Humans still believe in stories even after they know their conditioning.

First of all, how do people respect others?

They will scan them through their degree, social status, wealth, profession, achievements, etc. (Although there are some exceptions)

After evaluation, they think about what kind of respect has to be given. If you ask yourself or others whether this is how we respect others, everyone will say "NO."

To really know about how you respect others, observe yourself in actuality. There is no need to evaluate yourself; observe without accepting or condemning; it will reveal everything to you.

After observation, if you find that you respect someone based on the externalities, you are heavily conditioned by your stories. Until you understand that conditioning, nothing is going to be changed.

You may say you are trying to respect someone without these externalities, but is any effort needed to respect someone?

Do you (really)need to respect someone based on the clothes they wear?

But when we are confronted with this fact or if someone asks about it in a debate, we may say, “no one should be respected based on their clothes alone.” In Reality, the stories which are deeply embedded in us will judge the person unconsciously.

For some people social status is important, and for others profession and achievements are important. Never believe that they will reveal this through their words, but closely observe their actions to find it out.

“Everything boils down to their narratives. “

But how you, as a marketer can, take advantage of this?

Instead of trying to change them, try to dance with their narratives.

E.x Ask People why they bought TESLA CARS

If people say they value sustainability, please ask how many sustainable items they own before Tesla.

If they say they are tech-savvy, please ask them why they haven’t gone for Rolls Royce Wraith or Ford Mustang.

If they say they value social status, please ask them why they haven’t bought Bugatti, Lamborghini, or Drako.

Even if they answer, concluding the reason behind their purchase with one single factor is ineffective.

Why?

• The people who value social status want to be perceived as a person who values the environment more than other car buyers. He bought Tesla just because he could portray himself as a “sustainable lover,” among his neighbors, groups, or peers.

"They get social status from buying environmentally friendly cars."

Note: Buying Expensive things and charity donations alone are not considered a social status. It deals with how you want to be perceived (Macho, Risk-Taker, Expert, etc.)

• The people who value tech-savvy cars want to improve their social status among their peers or neighbors, so they bought Tesla even though they can buy other tech-savvy cars.

"They get social status from buying a (Tesla)tech-savvy car."

"If novelty is a reason, he is an early adopter too. Also, Nobody knows whether he values sustainability or not.."

• The people who value sustainability (Low to Zero CO2 Emissions) want to feel no guilt when they drive cars; that's the only reason they bought the car even though they don't know anything about its modern technology.

"They get mental peace from buying an environmentally friendly car."

From the above hypothesis, you can understand that there is no single factor that acts in play when people purchase Tesla cars. That’s how Tesla dances with the people’s narratives.

It appeals to people with the following narratives.

1. Tech-savvy

2. Elite status

3. Early adoption mindset

4. Environmentally-friendly.

Note:- Every factor is intertwined with one another.

But, Do you think Tesla company has been started by knowing all these narratives?

Yes, it's—a big no.

Tesla was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that people didn’t need to compromise to drive electric – that electric vehicles can be better, quicker, and more fun to drive than gasoline cars - www.tesla.com

If you read it properly, you can understand that at the initial stage of tesla, they only wanted to make electric vehicles on par with gasoline cars, and there was no intention to produce an environmentally friendly or tech-savvy car.

But as always, People buy tesla cars for their (own)reason, not what the company made them believe alone. Albeit, the Tesla cars know to dance with their customer's narratives.

So as a marketer, when you understand the narratives of the people you seek to serve, it would be easy for you to dance with their narratives instead of Changing them.

"As a Marketer, your only competitive edge is knowing how to dance with people's narratives. Because our narrative is an amalgamation of rational and irrational drives." 

How to put that in practice:-

Let's use the Jobs-to-be-done framework to put that into practice.

What is a jobs-to-be-done theory?

The structure of a market, seen from the customers’ point of view, is very simple: They just need to get things done, as Ted Levitt said. When people find themselves needing to get a job done, they essentially hire products to do that job for them. The marketer’s task is, therefore, to understand what jobs periodically arise in customers’ lives for which they might hire products the company could make. If a marketer can understand the job, design a product and associated experiences in purchase and use to do that job, and deliver it in a way that reinforces its intended use, then when customers find themselves needing to get that job done, they will hire that product.- Clayton Christensen, Marketing Malpractice.

What jobs do customers want to get done when they buy tesla?

There is no straightforward answer to this question because every job has three dimensions, and customers buy those products when it satisfies the dimensions they care about.

1. Functional Dimensions

2. Social Dimensions

3. Emotional Dimensions

When people care about the functional use of a car, they can buy any car they want, depending on their budget.

They have many options:-

1. Toyota, Subaru, Ford, Porsche, Tesla, etc

People who care about social reasons (Class, Status, Power) will only buy cars that satisfy the above three things.

Options they have:-

1. Expensive car - Mazzanti, Draco, Lamborghini etc. It will help him perceive as a wealthy person.

2. Tech-Savvy cars - Tesla Model S, Hyundai Fanta Fe, Nissan Versa, etc. It will help himself perceive as a tech-enthusiast among his peers or groups.

People who are emotional about CO2 emissions will only buy Tesla.

1. Low to Zero CO2 Emissions - Tesla is the only established car available when it comes to electric cars. Till now, 75% of the EV car sales belong to Tesla. So people will only buy Tesla when they are emotionally attached to sustainability concerns.

But do you think the well-polished examples above depict the real reason people buy tesla?

I believe no,

Because in some situations, the job dimensions are interdependent.

• People who want to buy a car for functional use may buy any car, but if they want to make it memorable, they can choose Tesla.

Functional + Emotional

• People who want a car to maintain or improve their social status can buy a tesla to appeal as a “sustainable lover” among their peers or followers.

E.x A Politician who flies to Miami by private jet in the morning may buy Tesla in the evening and upload it on Facebook or Twitter to appeal as a “crusader fighting for a cause.” Also, who knows whether he bought Tesla for his admiration for revolutionary technology or not? (Maybe)

Social + Emotional + Functional

After all, what is Tesla's Positioning?

“The only stylish car that can go from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds without a drop of oil”

This statement alone summarizes the purpose of Tesla. That's why they are called “Purpose Brand.”

A clear purpose brand is like a two-sided compass. One side guides customers to the right products. The other side guides the company's product designers, marketers, and advertisers as they develop and market improved and new versions of their products. A good purpose brand clarifies which features and functions are relevant to the job and which potential improvements will prove irrelevant. The brand's price premium is the wage customers are willing to pay the brand for providing this guidance on both sides of the compass. - Clayton Christensen, Marketing Malpractice.

When you understand the customer's circumstances, the competitive playing field looks completely different. It reveals why customers purchase one product over another.

Indie hackers make a huge mistake here because they often speak about “customer as a unit of measure” instead of “Job as a unit of measure.”

“Customer circumstances are more important than customer categories, product categories, new technologies, or trends. - Clayton Christensen.

When you know their circumstances, you can easily tap into the narratives of those people. But to do that, first, start by interviewing your “Look-alike customers, or people who you think may have encountered those circumstances.”

That's the right way to come up with a product idea. Also, it makes it easy for you to build products for your customers instead of finding customers for your products.

Quotes from Bernadette Jiwa Clearly State that

If marketing is about making people aware of the value you create, you have to unlock the value in your story. If innovation is about creating value, to do that well, you must unlock the value in the stories of the people you hope to serve.

Note: This Quote is not rhetoric; please read it as often as possible until you get it.