Elmer Wheeler, an early marketing & branding guru, and public speaker.\u00a0 “Sell the Sizzle, not the Steak” was one of his trademark expressions, and the chapter title for one of the chapters in his book, “Tested Sentences that Sell”.<\/p>\n
The expression “Sell the Sizzle, not the Steak” means that people don’t really care about the features of your product, they care about the benefits to themselves as buyers.\u00a0 Quote:<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWHAT WE MEAN by the \u201csizzle\u201d is the BIGGEST<\/strong> selling point in your proposition \u2013 the MAIN<\/strong> reasons why your prospects will want to buy. The sizzling of the steak starts the sale more than the cow ever did, though the cow is, of course, very necessary! <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Hidden in everything you sell, whether a tangible or an intangible, are \u201csizzles.\u201d Find them and use them to start the sale. Then, after desire has been established in the prospect\u2019s thinking, you can bring in the necessary technical points.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The good waiter realizes he must sell the bubbles \u2013 not the champagne. The grocery clerk sells the pucker \u2013 not the pickles, the whiff \u2013 not the coffee. It is the tang in the cheese that sells it! <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The insurance man sells PROTECTION,<\/strong> not cost per week. Only the butcher sells the cow and not the sizzle, yet even he knows that the promise of the sizzle brings him more sales of his better cuts.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Recently GM VP Bob Lutz said <\/a>he didn’t want to see another marketing campaign that sells the sizzle and not the steak.<\/p>\n In a September interview with Automotive News,<\/em> Bob Lutz, GM’s head of marketing and Nesbitt’s boss, said Modernista and Cadillac have done enough visually edgy ads with attention-getting music. I think by that he means that he doesn’t want to see commercials that are purely about lifestyle or impressions without actually focusing on the product itself, or on comparisons of GM products with competitors.\u00a0 So, how can the next set of Cadillac marketing follow the philosophy proven successful by Elmer Wheeler and still ace the intent that Bob Lutz wants to see?<\/p>\n Actually, the two are not as different as you might think.\u00a0 What Elmer Wheeler advocated was to bring in customers based on the tangible and intangible benefits to the customer, then to highlight the technical details that validate their interest in your product.\u00a0 That does NOT have to be in contrast to Mr. Lutz’ point about the advertisements.<\/p>\n Let’s take the new 2010 Cadillac SRX<\/a>:<\/p>\n Benefits — Technical details<\/strong><\/p>\n Elegant — Leather interior, Luxury accessories, state of the art entertainment<\/p>\n Efficient — nimble, fuel efficient, family-friendly, easy to park, great visibility, versatility in load carrying<\/p>\n Sporty — good power, great handling, nimble, responsive<\/p>\n And at an even deeper level of detail are specifications:<\/p>\n Specifications: custom Theta\/Epsilon Cadillac SUV suspension, 3L VVT DI V6 or 2.8L VVT Turbo V6, Bose stereo, available Navigation, ONSTAR, wood trim, leather<\/p>\n So which of these are the steak and which are the sizzle?\u00a0 One is inclined to say that the Benefits are the sizzle, and the technical details are the steak, right?\u00a0 The Cadillac websites do a good job of bringing out these benefits, and the technical detail behind them.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, a lot of the current advertising does not get into the ‘benefits’ as described above — current commercials may only show Cadillac vehicles, with a voice over that never mentions these benefits at all.<\/p>\n Example 2010 SRX Commercial on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Conclusions?<\/p>\n Elmer Wheeler, an early marketing & branding guru, and public speaker.\u00a0 “Sell the Sizzle, not the Steak” was one of his trademark expressions, and the chapter title for one of the chapters in his book, “Tested Sentences that Sell”. The … Continue reading
\nNow Cadillac will run more ads that explain the value of the brand’s products compared to the imports.
\n“I won’t sit here and permit ads that keep simply emphasizing the sizzle and never talk about the steak,” Lutz said. “We’re going to start selling the steak.” <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n