markgalloway.com

I just can’t stop drooling over the new Ferrari California! It is simply magnificent!

But for the discerning marketer, there are some interesting lessons to be learned from Ferrari about how to launch a product. I don’t think it really matters whether it’s a $200,000 car or a $50 body shaver.

Here are a few things that caught my eye:

1. Stage your product! If it looks like it’s the star of the show, consumers just might take a second look…or third…or fourth! You create desire, value, passion and interest in a product when it captures the undivided attention of your audience. Notice, Ferrari isn’t trying to distract with some scantily clad supermodel draped all over the car. She would just be in the way! They don’t need to use sex to sell their cars……the cars transcend that juvenile deception.
2. Make your product special enough to merit it’s own domain name. Did you notice when you click on the picture that you go to http://ferraricalifornia.com instead of http://ferrariworld.com? (Ferrari USA’s main web portal.) Notice Ferrari is focused on selling you a California on this site. Sure, they could try to upsell you to a more expensive model, or offer a lesser expensive model in case the California is out of your price range, but they don’t. That’s because they recognize the flaw in this 20th century sales philosophy. If you want to sell a specific item - sell it! Don’t offer alternatives and you won’t wonder why customers buy everything except the product you want to sell them.
3. Demonstrate your product. Ferrari has some awesome videos that allow you to truly capture what it’s like to drive this car. If you want to elicit a buying response from your prospects, they need to picture themselves using your product or service. By demonstrating it for them on your website, you can easily do this with little effort or expense on your part. Another good example of this point, and this article is Phillips launch of their whole bodygrooming system. I never knew how much I didn’t know about male hair removal until I went to http://www.manalogues.philips.com/
4. The price of your product will determine it’s perceived value by consumers. This can be tricky, because you have to provide legitimate value to demand a premium price, but is it really that hard to create value? Maybe so. If your product or service can’t command a premium price because of a lack of value, either make the necessary changes to increase it’s perceived value, or get a new product. On this note, if you try to compete on price, you will usually lose to big merchants like Wal-Mart. Distinguish your quality product with a price that reflects it’s value and you won’t have to compete with Wal-Mart!
5. Get people talking about your product. That old adage that word-of-mouth advertising is the greatest form of advertising available is true. But you can do a lot to encourage WOM. For example, you can give away freebies that will remind people to talk about you. Ferrari has free background images you can download for your computer. You might be better off giving away free pens, custom branded toilet paper or something else. The point is, give people a reason to talk about you and they will. That starts by having something worth talking about!