What we buy tells a story

We are telling the story of ourselves everyday, though our actions.

We buy what we buy to tell the world and remind ourselves who we are.

Think about that for a minute. The type of car you own is screaming to the world the type of person you are. You bought a Honda or Toyota because you're willing to pay a little more for peace of mind. Or maybe you would rather have a BMW, but Honda is in the budget.  You own a Dodge Caravan or a Hyundai because you don't believe in spending superfluously. Or maybe you own a VW because you love the outdoors and beat the music to your own drum. You own a sportscar because you love adventure. It could be the adventure today or a memory to relive the past.

If you sell a product, customers are buying for these very reasons.  Every person is different. I buy a Honda because I secretly want a BMW but can't justify it.

That's called laddering. We buy what we can afford, until we can afford more. Then we ladder up. If the product cannot ladder up, we buy the next brand that helps us feel like we've laddered.

It's like playing with toys. We play with our toys until we grow up and play with bigger toys.

When you have a strong brand, clients typically hate the other brands. I am a Honda guy. I hate the other brands in the same category. But I don't hate BMW because in my opinion, they don't play the same game.

I hate any computer brand not Apple. Most people who own Dell, Acer, HP, Lenovo wouldn't say that about their PC. Apple is the strong brand in personal computers.

Tim Horton's fans don't understand Starbucks fans. And vice versa. Both are strong brands. Don't go to Tim Horton's with a laptop, you'll feel like the Vichy government at the end of World War II. And if you don't want to be stared at, don't go to Starbucks with your muddy steel toe workboots. That's what drive thru windows were made for.

Come to think of it, I buy Starbucks coffee to prove to myself that I deserve a BMW.  It's funny how $5 coffee acting as an affordable luxury can take away the sting of not buying an amazing car.

I look out in the parking lot and I see four Hondas, three Toyotas, an Acura (a more expensive Honda), two Volkswagens, a Chevrolet and Ford truck and a Saturn.

It's not an exact science but I bet the majority of Starbucks clients also secretly want BMW's. The BMW dealerships should be working on a cross promotion with Starbucks. They will sell more cars to the aspiring but overly responsible crowd.