How to do “contrast” marketing for products? Here are 4 operational tips for you!

There is a very interesting phenomenon:

When it comes to salary, we prefer to compare with others rather than ourselves.

For example, you used to have a monthly salary of 8,000 in a company, and then you switched to another company you liked with a monthly salary of 12,000, and you were very happy.

What's even more exciting is that half a year later, the company gave you a salary increase of 4,000, and you got a salary of 16,000. This is double the previous monthly salary of 8,000.

However, one day you find out that everyone else in the company has a monthly salary of at least 18,000 yuan, then you may become unhappy, even if you earn more money, twice as much as before.

Therefore, we find that when everyone judges how much they are worth, it is actually very irrational. Most of them have a reference, and this reference is often the people around them.

This interesting phenomenon is also reflected in the fact that when we buy things, we often argue with the merchants for a long time over whether a 10-yuan item can get a 1-yuan discount.

But we don’t seem to care too much whether a product worth 10,000 yuan can be discounted by 50 yuan.

This is very interesting. 50 yuan is 50 times more valuable than 1 yuan, but we value the 1 yuan more.

It's very simple, because we are not directly comparing the actual amount of the discount, but comparing the discount with the price of the product itself to judge its value.

So, relative to 10 yuan, 1 yuan is 1/10 of it, so it has value; but relative to 10,000 yuan, 50 yuan only accounts for 1/200, so it seems that its value is not that high.

So, when people judge value, it is always relative. We are born to like comparison, and this "comparison" greatly affects our various decisions.

So what would happen if this most primitive instinct of human beings was used in marketing operations ?

A killer move, an absolute killer move!

If you don’t believe me, let me give you an example of a marketing technique that has been popular all over the world for countless years. It is used everywhere, both at home and abroad, on the streets and alleys, online and offline:

Original price 399

Current price: 99

This is probably some of the most powerful marketing copy I have ever seen, and it exploits the most primitive human instinct of comparison.

Are you convinced? The world's top 500 companies all obey! Because they are all using it.

So how can we amplify this human instinct in our marketing operations ?

1 Make good use of anchoring

Decades ago, naturalist Konrad Lorenz discovered that newly hatched goslings become deeply attached to the first creature they see (usually their mother).

During an experiment, Lorenz discovered that when he was accidentally spotted for the first time by newly hatched goslings, they followed him closely until he grew up.

Lorenz thus demonstrated that goslings not only make decisions based on their initial discoveries at birth, but also that once the decisions are made, they remain unchanged. Lorenz called this natural phenomenon "imprinting."

It turns out that our first impressions and decisions also become imprints. For example, when we see a product and see its price at first glance, it will have a long-term impact on our willingness to bid for the product . This is the "anchor"!

For example, the original price is 1999 and the current price is 199.

The 1999 is an anchor price, which increases users' perceived value of the product. This product is of good quality and is worth 1999 yuan.

If there is no such anchor and the current price is only 199 yuan, users will feel that the product is very cheap rather than a surprise of a discount.

For example, someone did an experiment in which they divided consumers into two groups and asked each group how much an anti-inflammatory drug was worth.

Group 1: How much do you think this box of anti-inflammatory medicine costs? Then the result was that most of them were estimated to be around 50 yuan.

Group 2: Do you think the price of this box of anti-inflammatory medicine is higher or lower than 500 yuan? Then the result was that even though everyone in the second group thought that the cold medicine could not possibly cost 500 yuan, they still estimated an unreasonably high price: 200 yuan.

Here, the "500 yuan" that the second group of consumers were asked at the beginning is an anchor, which makes consumers increase their valuation of the product, and everything happens hidden and subtle.

This is why we think that any item, if placed in a high-end brand store , must be more expensive.

Therefore, this once again proves what was said above, that consumers do not have an internal valuation system, and they all make valuations through comparison. The "anchor" is an invisible comparison item that will directly affect consumers' value judgments.

The "anchoring" method is a relatively restrained contrast trick. Next, I will share 3 more direct techniques.

The first thing to do is to use reference objects.

2. Find the reference

A good reference allows consumers to quickly understand the core features of a product and evaluate its value.

Nanfu previously released a mini power bank, which is smaller and lighter than previous power banks and is easier to carry.

How to highlight this selling point?

The most common method is definitely to directly list the dimensions of the mini power bank, such as 9.2cm long * 2.3cm, and then describe how small it is, and add a bunch of adjectives.

This consumer has no feeling at all and doesn't know how small it is.

So how did they do it?

Use lipstick! That’s right, they used lipstick directly as a reference.

You see, this problem can be solved simply by using a picture of a lipstick. It is very intuitive and vivid. Everyone who sees it will know that this mini power bank is very small. It is almost the size of a lipstick.

This is not all. Generally, power banks are packaged together with mobile phones. In order to deepen the user impression, they later chose the iconic mobile phone IPhone6S at that time and used it as a reference.

With this comparison, we can immediately tell that this power bank is only about 2/3 the size of an iPhone 6S. If it is not as good as the iPhone 6S, you can just take out your phone and you will know. You will immediately get the selling point of this product.

This is much better than just putting a 9.2cm long * 2.3cm size.

And this is the reference, which allows consumers to understand your advertisement at once, and understand it very clearly.

The purpose of reference is to highlight the key items you want to express, and consumers can get them immediately. It is more practical than a large number of adjectives, data, theories, etc.

Even the eloquent Luo Yonghao cannot resist the charm of "using reference".

When the great storyteller Luo Yonghao was doing Lao Luo English training, there was an advertisement for 8 trial lessons for 1 yuan. It was very classic. Let’s take a look:

You can try 8 classes for only 1 dollar, which is quite cheap. The general copy would basically end here, or add a few sentences like "super offer" or "shocking".

But Lao Luo and his team are different. They added a series of reference objects such as corn, buns, garlic, lighters, lollipops, condoms, etc. in their advertisements. Suddenly, an ordinary advertisement comes alive and the visual effect comes out.

Moreover, the reference here is a double reference.

Taking steamed buns as an example, on the one hand, steamed buns are referenced to "1 yuan", which further highlights the price discount; on the other hand, steamed buns are referenced to "eight classes at Lao Luo's English training", which highlights the product value and encourages users to buy.

Think about it, do you want a bun? Or do I still have to listen to Lao Luo’s eight lectures? Take out your money now!

Of course, it’s not just Luo who wants you to pay quickly. Xiaomi is also an expert. They often use this trick when they hold new product launches.

As ordinary users, you always say that my phone is cost-effective, but they have no idea; you always say that my phone has good performance, but they don’t understand what performance is.

At this time, Xiaomi cleverly introduced various mobile phone parameters as reference. What was the result?

The result is that even if you don’t say a word, consumers will think after comparing the products themselves: “Wow, the price-performance ratio is really high, not bad, the money is worth it.”

In short, by making good use of the trick of reference, you should be able to mass-produce a large number of more effective copywriting.

3. Establishing a Base Model

Building a schema is another marketing technique that is often used as an analogy, and is also frequently used by major brands.

What is the base model?

The schema is one of the innate behavioral patterns of human beings. It is a massive collection of all the knowledge in our cognition.

Let’s take an example:

Grapefruit is a subtropical fruit of the citrus family, grown in clusters with a thin, soft skin. The flesh is divided and ranges from pale yellow to coral red in color, from juicy to slightly dry, and from sweet to tangy.

If you don’t know much about grapefruit, please close your eyes now and try to think carefully about what grapefruit looks like based on the introduction above.

I guess you probably can't imagine it at all.

Let’s try another introduction:

Grapefruit is a small grapefruit that is shaped like a grape and has a thin and soft skin like an orange.

How about it? At this time, has the outline of a grapefruit appeared in your mind?

After reading this introduction, you will know that grapefruit looks similar to ordinary pomelo, but it is smaller and shaped like a grape, and its skin is thin and soft like a citrus.

Here, the concepts that you are familiar with, such as "pomelo", "grape", and "citrus" are what we call "schemas".

Some people may say, isn’t this the same as the reference mentioned above?

They are different. In my opinion, the archetype is a more advanced usage. Reference objects are direct comparisons, while the use of schemas is more inclined towards the association of thoughts and the arousal of cognition.

Some American scholars have proposed the "availability bias", which means that due to the limitations of memory or knowledge, when we make judgments, we always use information that we are familiar with or easy to imagine.

In other words, we are accustomed to using our inherent cognitive structures to explain and understand new things. When it comes to products, we are also accustomed to understanding them using our past inherent cognition.

For someone with no background knowledge, the large amount of descriptive language can be completely confusing.

At this time, one of the most common practices is to use the other party's existing cognitive schema to explain unknown things, which makes it much easier to understand.

For example, when the first generation of iPhone came out, Steve Jobs did not directly say "smartphone" when introducing the iPhone, because it was still a completely unknown concept at the time. Steve Jobs was not an ordinary person. He said:

“iPhone=1 large-screen iPod + 1 mobile phone + 1 Internet browser ”.

You have to know that there was no concept of smartphones at that time. No matter what you said, others would not understand. Jobs directly used several concepts (schemas) that people were already familiar with, so that everyone quickly knew what the iPhone was.

It was still Steve Jobs who, when he launched the iPod, said this classic advertising line at the press conference: "Put 1,000 songs in your pocket."

This sentence is simple and pure. I believe that everyone can immediately have a sense of picture and make mental associations based on past experience. This is also about using things that users already understand to explain unknown things.

Therefore, when we are introducing products or writing copy, we might as well think about the connection between our products and things that users are familiar with. This is definitely a good approach.

First of all, find the characteristics and core functions of the product and extract them all. This is a must. Otherwise, you will not understand your own product and will not be able to make any associations. I believe no one understands his products better than Steve Jobs.

Then, find objects that are known to the user and establish cognitive associations with the known objects.

Users are more likely to remember things that are meaningful to them or that they are familiar with, and tend to see what they want to see. The closer it is to their own experience, the safer they feel and the easier it is to accept.

Finally, let’s talk about Steve Jobs’ products. When Steve Jobs launched the MacBook Air, it was claimed to be the world’s thinnest notebook launched by Apple. How thin was it?

Most people would certainly use precise dimensions and exaggerated descriptions to explain it.

But at the press conference, Jobs took out the MacBook Air directly from the envelope, and everything was said. (I think there must have been thunderous applause at the scene)

The thinness of the notebook is associated with the capacity of the envelope. This is a standard object-based schema. It throws the information you want to express into the user's brain all at once, and then evokes the user's previous understanding of envelopes, leading him to conclude: it is indeed very thin.

In short, use things that users already understand and are familiar with to explain the unknown. It is powerful and can enable users to understand various unknown things, unknown products, unknown concepts or unknown functions in a short period of time and produce concrete pictures.

Only when users have a full understanding of the product itself will they become interested in your various advantages and selling points and be willing to pay for it!

4. Use positive and negative contrast

Compared with the comparison methods of the above tips, this one should be the most direct and rough comparison.

Since the purpose is for users to feel the contrast, they can estimate the value of the choice. A direct comparison is definitely necessary.

In our lives, various product advertisements are everywhere, and each one hopes to be seen and remembered by consumers. But in fact, this is not easy, and only very few product advertisements can attract consumers.

Through the most intuitive comparison, product advertisements can be more easily discovered and more impressive.

For example, I still remember clearly a Braun razor advertisement.

Isn’t it eye-catching? I believe you will be impressed!

This advertisement has a certain degree of creativity, but the most essential thing is the magnified contrast. The effect after using the razor is clear at a glance. Needless to say, we already know the advantages very well, and all that remains is to solve the trust issue.

Some people may say that this advertisement is good, but it does not solve the problem of getting people to buy.

Yes, you are right! But what is the biggest fear of advertising? It’s not that people don’t buy it after seeing it, but that it’s so bland that no one watches it.

Advertising can solve any problem. These are theories taught in textbooks. We should learn them, but we cannot copy them blindly.

Here’s another example, which comes to mind when I think of “contrast”:

This is an advertisement for keloptic glasses. It is also quite creative, and the inspiration comes from Van Gogh's famous work "Self-Portrait".

It’s obvious, what is the main selling point of this advertisement? The clarity of the glasses! After wearing these glasses, impressionism becomes hyperrealism. Are you convinced?

This is what we call positive contrast. Simply put, positive contrast is to compare the positive changes after using the product with the previous status, which intuitively reflects the core functions or advantages of the product and ultimately makes consumers "heart-moved".

This type of comparison is very common, especially in advertisements for cosmetics, beauty, shampoo, toothpaste, fitness, and health products.

Of course, where there is positive contrast, there will be negative contrast. Let’s take an example:

This is an advertisement for World No Tobacco Day , which puts two faces before and after smoking together to create a sharp contrast.

Obviously, reverse contrast is completely opposite to positive contrast. The most common one is "fear marketing", which first stimulates the user's fear and then provides a solution.

For example, "If you're afraid of getting a sore throat, drink Jiaduobao " and "There are security risks in your system, please check and eliminate them in time" are all taking advantage of fear.

However, although fear marketing is effective, it is becoming more and more common and can easily cause negative effects and lead to consumer rejection if you are not careful.

How to do it?

I have read a "protection motivation theory" before, which said that a scientific fear appeal should be designed from four aspects in order:

• Threat severity (attention-grabbing) – How serious would the threat be if it were to occur?
• Threat vulnerability (inducing fear) – Is the threat likely to occur? It is not enough to just say that the threat is serious. It is necessary to explain that the threat is very likely to happen so that it can arouse people's fear.
• Response effectiveness (reasonable solution) - Does your solution effectively reduce the threat? If consumers believe your solution does not eliminate the threat, it will be in vain.
• Self-efficacy (ease of implementation) – Is this plan easy to implement? Is it easy to do? Even if your solution is great, if consumers find it difficult to implement, they will simply give up.

In short, first explain that you are facing a serious threat (threat severity), and then explain that this threat can easily happen to you (threat susceptibility).

When your fear is aroused, a plan will be immediately introduced to make you believe that this plan can avoid the threat (response efficacy). Then when you hesitate, tell you that it is very easy to implement (self-efficacy).

In this way, a complete fear marketing design is completed.

Although fear marketing is becoming more and more common, Durex ’s approach in this regard is quite clever. Study it.

For Father's Day, their poster read: To all of you who use our competitor's products - Happy Father's Day!

There is an even more cruel one. On Children's Day , Durex, a veteran brand, released a poster of " Children's Day for 3 People" and "Children's Day for 2 People". This means:

"If you use Durex, it only costs 49 yuan for two people to stay overnight. If you don't use it, you just have to wait! Don't even think about having a private time after Children's Day. The most important thing is to spend money! Spend money! Spend money!"

Are you scared after reading this? I can’t even begin to count down this shopping list! (Luckily I have a baby)

Finally, let’s summarize:

Whether in life, work, or shopping, we are born to like comparison, and this "comparison" greatly affects our decision-making.

Because people have no idea how much something is worth. There is no "internal valuation system" in the human brain to directly tell us how much something is worth. The value is estimated through comparison.

But most of the time, our "comparison" is not rational at all.

Therefore, if you want the most conflicted users to be willing to pay, you can make good use of these 4 marketing and operation tips about "comparison".

1) Make good use of anchoring - When we see a product and see its price/value for the first time, it will have a long-term impact on our willingness to bid for the product. This is the "anchor"!

2) Find the right reference - a good reference can help consumers quickly understand the core features of the product. The purpose of reference is to highlight the target item you want to express, and consumers can get it immediately.

3) Establish a schema - When it comes to products, we are also accustomed to understanding them using our past inherent cognition.

One of the most common practices is to use the other party's existing cognitive schema to explain unknown things, which makes them much easier to understand.

4) Make good use of positive and negative contrasts - Positive contrast is to compare the positive changes after using the product with the previous state, which intuitively reflects the core functions or advantages of the product and ultimately makes consumers "heart-moved".

The most common reverse contrast is "fear marketing", which first stimulates the user's fear and then provides a solution.

Okay, above are 4 marketing operation tips about “comparison”.

Watch it again and you will appreciate it more. I hope these can help you.

above.

The author of this article @木木 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

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