Why Your Business Should Do a Shot of Jägermeister

by smallbizbee · 4 comments

Ever had a shot of Jägermeister? You know that slightly sweet, licorice flavored libation favored by the younger crowd?

I’ll admit it, back in my more impressionable days – I’ve had a shot or two, usually with a rowdy bunch of friends one of whom always seems to be yelling “Jäger!!”

And guess what…I don’t really like Jägermeister. Something tells me I’m not alone in this, and if I were to poll the audience right now I bet I’d find the overwhelming majority of you out there who’ve had a shot didn’t really care for it either. After a while you’d think nobody is buying this stuff, right?

Sales Tell The Story

Hmmm – so let me get this straight, a product hardly anybody likes, is still on the market, and not only that but sales have grown over the past 25 years by up to 40% a year!

Last time I checked my sales weren’t growing at 40% per year, and I humbly think I’ve got something that more people like than Jäger, yet they are more successful – what gives?

How an Unpopular Product Gets Popular

Sally Hogshead must have been asking herself that same question when she wrote “How to Fascinate – Why Your Brand Should Do a Shot of Jagermeister”

In this thoroughly enjoyable, 16 page manifesto Sally says Jäger’s success is due to one simple principal, they fascinate.

Jäger doesn’t succeed despite its horrific taste,but because of it … an overall toxic experience is part of the brand promise.

That’s right, Jäger succeeds because it taste bad. They’ve managed to use fascination to sell bad booze.

The Seven Fascination Triggers

According to Sally there is seven fascination triggers, that pull consumers to one brand over another:

MYSTIQUE – Why we’re intrigued by unanswered questions
LUST – Why we’re seduced by the anticipation of pleasure
ALARM – Why we take action at the threat of negative consequence
POWER – Why we focus on people and things that control us
VICE – Why we’re tempted by novelty and “forbidden fruit”
PRESTIGE– Why we fixate on rank and respect
TRUST – Why we’re loyal to reliable options

Each trigger adds to the attraction.

Could Your Business Use a Shot of Jäger?

Think about the seven triggers above and ask yourself how your business can start building fascination and capture the minds of your customers.

If Jägermeister can succeed in spite of its product what could you do with a little facicsnation and a great product? Sally points out that,

When consumers buy a certain brand, they’re often not paying for the utility of the item—they’re paying for the trigger.

Selling the Trigger

Do you think you could implement any one of the seven triggers above into your marketing and branding plans? And if you can what do you think that will do to your sales? We may not grow by 40% a year, but adding some fascination sure can’t hurt.

Building Mystique

Sally goes on to talk about one of the triggers, mystique, in more detail in this report. I think after reading her thoughts on building mystique with your product you’ll be ready to tackle the other six triggers on your own.