Marketing 101: Don't Be Afraid To Be Niche

I don't usually write about ad campaigns that other people came up with. It's messy. I don't know the context. It's impossible to know who came up with the idea, how many revisions it went through, whether it's success is based in strategy or luck. In short, it's hard to write about some work someone else made without laying your own biases on top, and so I try to avoid it.

But, I'm breaking that rule, in this case.

I ride the N line subway from Astoria, Queens, into Midtown Manhattan at least once a day. It's a short trip, but enough time to lose focus on whatever podcast I have tuned into. My eyes tend to drift across the ads that make up 60% of the subway car's interior. They're usually awful. I can recall perhaps two or three campaigns over my years in New York that stand out as strong pieces. Casper does great subway ad work. Streeteasy and Seamless both have well-known print campaigns that are a great addition to the subway experience.

This morning, I saw an ad series that perfectly encapsulates an idea I have been trying to put into words for some time. It's not a new idea, it's not my idea at all, but it's something that comes up a lot when I talk to creators and independents or freelancers.

The lesson (to save some scrolling for those of you in a hurry) is this: Don't be afraid of being expensive. If you're a niche product, a hand-crafted creator, or a unique voice, own it! You don't need to lower your price, and worsen your product, in the name of mass market appeal.

This is the ad I saw this morning. It's for Harmless Coconut Water, a moderately pricey bottled water with strong "earth and people friendly" branding. Everything about this piece is fantastic, to the point that I almost don't believe it was planned. It hits too many notes just right - it's an ad-libbed jazz session that ends in a masterpiece that can never be recorded a second time. The ad nails the three core principals of successful advertising: Message, Place, and Timing.

Let's start with the latter two topics, because they're faster and easier. Where does this ad live? In print. More specifically, it's a commute-based ad. It's on sidewalks, in buses and train cars, places where bottled water is a more appealing purchase. This is obvious stuff. Most people don't think about bottled water in front of their computer screens - they think about it when they have that post-Starbucks tongue fuzz and the sidewalk gum melts enough to stick to your shoes. It addresses a tangible need: You're moving. You're thirsty. We have a solution.

But this is where it gets interesting: It's not the easiest solution (Not every store stocks this stuff). It's not the cheapest. It's the best. It's something worth walking to Whole Foods for. And that's where Harmless Coconut Water (and NYC-based agency DCX) hit the ball out of the park. They took the time to understand their niche audience, and they understood their value in the eyes of that audience.

“You’ll pay a lot but you’ll get more than you paid for” - Seth Godin

People who care about fair trade farming are willing to pay more to support companies that only purchase from fair trade suppliers. People who care about real organic produce that you can pick up in your hands - produce that lets you smell the sand and sea on its husk - will pay more for a product that promises that sensation.

The campaign that DCX came up with for Harmless Coconut Water understands that their target audience doesn't care about cheap, or easy, or accessible. In fact, it deliberately alienates the people that care about cheap, or easy, or accessible. This is a water that's only for people that don't mind paying more. It's expensive. It's imperfect. Sometimes it smells funny, because sometimes nature smells funny. It's an ad that says, "If you get it, you get it. If you don't get it, this isn't for you."

Humans will never pay more than they think a product is worth. If someone is paying a premium price for water, it's because they think they're getting a deal. It's because the feeling of supporting a small organic coconut farmer is valuable to them. It's because drinking a funny-smelling water that might be more natural than it's mass-market counterparts is valuable to them. It's because showing their peers that "they get it" is valuable to them.

Whether you're selling software, keychains, custom artwork, or business consultancy, the rule is the same. Your perceived value, and the messaging you align yourself with, are what people are paying for. Exclusive, Unique, and Limited are words that have intrinsic value. Selling those words into a niche that "gets it" is where you find success.