The Power of the Word 'Exist' in Marketing

The potential of the simple word "exist" when you think about your product

When you start considering bringing your product to market , the word Exist can drive two very different marketing functions.

Two questions must be answered in order to reach those functional areas.

Question 1 : Why do you exist?

Question 2 : What would customers do if you did not exist?

Why do you exist?

The answer to this query will determine how your business tells its story. This is a branding activity. This can assist you in tying together some of the current world context and how you envision a bright future in which you discover a purpose for your existence.

The C-suite typically participates in this exercise, which is not conducted in isolation. The creator of the business (the founder) typically has certain notions about why they initially founded the business.

Example:

Let’s make things a little concrete by using an example. Even though I love to talk about SaaS and PaaS products, I am going to use a consumer product as an example here.

Dove has done a great job answering the “Why do I exist?” question.

Dove has a large audience (women) where they have identified a context which has an ongoing conflict in the audience’s minds. They have tapped into that context and started laying out a story.

“to help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look“

The brilliance here is that this is a great guideline for Dove to know what kind of products to create and how to market to women.

What would customers do if you did not exist?

Hope you noted that I omitted the word "choose" from the previous question. What customers would likely “choose” if you didn't exist is usually a product that alleviates a problem or discomfort they are experiencing.

The scope is substantially wider when the verb "do" is used.

The word "do" can also refer to altering the way you do things to assist addressing problems.

This question triggers a positioning exercise. In Dove’s example you could choose other consumer products which women have on top of their mind.

After you get the top of the mind alternatives your potential customers might have, you have to start asking the next set of questions for product uniqueness (something which I will write about soon).