The Book “Mind Your X’s and Y’s” has a chapter about what they call Brand Candy – the stylishness that can be so appealing and is an important part of many brand successes.
Would Apple products sell nearly as well if they didn’t look cool?
That the Motorola Razr was so thin may have been a practical selling point. Far more important, it was a big part of makng it look great.
This didn’t used to be the case. And there are still huge swaths of the economy where what I call HID – Hideous Industrial Design – prevails.
I once tried to convince a manufacturer of medical equipment it would sell better if he manufactured it in cool color schemes instead of White Only. It was too far outside his reality. No one else was doing it. Some day, if it hasn’t already happened, some Steve Jobs of medical equipment manufacturing will startle his competition and send many of them into bankruptcy.
What about if you sell services? It can still apply. The Geico Gecko, their cavemen and witty advertising has obviously made Progressive, 21st Century and State Farm take notice. All of those companies now run advertising that is either based on or responding to Geico’s.
They aren’t doing that because Geico’s marketing is ineffective.
Even if you are a small company, chances are you can use this concept.