Many brands use low prices to increase product sales, but after a short period of purchase, consumers are unlikely to buy again if there is no equally strong price discount. But a brand should establish long-term impact, not just temporary popularity. Based on his own work experience, the author of this article analyzes this phenomenon from the perspective of copywriting and shares it with you.

When Hua Xiaozhu stops offering discounts, will you still use it? When Pinduoduo no longer subsidizes, will you still buy? What will you choose when the Ele.me event ends? What happens once the subsidies stop?

"Discounts are drugs. Ask a brand manager addicted to drugs what happened to market share when the high wore off and he'll change the subject. Ask him if profits increased and he'll change the subject. Brands are the seeds they inherited, and they're eating them."

This passage was written by David Ogilvy in 1962. Decades later, it seems that this marketing disease has not eased at all.

The brand is Guzhong. Without seeds, what is the difference between your products and tools? Just like people treat tools, they are very green tea and very ruthless: I will choose whoever is cheaper and more convenient now.

Is it possible to do as Mr. Peter Drucker said: "Marketing makes promotion unnecessary." How to plant the seeds for your brand and let it grow in the minds of consumers?

First, do a multiple-choice question:

There are two sweaters, one is stained with dog poop and has never been washed, and the other was worn by a murderer but has been dry-cleaned and disinfected. Which one would you choose?

Which one do you choose first? This is true for most people. Psychologists used this bizarre experiment to prove that objects are not just objects, but part of how people define themselves.

For example, a low-key person would not choose a sports car because he thinks "that's not like me." A street fashion guy is willing to sell his kidney to get the latest co-branded sneakers because "that's me". You buy what you are.

Therefore, when the military or prisons want to strengthen collective identity and eliminate individuality, they will first confiscate personal belongings and require everyone to wear the same clothing, hairstyle, belongings, etc.

Truly high-level marketing will ensure that the product achieves a cognitive match with the user’s self-concept and a consistent self-image.

The self is divided into two dimensions. The actual self is who I think I am and how I conduct myself; the ideal self is who I hope I am and how I want others to see me.

So your brand can:

• Align with the user's real self and make them feel "this is me"
• Help users avoid certain negative identity associations: "I don't want others to see me that way"
• Align with the user’s ideal self: “Achieving respect, achievement, and status”
• Helping users resist unreasonable social norms: "Stay true to yourself"

How to do it specifically? Let’s break them down one by one.

1. Are we all above average?

Maybe you have heard the term "above average". Many people would describe themselves as average or above average, regardless of what they actually look like. Many people, regardless of their actual economic situation, are accustomed to saying: Not as good as the best, but better than the worst.

In one study, 70% of students rated themselves as above average, and 80% of drivers rated themselves as better drivers than the average driver. Will the professors be any better? No. 90% of university professors believe that their level is higher than that of average professors.

Isn't it interesting. There is a term in psychology called the self-serving effect, which refers to this common cognitive bias.

What does this mean? This implies a very important principle in communication: the user image portrayed in marketing content should originate from them and be slightly higher than them in order to achieve cognitive matching.

For example, there are two platforms in the second-hand book market: Kongfuzi and Duozhuayu.

Kongfuzi's slogan is "Spend less money, buy good books", so users will naturally think of the scene of picking up bargains at second-hand book stalls and have the expectation of spending less money.

Duozhaoyu’s slogan is “Really good things are worth buying twice”, and users will feel: Yes, I’m not looking for bargains, I’m sharing value. This kind of self-awareness, coupled with the low price of the product, makes people feel good.

Therefore, Kong Fuzi, which operates in the second-hand book market, attracts price-sensitive users. Duozhaoyu has attracted a wider range of readers and created an incremental market for second-hand books.

When Xiaomi was rising, it also established a user image consistency model to help users express themselves: "I am an enthusiast. I am not choosing a cheap phone, but a cost-effective phone that only experts use."

2. Avoidance is a response

Many times, users express themselves not only by what they choose, but also by what they don’t choose.

In the statement issued by Ele.me a few days ago, "Wait 5 More Minutes", the company did not discuss the responsibilities of the platform and system, but instead put the responsibility on the users. Many people in my circle of friends expressed their opinions: Uninstall Ele.me. Are they just letting out some emotion? In fact, they are also expressing their own positions and values.

Similarly, more and more young people avoid drinking liquor at parties and deliberately keep a distance from the drinking culture represented by Wumao. More and more users will abandon brands that conflict with their self-image.

This is especially important for marketers to be vigilant about: Will your brand trigger negative perceptions among users?

There was a classic case in the 1990s. When Nintendo game consoles first entered China, they had a wide range of flagship games, spent a lot of money on advertising, hired celebrities to endorse their products, and designed all kinds of catchy slogans, but the results were not very good. In contrast, the Little Overlord, the collective memory of the post-80s generation, has become popular all over the country. Why?

The reason is simple: no parent likes their children to play games. So Subor copied Nintendo, but cleverly added a mechanical keyboard, turning it into a "learning machine". At that time, it had a very fashionable slogan called "Education through Entertainment", preparing for the computer age. How many parents and children can resist this temptation? For parents, it is definitely a good thing to let their children fall in love with learning; and for children, who doesn’t want to learn through entertainment in an open and aboveboard manner?

Only by helping users avoid unwanted negative cognition can we help them achieve self-persuasion. Only when you understand this can you be said to have insight into your users when writing copy.

For example, I once saw an advertisement for an old man getting dental implants outdoors: [After the dental implants are completed, you can eat pork ribs on the same day]. In fact, this sentence has a sense of scene and the selling point is also very clear. But on second thought, can it impress the target customer group of elderly people? I think probably not. Because the high price of tens of thousands of yuan will make the elderly heartbroken and even make them feel guilty about their consumption. They will ask themselves: Am I being too wasteful to spend so much money just to have a good meal?

What is a better approach? I saw a soft article from another hospital that was very straightforward and greasy. It tells the story of an old lady whose appetite improved and her medical expenses decreased after she had dental implants. So she persuaded her daughter to have a second child, because she now has the physical strength to take care of two children!

What is this soft article doing? Help the elderly avoid unwanted negative images (waste) and eliminate their psychological guilt. Then it rises from a tooth to good health, and then to taking care of the family and even having many children, the motivation for the elderly gradually increases. Oily, but selling goods.

3. When do people want to improve their image?

The answer is any time.

In marketing, appeals to making people more attractive, more successful, happier, and so on always work. For example, if two cars have similar features, which one would you be willing to pay more for? It must be the car that symbolizes status and makes people more proud. Let’s assume that you are on a date and a certain red wine can make you look more tasteful and sophisticated. Would you care that it is more expensive?

In order to achieve the image of their ideal self, or at least to get close to their ideal identity, users are willing to pay a higher price. Marketers should always ask themselves: How can your brand help people achieve their ideal identity? In other words, how to help users shorten the distance to their ideal self?

The first method: lower the psychological threshold

A few years ago, Tesla was still a high-end luxury car. Today, the price has dropped to more than 200,000. For most people, the dream that was once out of reach suddenly became something that can be achieved by just standing on tiptoe and reaching out.

If your product cannot make such a disruptive move, at least you can lower the psychological threshold with your marketing content. For example, brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi tell you that you can own a luxury car with the money of a movie ticket a day. For example, NetEase Yanxuan’s slogan is “Good life is not that expensive”. It makes many people realize that I can also pursue a more quality and tasteful life.

The second method: reduce the difficulty of the behavior

Many times, consumers do not take action because they do not have the corresponding ability. If your product is very complex to use, you will need to use a lot of marketing content to popularize the necessary knowledge in an easy-to-understand way.

For example, the huge price difference and complicated wine tasting ceremony of red wine once discouraged many people from buying it. KOLs such as Zheng Shan Ge and Zui E Niang took advantage of the opportunity to rise and teach people how to choose cost-effective wines, how to taste wine, etc., and take advantage of the opportunity to promote products. For example, choosing coffee is very complicated for most people. Santonban helps users simplify the decision-making mechanism by using codes from 1 to 6: the higher the number, the more bitter and mellow the flavor. Allow users to choose more intuitively.

4. Why are Chinese people so anxious?

There are many reasons, such as rapid social development, constant changes in identity, various unstable factors in life, etc. From a marketing perspective alone, the standard of what one should be is constantly being raised.

In the past, we could feel superior as long as our income was higher than our friends, but today, the Internet allows us to compare with others everywhere. You will see which peer has abandoned you again and which rich second generation is having a party again. As the reference point for comparison becomes higher and higher, the previous ideal self slowly becomes the "should self". You may ask, what is the difference between the two? Your ideal self refers to the kind of person you want to be and the goals you want to achieve. Instead, the self is the person you think you should be and the goal you should achieve.

For example, for most young people, reaching the peak of life is the ideal self, while achieving financial independence is the expected self. If you haven't become rich by your 40s, you will be disappointed in your mediocrity. But if you are still relying on your parents at the age of 40 and cannot pay back your Huabei every month, you will be anxious day and night.

When people fail to realize their ideal self, they will feel dissatisfied and disappointed; but if they fail to achieve their desired self, they will feel anxious, ashamed and painful. Therefore, when countless "should selves" are concocted, anxiety disease will spread everywhere. Things like 35-year-old anxiety, baldness anxiety, single anxiety, raising children anxiety, house buying anxiety, knowledge anxiety, social anxiety, internal circulation anxiety, and class solidification anxiety. Maybe one day you will develop anxiety about eating and drinking water...

Selling anxiety can indeed bring in goods and attract attention and traffic. But as a classical marketer, I still firmly believe that brands are an important organ of popular culture. Great brands need to empower users and help them not be held hostage by their absurd “should selves”.

For example, just a few years ago, from Victoria's Secret to Wonderbra, Meidenfeng, etc., they all advocated that women should look more attractive with curvier shapes. In recent years, we can clearly feel that with the awakening of women's consciousness, many underwear brands have begun to break the shackles of "should be self". For example, Uniqlo emphasizes that women should feel comfortable and at ease. We advocate that no matter you are fat, aging, have scars, or have a flat chest, "NO BODY IS NOBODY, no body shape is insignificant."

Every time when the pointer of values ​​starts to move, new consumer brands can usher in a wave of dividends. Drawing a clear line with old brands and establishing a new image to match new users is the cognitive bonus of new brands.

5. Summary

There are four approaches to achieving cognitive match with the user’s self-image.

Take coffee brands as an example.

1. Express your true self

UCC, the landslide in the coffee world, breaks the norm and uses a sad tone [a little negative energy every day], which helps users express their true feelings more realistically. It's like popping a boil. Although it hurts a bit, it allows people to vent and feel relieved.

2. Avoid negative images

For example, BOSS Coffee discovered that office workers are accustomed to drinking coffee in the afternoon to relax, but are afraid of being mistaken by their superiors as slacking off, so they help them express their views: "Only if you know how to be lazy can you make progress at work." The implication is: I am not being lazy, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood, I am just recharging myself for work more intelligently.

3. Get closer to your ideal self

[I am at the Left Bank Cafe and on my way to the Left Bank Cafe]. With its unique brand concept and highly stylized series of copywriting, Left Bank Coffee has outlined for us a coffee that does not exist in the world but exists in dreams.

4. Break the Should Self

Are you drinking coffee or a cafe? We don’t require you to pay for space].

【Good coffee is actually not expensive】.

Luckin Coffee uses this set of tit-for-tat copywriting to tell consumers that high prices are not the standard for measuring good coffee. You don’t have to pay an unnecessary price for a brand logo.

Usually a marketing article would end here. But at Panda Copywriting, we advocate simulation of actual combat to find out and fill in the gaps.

For example, have you ever thought about these common phenomena? Why do people give their cars nicknames and personalize them, but not their televisions or refrigerators? People care about what brand of cigarettes others smoke or what brand of clothes they wear, but no one will ever ask: Hey, what brand of antivirus software do you use? Why do you regard the teddy bear that has been with you since childhood as a living friend, but the door locks and water heaters that have been with you day and night are just tools?

It seems that products that are used in public and have symbolic meanings are naturally more likely to match the image of users. However, it is difficult for some products that are used in private occasions and have low attention. So the self-image consistency model is like Duan Yu's Six Meridians Divine Sword, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't? As a thoughtful person, you will definitely feel dissatisfied. You will be like the Panda copywriter and work hard to tackle this phenomenon.

6. If you want to promote dishwashers

Let’s choose a category without any social attributes and do the same thing again. For example, how do you breathe life into a cold, low-care dishwasher that matches the user’s self-image? You might as well think about it before continuing reading.

1. Help users avoid negative images

The popularity of dishwashers in the country is still not high. In addition to reasons such as troublesome installation and non-essential needs, there is also a psychological barrier in the minds of users. When dishwashers claim to be convenient, most women may be attracted by the advertisements, but on second thought, washing dishes is not that difficult, so isn’t it a waste to spend several thousand yuan? At this time, the negative image of "not wanting to be seen as lazy or a spendthrift" will hinder their purchases.

So we can change the angle of appeal and help them avoid negative images. For example, they claim that the machine does not leave any residual chemical components of dishwashing liquid, avoids secondary pollution, can disinfect and sterilize, etc., protects the health of the family, etc., and awakens their desire to be a good mother or a good wife.

2. Help users express themselves

Some people may ask, this generation of young people just don’t like to wash dishes, wouldn’t it be better to just focus on convenience for them?

For example, Siemens once launched the topic “I don’t want to wash dishes”, which won the resonance of many people on the Internet. But most young people who say “I don’t want to wash dishes” also say “I don’t want to cook”. Therefore, it is still assumed here that the main users of dishwashers are housewives and working women, but they are not necessarily the buyers. We can separate the roles of user and buyer, making the dishwasher a warm gift that expresses emotion and love among family members. For example, speaking to young sons and daughters and appealing to their emotions.

3. Help users get closer to their ideal self

Some time ago, I saw a news report that said a Japanese college entrance examination candidate received an admission letter from the University of Tokyo, but it turned out that it was not him who was admitted, but his mother who was in her fifties! It turns out that while accompanying her child to prepare for the college entrance examination, this mother recalled her own childhood wish: I also want to be admitted to the University of Tokyo. So while she was reviewing with her child, she also started to review and eventually realized her dream.

In addition to being a mother, she also has her own dreams and hobbies. But we seem to have become accustomed to thinking that mothers should be typical nagging, good at housework, and accustomed to hearing mothers say to us: Don't worry about home, go and realize your dreams. But we have never thought about whether we can also say this to her: Mom, don’t worry about home, go and realize your dream. In this quadrant, FOTILE dishwasher once had a campaign appeal: [To pick up the dream in your heart, put down the bowl in your hand first].

4. Help users break the self-should

Martin Lindstrom, a famous marketer, once worked for an Indian brand of laundry detergent. Soon, he came up with a brand upgrading strategy. Can you guess what it is? In fact, it was very simple. He just added a slogan at the bottom of the laundry detergent package: "This laundry detergent is also suitable for men." As a result, housewives rushed to buy this laundry detergent. The purpose of buying is not to use it yourself, but to buy it and put it at home to remind the man in the family: you can also wash clothes.

At the same time, an online signature campaign calling on Indian men was also launched. The signature represents a promise: "I am willing to help my wife wash clothes." It directly ignited India's social network and became a phenomenal marketing event in India. What can we learn from this?

The article is very long. Congratulations to those who have read this far, you have completed another high-quality thinking and learned a marketing tool: how to make the product and the user achieve consistency in self-image. By using this tool flexibly, I believe you can come up with a better solution.

Author: Panda Copywriter

Source: Panda Copywriting