It’s funny because it’s true.
Or, as Asimov once put it: “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny …’â€
Now here’s another one: “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!”
It’s a phrase usually tossed off as a joke, but the laugh really is the herald to an advertising insight worthy of a Eureka or two.
The fact is, there isn’t a single product or service imaginable without at least one downside.
And more importantly, the downsides are almost always inextricably linked to the upsides.
Even now, I bet you’re thinking of some luxury product without (you believe) a single downside.
Except that the downside is the expense. And without the expense, the luxury and exclusivity and many of the benefits wouldn’t exist.
It’s the old two-sided coin conundrum. Case in point, this magazine ad:
Here the skiing resort, Snowbird, took a one-star review pointing out a “bug” in the user experience and proudly proclaimed it a feature.
If you want a radical kick-ass mountain for double-black-diamond skiing that makes experts happy, Snowbird’s the mountain for you.
They accentuated the positive for the audience they wanted. And they did it by admitting the downside for the prospects they were willing to lose.
That’s a powerful advertising principle right there, delivered with humor by: “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature”
Can I get a “Eureka!”?
Or at least an “amen”?
