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‫ﻛﺎﺗﺐ اﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ‪ :‬ﺳﺘﯿﻒ ﻓﺎﻛﺘﺮ‪  ‬‬
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‫‪ 11‬ﻣﻨﺘﺠﺎً ﻧﺠﺤﻮا ﻓﻲ ﺟﻌﻠﻨﺎ ﻧﺤﺘﺎج إﻟﯿﻬﻢ‪ ‬‬
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‫‪ -1‬اﻟﺤﺒﻮب واﻟﻔﯿﺘﺎﻣﯿﻨﺎت‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -2‬اﻟﻤﯿﺎه اﻟﻤﻌﺒﺄة‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -3‬اﻷﻟﻤﺎس‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -4‬ﻣﺴﺘﺤﻀﺮات اﻟﺘﺠﻤﯿﻞ‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -5‬اﻟﻤﻨﺘﺠﺎت اﻟﺘﺮﻓﯿﺔ ) اﻟﺒﺮاﻧﺪات(‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -6‬ﻣﻨﺘﺠﺎت اﻟﻄﻌﺎم اﻟﻌﻀﻮﯾﺔ‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -7‬اﻟﻤﻨﺘﺠﺎت اﻟﻤﺒﺎﻋﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﻨﻮات اﻟﺘﺴﻮق اﻟﻤﺘﻠﻔﺰة‪ ‬‬
‫‪-8‬ﻗﻬﻮة ﺳﺘﺎرﺑﻜﺲ‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -9‬آﯾﺒﺎد ‪ Ipad‬‬
‫‪ Monster Cable -10‬أﺳﻼك ﻣﻮﻧﺴﺘﺮ‪ ‬‬
‫‪ -11‬اﻟـ ‪ 3D‬أو ﺗﻜﻨﻮﻟﻮﺟﯿﺎ ﺛﻼﺛﯿﺔ اﻷﺑﻌﺎد‪ ‬‬

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‫‪Steve Faktor I​ nfluencer ‬‬

‫‪CEO of IdeaFaktory innovation incubator, author of Econovation, Forbes & HBR writer;  ‬‬
‫‪ex-Fortune 100 Innovation Executive ‬‬
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 Not long ago, the New York 
subway was plastered with ads 
for a drug called Claritin. They 
showed lush, green landscapes 
and pretty models having some 
'moment of clarity'. I had no idea 
what Claritin was, but I'd never 
seen a woman look that happy - 
with or without drugs. Too bad 
Claritin was ​hardly more effective 
than a sugar pill at treating 
allergies​. Users could have 
poured honey in their underwear 
and gotten the same results. “Demand creation” isn't new, but it’s the only 
game left for innovators and entrepreneurs. While billions of people still 
dream​ of toileting indoors, Americans flush with rage when Netflix sputters. 
So all businesses must feed ​the first world’s growing hunger for happiness​. 

 
In ​Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs​, there's little ambiguity at the bottom. Food, 
clothing, shelter. Without these, we're cold, naked, and cranky. Everything 
else is based on perception. Even safety is just a feeling that an invading 
Syrian army can’t take away America’s chemical weapons – Oreo's and Diet 
Coke. When even the poor h ​ ave iPods​ (or as in France, chambermaids), the 
challenge is to make us want things not because we need them but because 
they exist and we can afford them. 

Here is my list of the top eleven triumphs of demand generation, the tactics 
used, and the p​ sychology​ of why consumers fell for it: 
 
1. Drugs and vitamins 

 
Restless leg syndrome? A ​ .D.D.​? Surely, it's nothing this ​fistful of Ritalin​ can't 
cure. 
You’d take in more usable nutrition eating wood chips than taking most 
vitamins, but don’t tell that to the veiny He-Man at GNC. 
 
Tactics Used: 
 
● Constantly identifying (or creating) new ailments. 
● Describing conditions so generically that everyone thinks they have it. 
● Funding studies with questionable methodologies that indicate 
correlation, but rarely causality. 
● Releasing study results through clueless media outlets prone to 
taking them at face value. 
● Direct to consumer advertising 

Why it Worked: 

● Drugs are easier than exercise. 

● Illusion of control 
● Consumers and media do not apply critical thinking to things that 
look official or are recommended by doctors or authority figures. 

 
2. Bottled Water 

 
Funny, no one had a water bottle during business meetings in the 80’s and 
hardly anyone died. Maybe water harvested by magical gnomes in the Swiss 
Alps is superior. I’ll never know. 
Tactics used: 

● Scary health studies – 'stay hydrated or you’ll die.' 

● Big marketing spend on packaged municipal water 
● “Springs” are cleaner than"sewers", where all other water must be 
from 
● Privatization of municipal ​water supplies 

Why it Worked: 
● Adult version of nursing 
● Available everywhere 
● Convenience 
● No more public ​water fountains 
● Affordable, even at 1000x markup 
 
 

 
3. ​Diamonds 

This is one of the ​most preposterous schemes ever concocted​. It’s the 
modern equivalent of making people believe chicken bones are precious by 
having Adele wear them on her head. 

Tactics Used: 

● The DeBeers cartel controls the supply 

● Multi-decade marketing campaign to establish worthless crystals as 
precious 
● Used movies and media to build a myth, like the one about the 
Monks on Nestlé's Bavarian pretzel box. 

Why it Worked: 

● Women want to believe in fairy tales…and men want women. 

● Forces of conformity are too powerful. Ever see a woman showing off 
her new engagement ring? Never. 
● Child soldiers​ rarely work the counter at jewelry stores. 

 
4. Beauty Products 

 
Youth inducing c​ reams​, cosmetics, toiletries, etc. They’re so powerful, you 
might just be transported back to kindergarten in the 1980’s. 

Tactics Used: 

● Pseudo-science (3 out of 4 Dermatologists say …you're still wrinkled!) 

● Premium pricing 
● Aspirational ad campaigns 

Why it Worked: 
● Fear of aging 
● Perception of control 
● See drugs (above) 

 
5. Luxury Brands 

Both the Gucci and the generic ​bag​ will hold your wallet with equal aplomb. 
Of course, the Gucci will feel lighter, $3,000 lighter. 

Tactics Used: 

● Premium pricing 
● Visibility with rich and famous 
● Upscale distribution channels 

Why it Worked: 

● You've got the money. 

● That Rolex will fill a void. 
● Human desire to stand out (narcissism) - or fit in. 
● The Real Housewives of Orange County have it. 
● Status and esteem - what good is success if you can't advertise it? 

 
6. ​Organic Food​ (and its kooky cousin, W
​ hole Grain​) 

 
Yes ​some organic​ makes sense, but many labels are misleading at best. 
When ​Lucky Charms​ are “full of whole grain goodness”, it’s time for a 
vengeful God to strike down that little Leprechaun. 
 
Tactics Used: 

● Guilt-inducing commercials 
● Packaging - prideful label narratives 
● Whole Foods 
● Natural-sounding, unknown brands 

Why it Worked: 

● You’ll pay a little extra – if you care enough to keep your family from 
dying. 
● Superiority complex (I’m a Mac, you’re unworthy.) 
● Vague anti-corporate sentiment 

 
7. Infomercial Products 

The Flowbee or anything ​straddled by Suzanne Somers​. 

Tactics Used: 

● Late night infomercials 

● Jessica Simpson 
● Compelling demonstrations 
● Installment payments 
● “But wait, there’s more!” 

Why it Worked: 

● No one needs to shoot their salad, but it’s r​ eally​ late and your will is 
weak. 
● We're lonely and that phone operator is our friend. 
●  
8. Coffee Starbucks 

Like bottled water, ​Starbucks​ created a premium ​industry​ from a cheap 

commodity. Before that, coffee was something we bought for $1 at the 
diner to stave off a hangover. Now our morning cup is big enough to 
transport a small shark. 

Tactics used: 

● Ubiquity. At one point you could see three Starbucks from a single 
corner in NYC - and the logo from space. 
● That powerful smell. Like Pavlov’s dogs, the smell of burnt beans is 
like foreplay for caffeine. 
● Premium pricing that says 'this is a treat'. 
● Created it’s own language. Cool enough to be in the ​Venti​ crowd? 
● Smart expansion to related categories. Even music. I can’t wait to buy 
their chairs. 

Why it worked: 
● It’s easier than sleep 
● People with small apartments needed places to meet. 
● Caffeine is an ​unregulated​, ​addictive​ drug. (See drugs, above.) 
● Daily shopping (and drug) habits are hard to break. 
 
 
 
 
 
9. iPad 

When the iPad first came out, this beautiful piece of hardware ​dared us​ to 
figure out what it was for. Perhaps it would bridge the gap between the 
laptop in the living room, the desktop in the den, and the iPhone in your 
pocket...? One thing is for sure - there was no “tablet” market before it and 
for most competitors, ​there still isn’t​. 

Tactics Used: 

● Mystery, secrecy, then the big unveiling 

● Pristine presentation 
● Design so clean you want to touch it, wipe the smudges, then touch it 
more. 
● The promise of future utility through apps 

Why it Worked: 

● Objectification 
● Pursuit of perfection 
● Being first 
● To hold an object of desire, is to be an object of desire 
● Esteem and respect by others 
10. Monster Cable 

These thick, black, gold-tipped cables weigh almost as much as the kid 
selling them at Best Buy. The claim is they make equipment perform better. 
The reality? These things are a commodity and results ​rarely differ for 
cables at 1/10 the price​. 

Tactics Used: 

● Prominent placement at Best Buy. 

● High margins to distributors. 
● They look bigger, so they must be better. 
● Branding a pure commodity 
● Suing anyone who uses their brand or the word 'monster' or pictures 
of Godzilla. 

Why it Worked: 

● Plays on people’s general ignorance and trepidation about 

electronics. 
● Packaging looks better than a bag that says “wire”. 
● Add-on that’s still a relatively small percentage of the equipment 
purchase. 
11. 3
​ D 

James Cameron re-defined 3D visuals with A ​ vatar​. His success led every 
hack with a C
​ lash of the Titans​ re-make to bolt-on a few 3D effects so they 
can charge double what a regular movie costs. 

Tactics Used​: 

● Huge marketing $’s 

● James Cameron and sexy, agile Smurfs 
● Forgotten novelty – 3D pops up every 10 years or so. 
● Electronics companies dedicating R&D 
Why it Worked 

● Short-term halo effect from A ​ vatar​ (which will die for good once Tyler 
Perry and Miley Cyrus are in 3D) 
● Perceived superiority of experience 
● Price still relatively low, compared with live events or a functional 
hobby 

Submit your ideas for examples I missed. If I get at least 5 or 6 I like, I'll write a 
sequel and give you credit. 

So what's the lesson here? It's not enough to be an innovator, a world of 
luxury demands we also become psychologists. For now, I'll get back to 
writing ​my next book​. Sign up for my upcoming articles at i​ deafaktory.com​, 
where diamond-encrusted Smurfs bathe in oceans of frappuccino.