👀How to navigate illogical customers, perception, & packaging

No time for small talk, Inbox Hackers. Got many miles to walk and mouths to feed. K9 mouths, but still.

Here’s what we’re picking apart in Wednesday’s Feature Story→ overcoming finicky customer concerns and opinions that defy logic. I’m on both sides of that equation (marketer & buyer).

After that comes the following sections: 

• The Knowledge Base  

• Self Help (no downside)  

• Facts & Stats (clowning = 19M views)  

• Get Hacking (double dose) 

Appetizer: The commercial where Audi used simple creativity & outplayed everybody.

Now, let’s pop the top on today’s Feature Story…

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Feature Story

Finicky Customers & Clients

Back when I used to help my buddy run his beer store / check cashing store, I saw this problem firsthand. 

Well, I saw weirdo customers with countless problems, but this is about customers having preferences and opinions that made no sense.

So, maybe this story will help you keep your sanity while helping you avoid relying on logic when it comes to how your offers are perceived.

Pepsi’s Blind Taste Test

Pepsi won blind taste tests vs. Coke. But Coke won the brand loyalty war. 

But there’s another taste test. Not soda this time. Beer.

We had several beer store customers who’d come in and ask for the twist-off aluminum cans shaped like a bottle. 

All the big beer brands had this option.

When we’d run out, we’d offer these finicky customers the same beer in glass bottles or regular cans.

Why would the container matter? 

Well. It did, because most of those customers would go to a different store to find the precious aluminum cans in bottle shape.

Colder Beer? 

Some of those customers liked the unique can-bottles because they felt the beer stayed colder longer. Cold, cold beer is a big deal to most beer drinkers.

Did these can-bottles really keep it colder longer? Nope. The brewery guy told me they tested it to find out.

No difference between these new-age can-bottles and traditional canned beer. Or glass-bottled beer, he told me.

Did those studies convince the customers? Heck no! They didn’t believe that for a minute.

“The container’s thicker. It’s got to stay colder longer.” They’d say.

That actually made sense. But wasn’t true. 

Better Taste?

Here’s where I am on the side of picky customers.

I’ve had Coors Banquet beer in regular cans, glass bottles, and the newer bottle-shaped cans. 

All three have a slightly different taste!

Now, I’m not an idiot like those other beer lovers. I’m a whole different kind of idiot😏.

But for whatever reason, that beer tastes different to me depending on the container it’s in.

This is despite me 100% knowing that the beer is exactly the same in each container.

Packaging and perception matter.

It is all in my mind, though.

Same as the old Pepsi blind taste test. People chose Pepsi because they couldn’t SEE the Coke container that dominated their minds before Pepsi got a foothold.

Visuals play a role, even in our taste buds. 

Same as the New Coke debacle. Coke released New Coke based on their taste tests, where people loved the new formula. 

But the brand could not overcome the visuals of that can with “New Coke” written on it. 

It was not the same. And no way it could be better -  just look at it! It says “New.”

Aunt Weezy’s been sipping Old Coke for 49 years, and she ain’t switching to some new-fangled formula. 

The Bottom Line

All that to say, you have to listen to your customers even when they’re not being logical.

And not necessarily in test runs, but during the actual sales process. 

My buddy gave up on telling his customers there was zero difference in a Miller Lite in a pop-top can vs. a twist-off can-bottle. 

He just started making sure he never ran out of the can-bottle packs. 

To this day, I won’t buy old-school Coors Banquet unless the store I’m at has the aluminum can-bottle.  

Another lesson here… packaging makes a huge impact on what you’re selling.

Apple does a great job making its customers feel like they’re unwrapping a masterpiece. Despite the fact that they sell gadgets. Just gadgets.

Other marketers do this well in simply naming their digital products. That’s a form of packaging that can be the difference between a user ignoring a side-hustle guide without a name vs. downloading a guide named “The Johnny Paycheck Guide to Quitting a Job You Hate.”

Even home service companies that have their landscapers or plumbers in polos vs. t-shirts are practicing good packaging. 

Makes no sense to have a plumber wear a nice shirt if he’s getting dirty all day. But it makes the company appear more professional, reliable, and the ONE to hire and refer. 

So, think about perception, customers lacking logic, and packaging with all your products and services. 

Onward now to The Knowledge Base, including a new brainstorming tool…

Self-Help

James Clear hasn’t cured bad habits yet? Shocking.

Let me speak on it then.

Have you tried filling in a positive activity in place of the negative activity?

Even if the bad habit remains, what can it hurt to add something positive to your routine?

Facts & Stats

Bonus: How much did the "Just Do It" campaign lift Nike’s North American domestic sport-shoe business in one decade, 1988-1998? Answer at end of email.

Get Hacking

A specific strategy to implement today

Amp up incentives for customers to purchase. Use a simple visual.

Saw this in The Guardian. The text read, “29,104 out of 40,000 readers have donated.” 

It’s a nudge to readers who have not donated to give like the “good, generous” readers did.

But there was an extra nudge. A progress bar (example below) showing roughly how many readers donated vs. how many had yet to donate (the “bad, stingy” readers).

The Guardian seeks donations. The same principle applies to selling. 

Small change. But it’s low-effort. So, try adding a simple graphic that bolsters text that shows how many people have bought your widget or hired you for a service. 

ALT Hack: Try a Guerrilla stunt like Payless Shoes did. The retailer rented out a store in an upscale mall to create a fake luxury boutique called "Palessi." Same inexpensive shoes marked up by 1,800%. They invited fashion influencers to a launch party, who paid hundreds of dollars for shoes that normally cost about $30.

The influencers had a good laugh after the reveal and it created big buzz. A fun price switcheroo doesn’t have to be elaborate to get you some positive PR.

Finally, our Quote of the Day below takes pressure off yourself…

Thanks for reading Inbox Hacking. Please share it with your peeps - it’s sugar-free but stings a bit.

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

Bonus answer from Facts & Stats section: The "Just Do It" campaign boosted Nike’s North American domestic sport-shoe business from $877 million to $9.2 billion (Miami Ad School).

"The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success, then let go of the outcome." ~Phil Jackson (11x NBA Champion as Coach)