Perception Sculpting

In the 18th century, King Frederick II learnt about potatoes & saw an opportunity to diversify his nation's diet with an affordable vegetable.

Farmers, however, refrained from growing it because it "looked" dirty.

The king could have used force to get his way.

He could have mandated it, imposed taxes on other grain, or kept campaigning on how wonderful potatoes were.

But Frederick II surprised with a branding powerplay.

I call it "perception sculpting".

He termed the potato as a royal vegetable, grew a patch on his property and ordered 24/7 guard duty to protect it. (he also instructed the guards to go easy & make it easy to steal).

Seeing this, people thought the king knew something they didn't. That potatoes had intrinsic value?

Hence, they started stealing from the king's patch & creating an underground cartel which ultimately led to general uptake of potatoes.

Product marketers try hard to influence by reason. Data sheets, white papers & all. Don't get me wrong - they have their place, of course.

But appealing to the customer's emotions creates a different breed of loyalty, even in the modern era with savvy customers.

No, it's not deception.

It's working more on how they feel about you, rather than what they think/know about you.