Selling Stuff to Men - Page 4

Positioning a product so that it appeals to the subconscious, emotional needs of the affluent man means imbuing the product with the idea of “want to have.” This type of positioning is accomplished through adroit marketing and packaging.

Create exclusivity by offering the product to a select group of affluent customers. Be sure they know only a few wealthy and discerning individuals received the offer. Assemble entitlement by emphasizing the peerless handmade quality of the product. Give birth to the idea of scarcity by limiting the availability of the product. ("Only 50 were made.") Stress the “want to have” idea: “Imagine what your friends will say when they see you driving this car.”

For example, MV Agusta is an Italian company that manufactures premium motorcycles, which are called “superbikes.” The company makes motorcycles that appeal to only affluent men. One model sells for $25,000, which is twice the cost of its Japanese counterparts, and targets the moneyed affluent male customer who makes $200,000+ per year. The other model targets rich and ultra-rich men. This model sells for $120,000. It is designated the MV Agusta F4CC. Capable of going 195 mph, it comes with a Trussardi leather jacket, and a Girard-Perregaux watch worth 15,000 Euro. Only 100 of the F4CC were produced in 2009. All have been sold.

By means of positioning, which was accomplished by marketing and packaging designed to appeal to the idea of “want to have,” MV Agusta not only sold their superbikes, but they also enhanced their entire product line. For even the cheaper model is affordable to only a select group, who now dream of moving up to the $120,000 model. How did MV Agusta do it? By appealing to the psychology of their affluent customers. They created exclusivity, entitlement, and scarcity. All of which appealed to the quest for status. MV Agusta made their affluent male customers “want to have” a superbike.

Article Author: Randall Radic

Randall Radic is the author of A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail, and Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America's Clergy. He is currently working on his next non-fiction book -- Killing God's Enemies.

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