Some B2B Marcom (and Product Management and Sales) people lament that their products are, shall we say, "dry" and not as sexy as B2C products. If you are falling into that rut, take a page from the book of Clippard. This company manufactures pneumatic actuators (yawn), also called, "solutions for pneumatic, motion and process control devices to the scientific, medical, dental and analytical markets" (double yawn). It's easy for us to imagine them simply going to market with some images, graphs, and a static product display. This is especially true when you consider that pneumatic devices typically move out, then in, then out, then in. Not too exciting, right?
WRONG!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, EVERY product is sexy, to the right person. Clippard is fascinated by the realm of pneumatic possibilities, and surely they have several customers who, under the proper circumstances, care very deeply about not only high-performance pneumatic solutions, but a vendor who is a thought leader.
So, how does Clippard explode out of the rank and file of uninspired competition and earn a special part in their target audiences' minds? How do they prove their thought-leadership? How do they make their slogan, "Quality People, Quality Products" ring true? They go WAY beyond what others do and craft a pneumatic air guitar! This steps far outside what a customer typically expects to see at an exhibition. It inspired one blogger to write,
"... it was the ultra-cool, illuminated air guitar that really caught my attention at the Clippard booth."
Check out the passion:
Check out the interviewer's fascination in this clip and note her opening salvo of superlatives, followed by the look of fascination on her face, (beginning at 1:09):
Don't worry about getting too far away from the real business at hand. When you position your "ultra-cool" demonstration in a trade publication, an exhibition, a technical conference, a sales call, etc., it is within the context of what your target audience needs and desires. Your customers are smart enough to bring it home. Note how Rob Clippard helps his target audience relate the novelty to their work when he weaves a memorable tag line into his elevator speech, "We'd love to make your machinery sing, as well."
People like Rob Clippard just get it. Note, in the video captured at the trade show (immediately above), even without the air guitar, Rob's exhibit has things moving all over the place.
You can get it, too. Remember,
- "It" isn't boring, you are. If you aren't fascinated with what you are selling, your customers will never be.
- If "it" IS fascinating, then find a way to convey that to your customers. Make an air guitar!