How do you market something that hasn’t really changed since the 1950s?
It’s rare for a company, or in fact, anything, to be as relevant and unchanged now as it was over 70 years ago. Think…hard. What was first released in the 1950s that hasn’t fundamentally changed and people still purchase today?
Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster Electric Guitar in 1950. Aside from the pickups, you can pick a modern-day version (renamed the Telecaster in 1951), with Leo’s name on the headstock for just over 500 quid.
The question is, how do you persuade people to part ways with their hard-earned cash on something that is effectively 70-year-old tech?
Well… in my opinion, it’s simple –
The experience.
Any product or service is judged, rightly or wrongly, on how they make us feel. Here’s some examples:
Cheese – ‘happy’ because I like cheese.
New phone – ‘joyous’ because thanks to a zillion pixels, I can now take sharper pics of my cheese platter.
Duolingo – ‘empowered and confident’ because I can now ask for beaucoup de fromage in French.
You get the idea…
Humans are fickle. Our attention spans rival Dory’s, with ever more things to divert our attention elsewhere. This makes how we perceive experiences, ever more important.
Fender’s reputation means there’ll always be a demand for their products. What I admire the most about them though, is that they know they got the product right way back in 1950 and have resisted the urge to change anything about the experience of playing a Tele ever since.
‘Innovate or die’ (or words to that effect) and ‘embrace change’ are common sayings nowadays, especially with the rise of AI tech. I agree that we should always be open to positive change but change for the sake of change is a waste of time, effort, and no doubt money.
If the change you’re looking to make isn’t well-considered, or, communicated in the right way, it can do far more damage than good. As the old saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There’s a reason that’s been around a while, too…
The great news is, we’re experts at Making Change Matter for all sorts of complex things.
So, like the experts on The Repair Shop, if your brand does need fixing, or just a bit of sprucing up, you can rest assured we’ll do it in the best possible way.