I recently learned an invaluable lesson about the power of brand from a blind taste test of Coors and Millter Lite:
Recently a few friends of mine had a weekend getaway at a cabin up in Northern PA. During our trip a conversation broke out about which was the best cheap domestic beer. We had a limited selection so pretty soon the debate shifted between Miller vs Coors.
Someone eventually mentioned that people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two and suggested that we do a blind test.
I was extremely adamant to all of them that I would be immediately able to know the difference:
- Coors: OK for cheap beer. Light and crisp. Passable when ice cold.
- Miller Lite: Glorified piss water
When it was my turn to taste, I sampled both and quickly made a decision about the winner. One tasted slightly "off" while the other had a lighter/sweeter taste to it.
As it turned out, the glass I raised belonged to the Miller Lite.
I was extremely surprised at my answer. However, it took me a week or two to look back and really understanding why I thought there was such a quality difference between the two products.
The lightbulb went off when I realized that Coors has such superior branding. They associate the product heavily with the Rocky Mountains in their product marketing, commercial advertising and more. This primed me to think that Coors is more likely to be fresh, crisp, light, and ultra cold.
Conversely, I'm really not sure what Miller Lite's branding is. Its packaging looks its quite dated, giving me the impression that the product has been sitting in the back of the store for awhile. My biggest memories of Miller are ordering pitches of it in college at a dive bar in Pittsburgh called The Garage Door.
So this experience really taught me the influence that brand can have on my product perception and ultimately purchasing decisions. Through their product marketing, positioning, and commercials, Coors was able to position itself to me as the superior product.
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