Hearing about the crowd reaction to the Bugatti Chiron at Cars and Coffee made me think of my dad. In the heart of Texas, where the roads stretch long, and everything feels big, my father Duncan Smith grew up amidst dust, dreams, and determination. While most kids his age were wrangling cattle or mastering the rodeo, my dad preceded Ted Turner at The McCallie School in Chattanooga. A tinkerer and engineer, he became fascinated by stock tickers and the ebb and flow of Wall Street. A Texan at heart but with aspirations as vast as the state, he set out for Merill Lynch and the bustling canyons of New York City, Wall Street, and Greenwich.
The juxtaposition was stark – from wide-open spaces to the confines of skyscrapers. But my dad thrived. Leaving every morning hours before I would think about getting up, his Porshe Targa would roar out of our Millbrook driveway like a wild herd of German horses. He worked on pension plans, strategies, and high stakes. To this day, I'm not sure what my father did to pay for his and our lives, but his cowboy boots, Stetson, and ubiquitous Cuban cigar created a trusted brand.
And then there was his Porsche Targa. Sleek, audacious, and roaring with power – much like my dad. Every chance he got, Duncan drove his cherished Targa away from the steel jungle to a Choate football game or up route nine along the Hudson River to Vassar College. It wasn't about marrying two worlds he loved: the unyielding rush of Wall Street and the grounded, raw energy of a life well lived.
Hearing of the excitement created by the $3M Bugatti Chiron at Cars and Coffee Morrisville on the first Saturday in August brought back memories of my well branded larger than life father roaring around Greenwich riding a herd of wild German horses. Bugatti, like my father, knows how to create an exclusive brand. This Flipboard Friday builds on Eric's 8 Luxury Marketing Tips to Steal from Hermes, Rolex, and Ferrari.
Use the links below to discover Buggati's Branding Lessons and watch 3 awesome videos & Take our Car Brands You Love Poll!
If you press play above or found your way to Bugatti.com you've witnessed a choreographed dance of desire, aspiration, and exclusivity. Why is the Bugatti video such a revelation in target audience marketing? For starters, Bugatti isn't selling a car, a word they don't use despite having ten times the search volume. Bugatti sells automobiles and could care less about search engine optimization (SEO). Must be nice. They're selling a dream. A promise of unparalleled craftsmanship, prestige, and luxury. Every frame, every sound byte, every cut is tailored to resonate with a very particular group of individuals. Those who don't just buy a vehicle, but want and can afford an experience. Those who understand they're purchasing an art piece, a legacy.
The art of understanding your audience isn't about casting a wide net, but crafting the perfect lure. Every second of Bugatti's video speaks a language that the Bugatti tribe comprehends. It's nuanced, elite, and discerning. The subtle lighting, the pristine shots, and the crescendo of the engine roar – they’re not just random choices. They are deliberate, evoking emotions that align with the aspirations and desires of the brand's target audience.
Bugatti knows that their automobiles are not for everyone. And that's the magic. In an age of mass production and generic advertising, Bugatti stands out by speaking directly, intimately, to a chosen few. They're not trying to be everything to everyone. They're everything to someone.
The video on Bugatti.com is more than just a promotional tool. It's a master class in understanding your target audience, speaking their language, and delivering a message that echoes in their hearts long after the video ends. It’s a call to those who dare to dream, to aspire, and to live in Bugatti's unparalleled luxury. And in that precision, in that exclusivity, lies its brilliance. Use the link below to discover 3 Bugatti marketing lessons you can use.
I love how this video is calm and quiet until halfway, when the flag drops and all bets are off. With that Chiron flashing through our subconscious, let's dive deeper into Bugatti's treasure trove of marketing wisdom. Here are three marketing and branding takeaways that every marketer can embrace, regardless of their industry:
Craft a Narrative, Not Just a Product
Bugattis aren't mere machines; they're stories on wheels. Each car has a legacy of meticulous craftsmanship and relentless pursuit of excellence. Lesson? Don't just sell products. Sell stories, experiences, and journeys. In our age of information overload, stories are the currency that captures your customers' hearts, minds, and loyalty. Engage your audience with narratives they will dream about and aspire towards. If Bugatti's video doesn't increase your blood pressure and focus your mind, you're dead.
In an age of ubiquity, where products blur into a sea of similarity, the true differentiator isn't your product but the story you tell. Crafting a narrative is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. But how do you elevate your offering from being a mere product to a tale that resonates?
Start With 'Why' Delve deep into the 'why' of your product. Why does it exist? What change does it make? People don't buy your products; they buy the change your product brings, the way it makes them feel (as mentioned last Flipboard Friday Vejas Tesla Effect). Your 'why' becomes the foundation of your narrative.
We Buy with Emotions, Not Logic Features, specifications, and benefits are crucial online copy, but features and benefits don't capture hearts, minds, and loyalty. Emotions do. Think of Apple. They don't sell technology; they sell aspiration, individuality, and creativity. Tell stories that will live in the emotional core of your audience. What are their aspirations, fears, dreams, and desires? Craft a narrative that touches these chords half as well as Bugatti, and you'll make bank.
Buying a million-dollar Bugatti creates a fun living immortality. I'm not saying buying an automobile will beat the Big C. I wish it were that easy, but you will feel better about driving to Cincinnati nine times in three months in your Chiron. The five hundred miles I drive to see the Byrdman at UC Health would be a story worth living, sharing, and telling. Now all I need is the automobile. Heck, I'll be a happy passenger, and I'll stop begging now. I wish my dad had left me one of his Targas. Authenticity: Your customer are smart. They know the difference between BS and genuine stories. Your customers (and ours) know we're human, make mistaks, and need a new pair of shoes to keep the wolf away to torture two analogis instead of one. Every product has a tribe – a community that swears by it, values it, and shares it. Ask for help. Curate and value help provided and include your tribe in your stories, on your website, and in your social media marketing. Ask them to share their stories, their experiences. When your customers are pitching each other you've done a masterful job of listening, including, and valuing the most valuable content few discuss or explain - user generated content (UGC).
COPE: Create once and publish everywhere is a worthy goal few achieve, but your stories shouldn't be confined to your marketing-speak on your website. Tell stories from the heart of your vulnerability with every touchpoint eching your brand's narrative.
Understand the Power of Exclusivity Our highly personalized smartphone-enabled times make universality cheap, bland, and lacking merit. Trying to appeal to everyone is a fool's errand. Bugatti thrives on selectivity. They cater to a chosen few. That's why their video starts with a house few can afford or Bugatti's way of saying if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Their marketing is an exclusive whisper, heard only by those Bugatti want to listen. Lesson? Sometimes, less is more. Find your tribe. Speak their language. Cultivate a sense of belonging and intimacy, and you'll earn the evangelists and brand ambassadors every product needs in our highly personalized smartphone-enabled times.
Attention to Detail
Craftsmanship isn't dead, but a highly prized product differentiator. Every curve, every stitch, and every rev of a Bugatti is a testament to precision. Luxury isn't just about big-ticket items but about the minutiae, the intricate details that elevate an experience from great to unparalleled. Lesson? Never overlook the small stuff. Whether it's the UX of your website, the tone of your customer service, or the aesthetics of your packaging – every touchpoint is an opportunity. An opportunity to impress, to elevate, and to solidify your brand's positioning in the minds of your customers.
To sum up, Bugatti isn't just crafting automobiles; they're sculpting experiences. And while we might not all have a Chiron's horsepower, we do have the power of narrative, exclusivity, and attention to detail. Use the link below to discover how to weave craftsmanship into your branding.
The Hermes video, forgive the need to read subtitles, illustrates why Birkin bags cost so much and how to create a counterpoint to lives increasingly dominated by screens, pixels, and instant gratification. While Bugatti's rush excites you, Hermes tells their craftsmanship story with French patience tapping into its bag's legacy and timelessness. Well, here's more on why craftsmanship and attention to detail are crucial in our noisy, crowded, smartphone-enabled times:
Craftsmanship and Humanity as a Differentiators When replication is a click away and algorithms predict our next purchase, true craftsmanship becomes the distinct story that sets brands apart. As the utility of what we buy declines we're filling the void looking for experiences. Why do people pay to run under barbed wire, through cold, and difficult Tough Mudder conditions? Because the experience is built to be shared with other tribe members via text, social media, and websites.
Digital experiences have the half-life of a gnat. Craftsmanship returns time, permanence, and legacy from the digital swipe, tap, and search. In our pixelated world, craftsmanship is the heartbeat that reminds us of our shared humanity.
Craftsmanship implies and demands transparency. In an age rife with misinformation and fleeting digital trends, attention to detail becomes something to tell your friends about, to shoot with your phone's camera, and enjoy a seemingly simple reminder - people put their love, time, and energy into this artistic object. It exists not just in our phones, pads, and laptops.
Craftsmanship as Story Every stroke of the artisan's brush, every meticulous design choice tells your story. And in our content-driven age, your customers invest in narratives. The care infused into a product's creation becomes a tale customers want to be a part of, to join, and contribute their time, energy, and money. A quick swipe, a tap, and the digital moment is gone. But the hand-stitched Birkin bag leather, the perfectly balanced audio of my JBL L100 speakers (same ones I had in college), or the intricately carved Eames surfboard table creates products we love to own, discuss, and share. Craftsmanship transcends the transient and taps into the timeless and that dynamic applies from a $3M Bugatti automobile to my $1K Eames table. Luxury, craftsmanship, and joy isn't limited or solely defined by a bank account. I can't afford a Chiron, but as my friends at Moon-Audio and Audio Advice will confirm, I don't skimp on the headphones I use to write or the audio gear connected to my Sony. These premium but attainable products have price points that fill the gap between mid-market and super premium, between my dad's Targa and the $3M Bugatti Chiron that created so much excitement at the largest Cars and Coffee show in the southeast.
The Amazon Effect: Our digital landscape, with its relentless stream of innovations, has elevated consumer expectations. A glitch-free app or a fast-loading website is no longer a bonus; it's a given. Craftsmanship, then, becomes the higher rung, the pursuit that distinguishes the exceptional from the merely adequate, but your customers won't give up things they now take for granted including:
Instant Gratification: Once, we were a patient bunch. We'd wade through catalog pages, brave long lines at stores, and wait weeks for a delivery. But now? We're in the age of Prime. Two days waiting on a delivery feels like a long wait. We have an expectation for immediacy. And it's not just about speed; it's about the fluidity of the experience from click to doorstep.
Tailored Experiences The bookstore that knows your taste better than you do, the algorithm that curates your next binge-watch, or the shopping cart that anticipates your needs before they become apparent to you — the digital landscape, led by giants like Amazon, has trained us to expect personalization. It's not about generic audiences anymore; it's about 'you' and your friends now. Working craftsmanship and attention to detail into a tailored experience can work if you explain the pain. If your hand-crafted desk takes two months to make, tell that story in words, videos, and testimonials to sell, the delayed gratification necessary to ship your desk. Most won't wait, but those who do will likely help you tell your story by sharing pictures of the desk they were willing to suspend instant gratification to buy.
Ubiquity and Accessibility: Boundaries have blurred. Stores don't need a physical space; they are in our pockets, nightstands, and laptops. With the proliferation of apps and seamless digital interfaces, shopping is having a moment. The Amazon Effect means fast, easy access anywhere, anytime. But here's the catch — the Amazon Effect isn't just about Amazon. It's about a larger tectonic shift in our digital world. Barriers are lowering, choices are amplifying, and the power dynamics between brands and consumers are changing. Physical store shelves have limitations; digital ones don't. The Amazon Effect has fostered an expectation of endless options, varieties, and alternatives. We're no longer tethered to the constraints of brick and mortar inventories.
Frictionless Tries and Returns How do you sell eyeglasses or shoes online? Warby Parker will send you six frames to try simply return what you don't want and they'll bill you the ones you kept. Zappos did the same for shoes. Try and return where the ease of purchase is mirrored by the ease of returns is an Amazon staple. The expectation now is a return process as smooth as the buying journey. Hurdles? They're passé. Do returns drive retailers crazy as they increase their costs of goods (COGs)? Yes, but what is the alternative? Amazon sets your customers expectations and you thwart them at your absoulte peril.
Don't read that last riff as if the Amazon effect doesn't apply to your B2B business because it does. The Amazon Effect influences your customers' expectations for the quality and immediacy of your services. When everything we do, say, buy, or desire gets backstopped by reputation arbitrage, Amazon's most potent feature - their reviews - then the Amazon effect impacts everything everywhere and all the time. Letting a dominant dealer into the game is the cost of the Amazon Effect poker we play. Use the link below to tell us what car brand you love the most.