👋, I’m Kimberly. I’ve been creating obsession-worthy brands for the past fifteen years. And now, I’m giving away my secrets every week in this newsletter.
You can be the most clever marketer in the world.
You can write the most witty copy.
You can create the most unique visuals.
But…
If your product drops in the forest and no one buys it, does it actually exist?
As a brand, you’re always trying to motivate people to buy your product.
So today, we’re going to get our hands dirty discussing the most base (and basic) of human motivations — as demonstrated by the seven deadly sins.
Let’s start with…
1. LUST
Strong passion or longing.
There’s the old marketing chestnut “sex sells.”
And it’s true. Getting someone to literally lust after something is a crazy powerful motivator.
When you’re thinking about how to use this motivator for your brand, remember that the concept of lust doesn't need to be straight-up “sexy” in the traditional sense — or go as far as Heidi Klum licking a burger or Kim Kardashian eating salad while writhing around on a bed.
Sexy means different things to different people, and you can just as easily get a customer to lust after an iPhone or a Godiva candy bar with a more subtle approach.
Think about ways you can portray your product in such a way that it inspires a real want it, need it, have to have it now kind of passion —there’s your lust.
2. GLUTTONY
Excessive and ongoing eating of food or drink.
Has an ad ever literally made you salivate?
Whether it’s a swirly ice cream cone dripping over the sides with fudge, nuts, and whipped cream or an Insta-friendly shot of the perfect plate of pasta practically spilling over the bowl, a picture has the power to connect tasteful minds to tasteful buds.
Like with the sexified approach, it’s perfectly possible to indulge more than your stomach.
Use this sin in creative ways when you’re marketing other products or messages that speak to your senses — from silk sheets to the beaches of Bali.
3. GREED
Excessive pursuit of material goods.
I may be dating myself here — but who else remembers Beanie Babies? These small stuffed animals, stuffed with something that may have counted as beans, started a collector’s craze worldwide.
As consumers, we’re often obsessed with getting more and more of something, and that often translates into collecting items made by brands.
That’s why it’s often a good strategy to roll out small collections like clothing brand Supreme in limited-edition numbers, which feed right into this desire.
As an exercise in greed, think about how you could apply a Pokemon-catching approach to your brand, and get customers obsessed with gathering you up.
4. SLOTH
Excessive laziness or the failure to act and utilize one’s talents.
Ah yes, the lazy man’s ultimate motivator.
This motivator is where I’d put all of the products that loudly proclaim how they’ll save you time and effort — often in giant, infomercial-esque letters.
I’m a big believer that time is our most precious resource. So, anytime you can hit this angle in your marketing and claim to give me some back, I’m a happy and cared-for camper.
Think about everything your product is potentially automating, simplifying, or making easier for your customers. Then, don’t be afraid to SCREAM IT or repeat it to make sure they know what you’re really doing for them — and get their inner sloth slothing.
5. WRATH
Strong anger and hate towards another person.
Misery loves company. And so does anger.
Without necessarily angering a mob with pitchforks, you can get a crowd of consumers rallied up around a cause they support because they feel so passionately in opposition to something.
Just ask brands like Patagonia, known for going so strongly to bat on environmental protection that it put labels inside its clothes that read “Vote the Assholes Out” and sued the Trump administration in 2018 in a bid to protect Bears Ears National Monument.
Or Lush — which has a serious history of riling up fellow animal rights activists with shocking demonstrations… like the time they put had a performance artist undergo all of the pains animals do during animal testing right in its Regent Street location windows.
If you find customers who are passionate about a cause and have them associate that passion with your brand, your product becomes the next logical sell.
6. ENVY
Intense desire to have an item that someone else possesses.
Wanting what other people have comes a little too naturally.
Anyone who has seen an ad with someone standing next to a fancy luxury car or holding that IT bag and felt a pang of desire knows what I mean.
Originally the sin most often evoked with a celebrity-level endorsement — envy has seen its star rise to super, ever since Instagram started making influencers and their well-documented lives into the social catnip of the masses.
Interestingly, a 2018 study found that for envy-based marketing to work, the consumer target needs to feel self-confident already. The participants in the study who had high self-esteem were more motivated to buy the goods because they felt envious.
So if you’re pitching your product to a confident crowd, feel free to go green-eyed.
7. PRIDE
An excessive view of one's self without regard for others.
The world’s fastest, the longest waitlist, named #1 by the prestigious and pretentious magazine…
In today’s world, being the one to own the brand that’s clearly the best or the most sought-after is a status symbol like never before.
Again, thanks to social media — people humble brag about everything from the products in their beauty cabinets by posting a “shelfie” to their first-class seats on the flight with a TikTok vlog.
Smart brands that embrace and encourage people’s need to show off their purchases and interactions at every opportunity will find themselves spending way less on online ads, as their customers do their advertising for them.
Keep these seven deadly sins in mind as you create your marketing messages — and motivate more customers to take action.
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About Me
I help early-stage founders create the kind of brands that get customers so obsessed, they’ll do your advertising for you.
Based on my experience founding my own consumer brand, I developed The Branding Sprint—a uniquely collaborative, streamlined, and agile approach to brand creation.
Click here to learn more about The Branding Sprint, or schedule a call with me.
Thought provoking stuff as always....thank you!