In the late 90’s ketchup sales were flat. The industry was looking for a way to get people to consume more ketchup. Even though the answer was sitting right in front of them on the table, the ketchup industry couldn’t see it. Heinz first thought the answer was to make green, even purple, colored ketchup. But people didn’t want multi-colored ketchup, they wanted easier ketchup. Consumers were tired of sticking a knife down a narrow bottle neck to clear the blockage, only to have an excess glob of ketchup come pouring out on to their fries. The upside-down ketchup bottle solved this problem. It got more ketchup out of the bottle, but it also got it out of the bottle neatly.The upside-down innovation created another opportunity. Because people could now get more ketchup out of the bottle, the industry suspected that consumers would want…more ketchup! So they made bigger bottles. With the larger upside-down bottle, people started using more and more ketchup. They consumed the larger bottles almost as quickly as they consumed the smaller bottles. When the bottle size moved from 24 to 46 ounces, people consumed 78 percent more ketchup!You are hampered by the curse of knowledge. But just like the ketchup industry, innovation may be sitting right in front of you on the table. Look at your current product or service. What can you turn upside down to increase demand? If you do, will customers want a bigger container?

-Jay Ehret, themarketingspot.blogspot.com

I thought of two great examples for this.

Whenever I see the Macintosh Apple, I think of the Mac kid on the commercials.  He is smart and quick-witted.  It makes me feel wise and also a little artsy to own a Mac laptop.  It is the essence of “cool” that really grabs us. 

The second one that has grabbed me rather recently is GM. There have been several commercials talking about America having a comeback, about streamlining their brands and having fewer, but more efficient models.  It is really tailoring to the recession and making us feel reassured even though our economy and people feel vulnerable. 

Branding is important because “people don’t buy with logic, they buy with their emotions.”  Once you have a brand, you are more likely to make “all decisions… in alignment with the brand [and] over time, you build a stronger business identity.”  What brands evoke emotions in you?  How can you develop your brand to be more appealing to consumers and get them to search for your terms?  What keywords can you put in your ads to comfort people and evoke their emotions?

-source: Jay Ehret, themarketingspot.blogspot.com