I am glad its 'ME', am I buying?

The problem with telling me too often its about 'me' is that I turn skeptical. The intelligent me parks my ego to the side and makes an assessment of what's really in it for me. And if I find better value, I may succumb.

Yahoo's new campaign says , 'Its You'; HCL's got this new poster telling me its got the 'ME' series. Wipro brands its laptops, 'E.go'. I say, smart. You're appealing to the 'me' in me. You got one move dot on. You recognise that products and services are about me. There are still too many corporations out there obsessed with themselves, forgetting the fact that, what they sell isn't about anybody but me.

The million dollar question is whether I'll bite the 'me' bait. I believe the Yahoo case is different form that of Wipro and HCL. The Wipro/HCL offer tries to engage the buyer by appealing to his sense of esteem. Good for a start. But purchase decisions will be dictated by functional assessment of the product in question. That is, the buyer will compare feature to feature vis-a-vis competing brands. Plus the the Wipro/HCL name isn't, I believe, strong enough a draw to get the brand to be part of a consumer's consideration set in the laptop category.

The Yahoo strategy poses a different equation. For current users of Portal services, habitual behaviour is an established one. That is, I am used to a certain Mail program, a certain Search Engine and so on. Switching to another will hinge on a break in habit. That's difficult despite the fact that there aren't any costs involved. Its rather a break in normal everyday sequence. Such breaks are hard to come by, unless there's a lure. That is, what's 'really' in it for me if I were to Yahoo? Customised homepages? Good enough for a switch? I think no. Note Bing's marketshare, off Google, has now diminished, and the recipient of the drop is Google. That is, some went back, to Google. For NEW users, the Yahoo 'You' strategy may be a good draw. Its about getting first time users to try the portal and its services and get hooked. So habits form. So they can't be broken. Now this requires that Yahoo operate in countries with low Internet usage. India's a good place to be. So are other developing countries.

Appealing to consumers' selves is sensical but not a guarantee to purchase. It sure makes the consumer consider the brand for purchase. But post that consideration, evaluations follow. For brands to score during those evaluation they must know what's important to consumers. If they pip their competitors on those considerations, a purchase may be imminent. If they don't, their 'You', 'ME' or 'E.go' calls will go unheeded. And adding insult to injury would be money sunk on Advertising and other communication initiatives.