Budget whiteware, but no discounting!

This billboard caught my attention. The text may be a little hard to read,  so here it is:

Haier Billboard

Haier Billboard: emotion not money

We couldn’t spend heaps on a washing machine – number two’s on the way”.

Consumer marketing is not one of my areas of expertise, but I have plenty of experience as a consumer and I am often on the look out for ideas that I can learn from.

This reminds me of a comment from my younger son in his early teenage years some years ago .  “I am expert on children. After all, I am one.”

Now back to the billboard. What caught my attention?  Haier is a Chinese manufacturer of whiteware (washing machines, dryers etc) and is very much at the lower end of the price range.  Most adverts for whiteware and other major home appliances just focus on one dirty word, namely “discount”.

When you are already at the lower end of the price range, you may not have much margin to spare to be able to offer even lower prices.  Do your customers really want a “cheap and nasty” washing machine that probably is not that reliable?

Emotion can be a far stronger and more lasting feelings.  Firstly you empathise with the young woman and understand her situation.  The need for a reliable washing machine with the added work of a second child.  The advert is not just pitched at young families.  Grandparents are also likely to be influenced and to respond to the same emotional messages.

So next time you are tempted to boost sales by selling on price or worse still, discounting, think again!  What other ways are there to attract interest and create emotional ties with prospective customers?

Think also about who makes and who influences the buying decision.

Simon Fawkes
Business to Markets Ltd

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