Class 3- Impact over product

As I read Chapter 11, I immediately began to think about the true reason why and how consumers decide to buy the things they do. And then I, too, reflected on my decision making process. Is it the solely the product people are attracted to or are they attracted because of the story around the product? The author, David Scott, uses the example of Adagio Teas. Chief technology officer and member of the family that founded and runs Adagio Teas, Illya Kreymerman states, “A lot of what drives people to buy the tea is not really the tea itself — it’s the story around the tea.”

After reading this section of the chapter again, what Kreymerman stated absolutely makes sense. Businesses leverage their products by attaching them to a character, movie, celebrity, professional athlete, the list can go forever. It seems that if you can find content that resonates with your target audience and allows the consumer to relate, the consumer will more likely be drawn to your product. While this is not true for all products and is bound to work better for some and not all, I think it is an important tactic to consider when developing content strategically.

Personally, I find myself more attracted to content referencing real people’s experience with the product. Adagio Teas’s strategy also includes this with their internal platform that seems similar to facebook. Here consumers are able to friend and view other consumers’ profiles and tea tastes. This provides space for real people to form community over a product.

Adagio Teas has found a way to in a sense, humanize their multiple tea blends, ultimately creating a buzz around their brand name and products.