People Like Me
Yesterday, while driving to work, I was listening to an interview with a Jason Dorsey, a young man who specializes in market research about Gen Y. This generation includes those born from 1977 on, and are currently aged 18 to 34.
Brands like Harley-Davidson cultivate their brand following through appreciating their customers.
He said that this generation is heavily influenced in their buying decisions by people they consider are “like me,” and when I say that, I don’t mean Nancy Marshall, because I’m a baby boomer. I mean people who are also in Gen Y.
These are people who grew up with technology and are very accustomed to buying online and consulting with friends through social media before making buying decisions.
They also want to be made to feel special when they buy something, which is why Apple will customize your iPod or iPad with your name engraved on the back.
When creating a marketing plan, we should take into consideration that it’s not only Gen Y that is heavily influenced by their friends. Really all of us are most likely to trust our friends’ recommendations when making a buying decision. We are likely to listen to those who we know, like, and trust. Word of mouth marketing is the best kind of marketing and social media is the most efficient way to ‘fuel’ word of mouth marketing.
As marketers, we should strive to build a community of raving fans who will jump up and down in support of our brand. We should give our raving fans special things like free advice, free samples of our products and services, and opportunities to get together and celebrate together.
This is the reasoning behind the “HOG” rallies that Harley-Davidson Motorcycles organize for their owners, known as the “Harley Owners Group.”
These people are raving fans. They are passionate about Harleys. They like to talk about their Harleys and recommend them to their friends. They like to get together and ride the open highway, then do fun things like donate toys to disadvantaged children for the holidays.
As marketers, we should try to create “owners groups” of people who do business with us, and make our customers feel like they are part of one big family.
I don’t own a Harley, nor do I work for Harley, but I admire the marketing people at Harley. They have a virtual cult following of raving fans, and I’d like to help create such a cult following for every one of my clients.