• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion

The 4Ps of marketing.

Tried, true, and proven through decades of use.

Sure, there are a few other models. But, all those models contain these four elements.

In tech, it’s common to be “product driven”.

Which means there is likely a “product team”.

When you’re on a product team, it’s clear which “P” you’re responsible for.

If you’re not on the product team, the “P” you manage is a little less clear.

A good question to ask is, what “P” (or “P’s”) does your team manage?

Stories sell.

They always have and it’s likely they always will.

They sell as ideas. They sell as books. They sell as brands. And, they sell as products.

To craft a great story, though, we have to understand our audience.

If you’re an author, writing a fiction book, you need to understand what your readers crave.

If you’re a marketer, you need to understand your audience and what they want to buy.

The formula for this is:

1. Audience
2. Story
3. Product

My brother came bursting through the door, like he does, yelling about how there ain’t no laws when he’s drinking claws.

The situation was in fact lawless.

Not sure where we were, but this was my introduction to White Claw.

If you’re a marketer, White Claw is amazing.

The product isn’t overly complex. It’s just liquored up sparkling water.

The story they tell is one of inclusion. It’s not a men’s drink and it’s not a women’s drink. It’s a drink for everybody.

This resonates with their millennial audience, and it’s impeccable.

White Claw is audience first.

Story second.

Product third.

And they hit a home run.

That’s why there “ain’t no laws when you’re drinking claws”.

I rode a Peugeot PX-10 in college. Probably the most iconic Peugeot made. I would have continued riding it if it wasn’t too big to be comfortable.

It began its life with my grandfather. He was hit on it, then no longer liked it. It was passed on to my father. He rode it for a while. Then, it made it to me. Three generations made use of it. Finally, it was sold and left the family.

Now, someone else gets to enjoy riding an old bike.

__ __ __

My current road bike is a LeMond. A 1990s model I bought off a family friend. He bought it new and rode it.

I replaced the group set and put a new saddle on it. Now, I ride it almost every weekend.

Two generations of great friends putting miles on it.

__ __ __

My commuter bike is a German made – 70s era – Kalkhoff. I originally purchased it for cheap in Frankfurt. Then, I shipped it to California, where it continues to serve as my commuter bike.

All that remains from its Frankfurt days is the frame, with a “made in West Germany” emblem.

But, it’s even more meaningful now. With a small swap in components, I now get to commute on the same wheels and brakes my grandfather commuted on over 30 years ago.

To me, that’s special.

__ __ __

I found a Peugeot Helium for my wife after 6 months of searching. It once belonged to someone’s French Grandmother. Until it was bought by a German bike shop owner in Hamburg at an estate sale in France.

Then, I bought it and my wife rode it in Frankfurt. Now she rides it in California.

These are just a few of the old bike’s I have and have had over the years.

What I love about these are their stories. Which is why I love old bikes. Typically, with a Brooks Saddle and of the red variety.

It would be easy to buy the cheapest, or most popular, bike off Amazon.

That’s not the story I’m interested in.

We buy things for the story they tell. And, the story we get to tell. It’s why we spend more on an Audi, think Coca Cola tastes better, or spend 6 months searching for a bike when it would be easier to get one off Amazon.

As marketers, we have to remember features and benefits are secondary to our story. Our story is what buyers are looking for.

In a world of abundance, our story might be all we have.

__ __ __

Old bikes have history. They have a story.

To me, that’s what makes them worth riding.

What’s your story?