Product Marketing: No Product That Has to do With Life is Boring

Did that ad just place kleenex at the center of several profound, tear-jerking, heartwarming, life-changing, nose-congesting stories told by what seem to be real people in the middle of a busy place?  I thought kleenex is just something you buy in bulk at Costco and throw around the house in a few places and only really gets used when someone has a cold.  Well slap me silly and call me Tina, I think Kimberley-Clark is on to something. 

The Marketing Profs alerted me to this article by Jerry Bader, entitled Six Steps to Give a Boring Product Some Buzz.  The steps in brief?

  • Use people to sell to people
  • Perception is reality, so use scripted professionals
  • Tell a memorable story
  • Create an emotional experience
  • Create a believable, relevant personality
  • Deliver a critical, hot-button moment

I don’t care if you have invented the new dust collector, wall plug, or lug nut.  There is a connection between that product and humans.  There is a story you can tell about your product.  You can probably tell it through a multimedia channel.   If kleenex can do it, so can you.