Schuetz

Last year, when I was visiting my sister-in-law, I noticed at breakfast the kids were eating breakfast cereal that was packaged in a plain, no frills, plastic bag. It had a small label on it with a barcode announcing the price and name. She commented that the cereal was half the price of the brand-name cereals and just as good.

Recently I visited her again and at breakfast the plastic-bag-cereal was replaced by a colorful breakfast cereal box, half the size and twice the price.

Why? I asked.

The kids complained that their friends were eating cereals that tasted better (sugar coated) and came in different colors, with kid-oriented messages and coupons on the boxes, she said. Im forced by their peer pressure to buy the more expensive cereal. Just like when I go to buy shoes for them. Theyll only wear certain brands!

PERSUASION

Youve been there. And its human nature. The ad hucksters have known this secret for a long time. No one likes to feel like a second class citizen. Each generation that comes along has been pressured (persuaded) to buy advertised products associated with whats in, tied into basic human needs.

As we learned in Psychology 101 from Abraham Maslov, these needs are: 1) Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.; 2) safety/security: out of danger; 3) Belongingness and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted; 4) Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition; 5) Cognitive: to know, to understand, and explore; 6)Aesthetic: symmetry, order, and beauty; 7) Self-actualization: to find self-fulfillment and realize ones potential; and 8) Self-transcendence: to connect to something beyond the ego or to help others find self-fulfillment and realize their potential. It varies from time to time as to which of these prevail.

Children are always aiming to gain approval of their peers. Wearing the right footwear, eating the right cereals, makes them feel good and accepted. They seldom consider price, or value, first.

We adults are above this, right?

Well, reconsider. Would you buy gasoline from a service station that has no branded sign on its building? Would you buy clothing from a retail store that hasnt cleaned its store window in a year? On and on.

We are guided by what advertisers tell us to do. Well, most of us. You might be an exception, --the frugal person who thinks differently.

INFLUENCE

How does all this relate to your marketing efforts? Photobuyers are like you and me. They are influenced by the package.

Keep this in mind. You might have million-dollar-pictures, but if you are presenting them on a last-century website, calendar, sell sheet, or brochure, potential buyers will probably pass you on by. Search out your competitors websites. Does yours compare favorably? If not, consider a change.

PS: Ive noticed that generic cereals in plastic bags, at least here in Wisconsin and Florida, arent available on the shelves anymore in local super markets.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266 Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: http://www.photosource.com/products