Why Alphy is making wine, & why we do or buy.

For a while I’ve been trying to convince Alphy about foraying into the world of homemade wines. I wasn’t able to make much progress until recently. What did the trick was her coming across a news article that claimed drinking wines is good to keep one’s weight in check. I don’t know how far that’s true, but I ain’t complaining. No Sir! We now have a bunch of grapes snoozing in a jar with other stuff. It will be there for another 21 days (at least that’s what the recipe said), and we then hope to partake on what is the nectar of Gods. Alphy I guess on her part is looking forward to that ‘lighter feeling’.

The wine lesson I learnt? You see, people do stuff only when there’s something in it for them. Ditto for consumers. Brands can persuade only when they can convince their buyers on what’s in it for them if they buy! Such convincing is not easy. Especially when you have to construct a message that both catches buyer attention and delivers on a message of superior value delivery (vis-à-vis competitors who too are trying to do the same). The brand that has impressed me over and over with its ‘buyer benefit’ message is Fevikwik. In fact the brand has gone two steps further in humorously portraying the ‘sticky’ benefit a consumer would derive for a mere five bucks. The setting in the Fevikwik Antique Shop TV commercial is apt. The genuinely funny story-line that depicts a commonplace incident is something Indians can identify with. The language and acting is hilariously near perfect. What a delightful piece of benefit messaging!

It’s important we realise people and buyers will bite only if we can offer them what they seek. No one bothers until they are benefited. Not people. Not buyers. The prospect of ‘doing’ by people and ‘buying’ by consumers gets a start-on only when a message that promises benefits is accepted and considered.

Benefit is why Alphy is pursuing the wine-making act with a missionary zeal. It’s why we glue stuff together using Fevikwik.