The Marketing of Value

Brands are not simply logos on packaging, they’re vessels of meaning, carriers of identity, and creators of perceived value. Rory Sutherland famously said, "Don’t make the Eurostar faster; make the journey more enjoyable." It is about selling an experience, a story, and a feeling.

Why We Value Stories Over Features

Humans are not rational actors. We value things based on what they mean to us rather than their intrinsic properties. This is why a Coca-Cola tastes better when poured into a branded glass or why the phrase "vegan leather" elevates plastic seats into an ethical choice. These examples bring to the light the profound role of narrative in marketing.

Sutherland puts it succinctly: "Stories are the PDF files of human information." They are not just how we understand the world but how we emotionally engage with it. For example, Betty Crocker’s cake mix didn’t sell well until they asked users to "just add an egg." Why? Because the egg made people feel like they were contributing to the cooking process, adding a layer of emotional investment. This eventually got rebranded as “just add a little love.”

Perceived Value is Everything

One of the best examples of reframing perceived value is Uber’s map feature. The time it takes for a cab to arrive hasn’t changed, but the stress of waiting has. Watching the car move toward you eliminates uncertainty, turning frustration into control. It’s not faster; it’s just better.

Similarly, Apple customers defend their favorite tech brand like family because the brand represents something bigger than a device—it’s an extension of identity. As Michael Platt, a neuroscience and marketing professor, explains, “We relate to brands in the same way we relate to people.”

Have you ever noticed how IKEA makes you assemble your own furniture? That’s not a flaw; it’s a feature. Known as the "IKEA effect," this strategy increases perceived value by making customers work for it. Likewise, scarcity. This could be limited-run sneakers or a one-day flash sale, which creates an allure that abundance can’t.

Luxury brands like Tesla and even countercultural brands like Patagonia lean into scarcity and effort, not because they have to, but because it signals exclusivity. This is what Sutherland calls "counter-signaling": the ability to say, “I don’t need to prove my worth overtly because my actions speak for themselves.”

The Role of Friction in Satisfaction

Convenience is a double-edged sword. When everything becomes too seamless, it loses its emotional weight. For example, meal delivery services like Gusto and HelloFresh capitalize on this balance. They provide pre-portioned ingredients, but you still have to cook the meal. It’s just enough effort to make the end result feel rewarding, without the hassle of grocery shopping.

From Products to Identity Pillars

Americus Reed, a marketing professor, observes that brands have replaced traditional support systems like community and church.This is not a religious comment but rather a valuable insight to where consumers are placing their perceived value. Brands therefore, serve as modern identity markers, allowing us to signal our values and affiliations. Whether you’re choosing Nike over Under Armour or Apple over Samsung, your purchase is a statement about who you are.

Even anti-brand sentiment becomes its own form of branding. Reed aptly notes, “The people who say they’re not into brands have a brand, it’s just an anti-brand brand.”

A Philosophical Takeaway

This all boils down to meeting the human need for meaning and connection. As philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” A brand expands those limits by offering a richer narrative of life. Now, notice I said “richer” and not “better”, because whether this narrative is good or bad is not for us to decide. It tells us a story we want to be part of, and in that story, we find a piece of ourselves. We sometimes like those pieces……sometimes not.

Stay tuned……

-

Edward Regue | Philosopher of Web3 | My Third Space