“Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”

As ridiculous as it sounds, it was not until the market researcher in the Persuaders asked “Do you feel lonely when you eat bread?”, that I understood what really sells in the market.

Marketing sells an emotion, not just a product. We associate foods, kitchenware, music, colors, tools everything to a certain emotion. When people buy bread, they are not only spending money on a food to fulfill their nutritional requirements, they buy comfort. They buy tenderness, and they buy acceptance.

To logically think about trying to sell a intangible product, it seems impossible. However, when researchers ask if “you feel lonely when you eat bread”, and the answer is 'no', then the marketer has indeed sold a sense of fulfillment.

Repih believes that “consumers are driven by unconscious needs, and impulses.” This being said, if shoppers are feeling trapped, then marketers are going to want to sell the word, or idea of 'adventure'. If shoppers are feeling stressed, products will be marketed as 'relaxing'. The same sweater could be marketed as adventurous, or as relaxing. The tag could have a photo of a woman outside hiking, or the woman could be curled-up reading a book. Depending on the area the sweater is being sold, one idea would sell better than the other. A single mom might never have an opportunity to curl-up, and read, so the sweater might seem like a dream product. An instantly gratifying escape from her busy reality into a cozy day of relaxation, and peace if she sees the tag of the women reclining. Likewise, a house-wife who has read every book on her shelf might look at a woman enjoying the great- outdoors on the sweater tag, and be more inclined to spend money because the product will 'give her' adventure when she does not have any.

They next time I think about buying a product, or selling something I will ask myself “What emotion am I buying with this?”, “Do I feel lonely when I eat bread?”