The Washington Post Joshua Bell experiment

Sell the sizzle and not the sausage.

In other words, hype the product. Consider for a moment the Washington Post Joshua Bell experiment.

Joshua Bell, is a world renowned, Grammy Award winning violinist who sells out concert venues throughout the world. Playing a violin worth $3.5 million, he entertained commuters at a Washington DC subway station for 45 minutes. Only seven people stopped to watch. You can see the highlight’s here: https://youtu.be/LZeSZFYCNRw

You see, we all make instant judgements. A busker is instantly dismissed because our thought processes dictate that if he were any good he would charging rather than passing round a hat. Also, the packaging is awful… he’s not even wearing a suit or letting people know who he is!

It’s a sad fact, that you may have the best product or service in the world, but if it’s not priced and packaged correctly then it will be widely ignored. Your brand and branding is so important. Don’t neglect it. Take a fresh look at what subliminal messages your business is sending out and if there are weaknesses… address them immediately.