As Jerry Garcia famously said, “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.”
(And for the two of you who are saying, “Who the heck is Jerry Garcia?” click this link.)
If you are selling licorice, it probably makes little marketing sense to try to sell to everyone. There are those, no matter the taste and quality of your licorice, who will never succumb to your entreaties Much better, and more effective of course, is to tailor your media and message to licorice lovers.
Funny how obvious this seems when you use the licorice analogy. Or other edibles such as cilantro, snails or Brussel sprouts. But often we try to convince ourselves that “This time it is different. Let’s make our message a little broader, because you never know who might suddenly develop a taste for…”
So you single-mindedly deliver the message that your product was created, developed and designed for curly hair. But your fear of leaving any sale on the table, no matter how remote the possibility, makes you add, “and nothing beats it for straight hair too!”
What this does is diminish the credibility of your main claim and adds little to your upside. In short, a lose-lose. Don’t try to be all things to all people.
Got the idea?
P.S. Another interesting thing, though it has little to do with marketing.You pronounce “rice” to rhyme with “nice.” But add “lico” in front of it, and it becomes a very different sound: licorice.
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