who sell those dead sea skin products must have learned their selling skills from the hawkers at the traffic lights, they don’t realise that no means no.

If those same sales people had a sign or a picture of someone with great skin and a slogan that said “this could be you”, people would naturally be inclined to see what their product was all about. If they also toned down their high energy sales pitch and stopped calling people “baby” maybe they would seem less desperate. They need to learn the subtle skill of just putting it out there. Who knows, their products are probably good, most of us would never know since we automatically tell them we’re not interested.

Enough about dead sea skin products, let’s talk about concerts. Each time I have attended a concert, I get there looking forward to watching a live act but I leave there thinking about a Mini Cooper. Sounds strange doesn’t it? That is because each time I’m at such an event, there are Mini’s everywhere, in all shapes, colours and sizes too. These Mini’s are strategically placed too. When you want to get a drink, there’s a Mini, when you need to use the lavatory, there’s a mini, when you hearing you favourite song playing, you guessed it, there’s a mini. If you need a tip on learning how to put things out there, go speak to whoever manages Mini South Africa. The reason why I say that is because the sales people trained to promote the brands at such events do not approach you to tell you more about the car. They simply open the doors, play some music and wait. Mini South Africa is also smart about it, they make sure their cars are highly specified, so they look very good.

Selling a lifestyle is the best way to make an impression nowadays. When you think Coca-Cola, you don’t think, sugar diabetes, bad health and death. You think fun, friends and a good time. This is despite countless articles and health reviews telling us how unhealthy it is to drink Coca- Cola. I am in no way saying that buying a Mini is bad for you. The only bad thing about driving something like a Mini Cooper S, is that you need to stop yourself from acting like an ill-behaved child because it’s that fun to drive. What I am saying is that we tend to remember things when we associate them with something else. So when you hear your favourite song from the band you watched playing on the radio, chances are you will remember that orange Mini Cooper too.

It’s smart isn’t it? If you think about it, no one tried to physically sell you a Mini Cooper, the cars were just parked there, almost saying “we want to have fun with you”. With my limited knowledge, if I would ever advise anyone managing a brand, I’d say don’t force it down our throats, just make it look pretty. Make sure it’s good quality and make it visible to catch our attention, but what do I know, I’m just putting out there.