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EDITOR'S NOTE 03
WHY WE ENGAGE IN SPORTS. 04
RUNNING AGAINST THE IMPOSSIBLE 06
Contents VICTOR WANYAMA: FOOTBALL POWERHOUSE 10
CAREERS AROUND SPORTS 14
DEMYSTIFYING SALES 16
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Editor’s Note Hello & Welcome to White Collar! Someone once tried to define professional sports as ‘rich people going to watch other rich people shooting a ball in a hoop or net’. There is some truth to that statement, but we refuse to reduce sport to such a simplistic definition. In this issue we unravel what sport offers people physically, psychologically, emotionally and even intellectually. We take things a step further and look how we could use sport to combat unemployment and the poverty that it brings. Sport can offer a sense of cohesiveness and unify people across the lines of race, religion and nationality. We have recently seen a polarised Europe sing the praises of a talented African Muslim footballer, and how that can shift the image people have about each other. I hope you enjoy this reading issue, as much as we enjoyed creating it. We love hearing back from you guys. Do not hesitate to reach out to us across out social platforms.
Contributors:
Michael Kiruthi, Esq Emmanuel Kyama Ian Macharia
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Kyama Kivuva
ManuKyama
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Why we engage in sports T
hroughout history few things are as consistent as man’s love affair with sport.
Sports are just one facet of a much a larger entity, Games. How we define games plays an essential role in how we perceive its benefits. One of the most interesting definitions of a game comes from computer game designer Chris Crawford, “A game is interactive, goal-oriented and involves other agents.” A book/movie is interesting and entertaining but they are not interactive. As soon as something is both entertaining and interactive we now have a play thing. There’s two kinds of play things, according to Mr
Crawford, Toys (which are fun to play with but don’t have any particular goal, for example toy cars) and a challenge (this provides a bit of an uphill task by trying to achieve a certain outcome). If a challenge only involves one player it’s called a puzzle, but if there are multiple players it’s now called a conflict. A good example of a conflict is a footrace. A conflict where people aren’t allowed interfere with each other is called a competition. However in situations where people actively interact with each other with the hope of attaining one goal or the other, we now have a game
Throughout history few things are as consistent as man’s love affair with sport..
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In the book, The Grasshopper, Bernard Suits described a game as ‘The voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.’ A lot of what people do is geared towards ease, so why seek out more challenges? We all know that games offer a certain sense of gratification. But how do define this effect? We first have to look at the positive aspects of sports. It is believed that we developed play as a way to prepare our bodies for life’s challenges later. However looking at animals in the wild, play tends to burn the limited valuable resources/faculties that the animal would need in case of sudden danger. Further still games could very easily generate injuries. The New York Times did a piece on this very issue. It stated that games weren’t there to prepare the body so much as they prepared the mind. Games have been found to strengthen certain parts of the brain. A study carried out on rats showed that play can affect the brain. The study found that some rats which weren’t played with while they were younger had a smaller and lesser formed cerebellum than those which did. It’s not to say that play is the only thing that affects this part of the brain, other methods such as teaching or exercise may have a similar effect. Knowing this changes the way we view the debate of intellectualism Vs Athleticism. Both have their merits with intellectual games like chess
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sharpening strategy, and athletic games building m uscle and improving general health. Both of these have a similar effect on the human brain. Different kinds of play reflect the needs of animals that engage in it. Less complex animals have games that sharpen reflexes. This enables a quick response to danger giving a sharp fight/flight reaction. As animals become more complex, their needs change and so does the nature of the games they play. We have a lot of questions about life and this is reflected in how we’ve designed our games. For example we’re constantly wondering if the people we’re with are on our side. In teamsports this is simplified, every player is colour coded in a way that shows who your allies and adversaries are. In the same way, we’re trying to figure out our purpose. Games also simplify this by giving us goals (a definite point to work towards) and a way to mark/measure if we attain the goal. In life we make small advances whether it’s in our careers or personal lives and though there are triumphs, it’s often difficult to discern if we have attained anything. Further still in life, feedback is rare or slow so we’re barely sure about if we’re making the right move but in a game the rules are direct, and the moves you make are tied to certain results, if you have the superior set of cards you will always win. Sports also provides a sense of belonging in an alienating world. We
see this when people wear the same jersey as the team, over the duration of the game there is no class/rank, race or creed. Just a group of people sharing an experience, and whether it turns out to be a victory or a defeat, at least you shared the experience. There is a theory that sport replaced warfare. Games such as the world cup allow for adversarial countries to meet in good spirited and fair matches where they settle their differences. The winning country gets to have bragging rights and a symbol of their victory in medals or a cup. This means of modern warfare is better preferred to alternative. It allows for an opportunity to settle intense emotions on court. During the 1936 Olympics, there was a lot of racist rhetoric centred on racial superiority and this was a cornerstone of the Nazi movement. However during the 100 meter dash, an African American man, Jesse Owens bested everyone without breaking a sweat. “The world’s fasted runner makes everyone else appear as though they are walking” remarked the commentator. Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe (silver medallist) silenced Hitler and his entire movement through sport.
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Running against the Impossible: ELIUD KIPCHOGE (THE WORLD’S FASTEST MAN)
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he Autodromo Nazonale Monza is a historic race track located near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. This race-track has witnessed the cutting edge of automotive competition, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nelson Piquet and Michael Schumacher having raced on the asphalt. This is hallowed ground for competitive racing, and Nike’s special projects unit led by Sandy Bodecker, knew this when they selected the 1 and 1/2 mile Formula 1 circuit, to host ‘The Two hour attempt’.
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The Two hour attempt is centered on the possibility that with enough preparation one could run a marathon (about 42 Km) in 2 hours or less. This attempt has been branded as ‘Breaking2’ to signify the attempt to breach the two hour mark. Over the years a few individuals have come close with a time of 2:06:05 being set in 1991, following which a famous paper was published by an American Physician named Michael Joyner in The Journal of applied Physiology. The
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paper estimated the best possible time that an ideal athlete could run a marathon by factoring in 3 main factors, that is, V02 max (the maximum oxygen an athlete can consume while running). Lactate threshold (the running speed above which lactic acid in muscles accumulates prohibitively). Running economy (the efficiency with which a runner moves down the road.) – Joyner theorized that the ideal athlete could do run the marathon in 1:57:58. To Joyner, the Sub-two (under 2 hours) marathon was possible but only in Theory. This statement of an impossibility gave many a goal to strive towards. The night of 5th May 2017 Eliud Kipchoge lay tossing and turning in his bed. His mind sharp, His heart racing. On the Morning of 6th May he would face the Two hour attempt head on, this is what 7 months of persistent practice had led to. He had asked one of his manager Valentijn Trouw, to wake him at 2:45 am, but when he checked his whatsapp at 2:29 am he found Mr. Kipchoge online already up and awake. At 4:15 am, Kipchoge was driven to the Monza racetrack. It was a cold, humid and starless morning. For about half an hour Kipchoge did a warm up. No one can speak to what was going on in his mind or heart prior to the race, but one would imagine he intense pressure of having to perform extraordinarily in less than ideal conditions. Not to mention that Nike has invested millions of dollars in preparation for the Two hour attempt. More so as a personal endeavor, 7 tireless months of preparation collapsed into this moment. The race kicked off. Eliud Kipchoge ran the 42km marathon in 2:00:25, which is the fastest ever recorded time for the Marathon. (However, some say that the clock read 2:00:23 when he crossed the line). This means he was a mere 25 seconds away from doing something that was thought to be physically impossible. The audacity of this attempt lit a spark in the global athletics community.
The journey so far. November 5, 1984 Eliud Kipchoge was born without much pomp and circumstance. He had a humble upbringing in Kapsisiywa, Nandi County surrounded by friends and family. In fact, it was one of these friends, a close neighbour, who introduced him to Athletics while he was younger. He quickly learnt the ropes and began notice that he had a knack for the sport. He kept pushing himself and in 2001 his efforts caught the eye of his coach Patrick Sang, who he still trains with up to date. Mr Sang’s viion and wealth of experience came in handy when refining strategy and Kipchoge focused on 3000m and 5000m track events. Practice made perfect and Kipchoge took 2003 by storm. He won the junior race at the IAAF Cross Country Championships, setting a world junior record over 5000m on track. He confirmed his victory by becoming the 2003 world champion in Athletics. A champion was unearthed. An avalanche of medals followed. He achieved a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics and another bronze in the 2006 IAAF World indoor championships. A series of Silver medals followed, starting with the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, then another at the 2008 summer Olympics and he reached the podium again at the 2010 Commonwealth games for the 5000m track race. He set some of the fastest times for the 3000m and 5000m track races with his 3000m best of 7:27.66 ranking him as the 12 fastest at the distance ever and His 5000m best of 12:56.53 making him the 4th fastest ever at the event. It hadn’t been easy for Kipchoge on his journey to prove himself, but in 2012 his love for sport and mental toughness was tested to the limit when he failed to qualify for the Olympics. This was his lowest point and he began to question
He set some of the fastest times for the 3000m and 5000m track races with his 3000m best of 7:27.66 ranking him as the 12 fastest at the distance ever
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everything. The future he imagined for himself seemed uncertain and he began to reflect inwards. It then occurred to him that he could try his hand at road running and the marathon, a far tougher race for the athlete, but what would he have to lose given than the worst had already taken place. He regrouped and in an absolutely stunning performance, he made his half marathon debut setting a time of 59:25 minutes –which is the third fastest half marathon debut in history. In 2013 he made his marathon debut in the Hamburg marathon setting a new course record of 2:05:30. He sharpened his performance and pushed himself to the limit and it showed when shaved more than a minute off his time to achieve 2:04:05, at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. In an extraordinary effort, he won the Berlin Marathon again in 2015, and trimmed 5 seconds off of his personal best to achieve the coveted time of 2:04:00, all this with the insoles of his shoes having come loose earlier in the race. He proceeded to win the London Marathon in the consecutive years of 2015, 2016 and 2018, with him improving on his personal best at the 2016 London marathon achieving the 2:03:05 time.
A peak behind the curtain
2. Belief in Self:
When asked how he does it, Kipchoge opened up about some of the methods to his success. He is a great believer in having a philosophy and is known to often read the works of Aristotle.
“Belief in self is very important. This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate faith. You have to give yourself the freedom to define faith for yourself as per your heart and mind. Understanding this will give you the strength to push yourself. Your thoughts about yourself are very important, and this is where you choose what to believe about yourself.
He distilled his secrets to a few points: 1. Self-Discipline: “Discipline and self-discipline are different. Discipline has to do with using rules to get good behavior, but self-discipline is centered on sacrificing a person’s personal passions in order to attain something higher. This involves having to say no to sudden impulses and passions. This is a very difficult thing to do, and cannot be done overnight. It’s a step by step process that requires a focus. The further you go on this journey, the more you learn to complain less and just move forward. Prayer plays a big role in this for me personally. You have to ask God to hold your thoughts and continually be grateful for what you have achieved. It takes a lot of self-discipline to train every day consistently. When preparing for a marathon, I start about five months in advance. I run about 30 Km a day and on some days I push myself to 40 km. Then about a week to the race I taper my training to about half that distance.
In a garden we have both flowers and weeds. Flowers are the positive thoughts you have about yourself and about life. The weeds are the negative thoughts. Which ones will you pick? It is also important to define success for yourself early. For me what really matters isn’t the success, what matters is how you prepare for success.” 3. Passion: “For me passion means Love for what you do. This isn’t a simple thing, or something that happens just once. Passion for me means having the ability to hold affection for something no matter what. This is more than a chance, it is an intentional choice that I make every day. This also involves patience. You have to be patient with yourself and with others. You also have to learn to wait and make progress slowly by slowly. You can’t achieve everything in one day or one
This requires single-mindedness and focus.”
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year. It took me 10 years and plenty of training to run 5km in under 13 minutes. Training for a marathon takes about 5 months. All these things take time. If you notice that you might have a talent in a particular field, add passion to it. And when your passion matches your talent you will be in your ‘Element’. Being in your element means that your passion and talent are both at their max. You also need to understand that you can’t do it alone. You need to surround yourself with a team that is as committed as you are, if not more. One thing about my athletics team is that we listen emphatically when spoken to. We do not take advice for granted. Personally I have fun in my field. I think it’s important to enjoy what you do or at least try to. I work because I feel as though I am being productive and fulfilling a purpose. Running is also a wonderful way to deal with stress. It has a good impact on the heart. The heart is what drives the person and running is a way to take care of the heart. At the end of a run sometimes I have a solution to an issue that I have been thinking about for a long time.”
4. Accepting Change:
Giving Back
“In life there’s so much change. How we react affects how well we perform. The rules and regulations surrounding sports are constantly changing, but you learn to adapt and just move on. If you resists change there’s a chance that you won’t make it.”
On top of his busy schedule, Mr Kipchoge is still an avid advocate for the environment and wildlife conservation. It’s a mystery how he has the time to do as much as he does. He also takes time to mentor and teach up and coming marathon runners in his team. He believes that a win for his team is a win for him. If he doesn’t get to breach the two hour mark he wants to play an active role in helping others achieve it.
5. Deleting a money centric/money hungry attitude: “Why do those people who concentrate on money the most have very little of it? It is important to earn a living but working for money alone is like driving a car while looking at the back mirror. It is counterproductive. Money should be a result of achieving something, but not the main reason for work. If you want to harvest money then you have to plant the seeds of service. Why do people dope? It is because they’re looking for a shortcut to greatness. Money is also a very powerful motivator for those who dope, because great performance attracts sponsorships and endorsements. One thing I hope my career shows the young people, is the value of creating a legacy. With persistent practice you can get better. Don’t use steroids.”
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Mr Kipchoge is currently in training preparing for the Berlin Marathon 2018.
Conclusion When asked why he smiles at the most intense part of the race (past the 30 km mark) he responded: “A smile is a sign of joy. And at that point in the race my muscles are in a lot of pain because of the lactic acid and fatigue. When I smile, It triggers joy and endorphins are released and it helps reduce the pain I feel from the fatigue, allowing me to improve my pace and power through.” A fitting metaphor for a way to approach life. When facing the toughest moment, smile and power through!
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Victor Wanyama, Football powerhouse
Victor Wanyama: Football powerhouse
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th November 2012, Celtics face the seemingly indomitable Barcelona in the UEFA Champions league. Before the game began everyone, from the commentators to that one personal friend who can’t seem to shut up about football, predicted that the star studded Spanish club would dominate the match. The game started off with the Barcelona testing the Celtics defense rather intensely. But In the thick of it, under all this pressure from the savvy Barcelona, Celtics fought back, and Barcelona conceded a corner kick. It was swiftly taken, and the ball found Wanyama soaring above the Barcelona defense where he headed it right to the back of the net! The goal was a remarkable and unforeseen! It knocked Barcelona off their equilibrium! And just like that Wanyama changed the narrative. The world woke up to who Victor is! He made history that day by becoming the first Kenyan to score in the champion’s league. White Collar got a chance to converse with the World class Victor Wanyama, and find out his drive and philosophy
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Who is Victor Wanyama? Haha, wow! I like to think I’m easy going and polite. I look at myself and see a young Kenyan who loves football. Nothing too extraordinary there.
Tell us more about your background; i.e. What was your childhood like and who were your role models? My childhood was a normal. I grew up in a nice African family. We were close and so there were plenty of opportunities to learn from each other. One of the lessons that stood out most in our family came from our parents. They taught us to be always close and look out for each other. Who were your role models? As I developed my love for football my role models were Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. I always watched their matches and aspired to be like them. Looking back were there any traits in your early life that signaled a career in football? Yes, for me my childhood was all football, football and football. It’s all I thought about. All that I wanted and so I started working on it very early.
How did you first encounter football? As everyone knows my dad was a Kenyan footballer as well and he played for the Kenyan National team. My family is a sports family, my brother McDonald Mariga is also an outstanding footballer and the estate where I lived and grew up every kid was playing football. Tell us about your Education background I went to St Peter’s primary school and after that I attended Kamkunji High school before I went to Europe to pursue my career. Do you feel education adequately equipped you for life, work and business? Yes school gave me an opportunity to pursue sports by allowing me to be a part of the school team and even after football I can take care of myself because of the skills I got both in school and from my family.
What’s your secret to building a career that spans over 12 years? There’s no secret or shortcut. You have to work hard and remain focused on your goals. It may sound simple but it’s actually very hard.
How do you stay motivated? Football is my passion and I enjoy doing it every day. I also think about all everyone who believes in me. There are over 50k spurs fans that come to watch me play every weekend. The joy of playing for the team and for the fans keeps me going.
What a does a legacy mean to you? What legacy do you want to leave? I have always done my best to go out there and show the world what I’m made of. Because I have gotten that far I can open doors for the rest. Being the 1st Kenyan to play in the EPL is a legacy in itself. Also having inspired young kids from Africa to reach my level is something I really appreciate. I hope that they get to where I am and even do better than me.
You are part of a team, Tottenham Hotspur. How does one balance teamwork and being an outstanding individual? I believe Teamwork comes first then individual brilliance comes later.
What’s been the lowest point of your career and how did you get through it? When I got injured last season and missed a majority of matches. It was really tough on me but I got through it by being determined and doing my best to be back to doing what I love as soon as I could.
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What’s been the highest point of your career? Scoring and beating Barcelona with Celtic. They are football giants and beating them taught me that anything is possible.
bright, more and more footballers are now playing with the biggest teams in Europe. Recently Brighton signed footballer Percy Tau. I’d like to congratulate him.
How should young athletes position themselves to get endorsements? Be a good role model to the society on top of the talent you have.
How can technology be used to improve performance? It’s easy to know how opponents play, get to know their weaknesses and also one is able to monitor his performance and improve on his weaknesses.
How do we use sports in the fight against unemployment? Sports is now a form employment, you don’t have to be a player to be employed e.g. being a coach, steward and also referee
What is your take on doping? Doping is cheating and its very wrong for anyone to be involved, I’m happy Kenya established The Anti-Doping Agency through Anti-Doping Act 2016 to fight the vice.
What would you advise up and coming footballers? What does the future of football in Africa look like to you? My advice to them is to be hardworking, discipline and never to give up the rest will fall into place. The future of African football is
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C.E.O & Founder: Mr. Peter M. Oduba. Giants Capital Blockchain Investment Solutions Giants Capital is a consultation firm in Africa that educates investors on how to spot a potential block chain winner. Block chain is the technology that establishes a common ground truth in the private and public sector without needing somebody in the centre to play god. Since the birth of Bitcoin, the crypto - space has been facing an influx of block chain innovations known as alt-coins. Giants Capital as an entity manages 24 million coins and it has a goal of managing 1 billion coins. In business, we are used to the I.P.O (Initial Public Offerings ) Where a certian class of people can only partake in wealth acquisition. But now through the I.C.O (Initial Coin Offerings ) Anybody with a smart phone and something in their head, can now participate. The creation of I.C.O'S ( Initial Coin Offerings ) has made it possible for Africa to participate in this sophisticated crypto space. Kenya as an Authority has taken the lead and created a Block chain task force that's spear heading this internet 2.0 One of our leading block chain solutions is Kwakoo market place. This is an online discount store that will be powered by a utility token (Onyxcoin ) This project has become wildly successful in terms of community and token interaction. Beyond all these, the crypto - space has brought into existence a new class of investors at a global scale , who are willing to fund tokenised projects on an open platforms.
For more information contact +254705221470, E-mail: 254giantscapital@gmail.com, instagram : 254giantscapital_plc A MAGAZINE FOR THE CAREER-PERSON AND ENTREPRENEUR
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Careers around sports : SPORTS AGENT
Tell us more about you What’s your Education background I did my primary and high school in Eldoret. I then came to Nairobi for a college education and I decided on a Diploma in mass communication. After school I naturally worked in the respective field I studied as a reporter. I worked for about a year with a local religious media house then quit. I didn’t really feel as though that was right to me. I was always good at sales so I went to work for a few sales job then insurance industry for 6 years. I recently decided to go back to school and currently I’m pursuing a degree in business management. Do you feel education adequately equipped you for life, work and business? Yes, from what I’ve seen it’s very important. In my personal field there are things around communication skills, public relationships, Sales and marketing that you can’t do without in the industry, you have to learn them.
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hite Collar caught up with one of Nairobi’s most elite Agent. He represents a few athletes both locally and internationally. For personal reasons he requested not to named publicly but was willing to demystify his career in an attempt to encourage more athletes to take up agencies and show sports enthusiasts that they could be Sports agents as well. In Africa sports as a career is still finding its footing, and we believe the diverse sports ecosystem could offer a few career solutions to unemployment.
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What’s the job description for a Sports Agent? Basically it’s just being a representative of your client in almost everything, negotiate on their behalf and get the best possible deals for them. I handle everything for my clients which frees them up and allows them to perform on the pitch to the best of their ability.
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How did you find your way to this career? Passion for football! I’ve always loved the sport and since I couldn’t make it as a player, I found another way to get involved in it.
How are sports agents compensated? Well it depends on your agreement with the player. Most agents get 10% of any business deal you do for your client and other incentives around the kind of deals you close on behalf of your client.
Describe how you keep informed of industry trends and deals. You learn from people who have been there. I’m currently still learning. But like in any other industry, it is easier if you’re better connected.
How do you determine potential clients? (What things do you look for?) You don’t do interviews. You look around and get to know who doesn’t have an agent. In Africa most players don’t have agents and we’re trying to change that by offering incentives to players. It’s not easy though. We look for players who have consistent performance in their respective positions and with excellent teamwork. There are a lot of other criteria as well around their personal drive and ambition.
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What are the benefits of having a sports agent? There are many benefits, a player gets the best possible deals not only in football but also commercially. A good example is David Beckham who became a brand ambassador for quite a few companies as a player and he is still doing these commercials with them even after retiring from football.
Share an experience when you made a successful negotiation on behalf of a client. I’m not sure how to answer this without giving away who I am, Hehe.
How should younger athletes position themselves to get endorsements? Just be a good role model as an athlete and all the companies will come to you especially if you are doing well on the pitch
How do we use sports in the fight against unemployment? Let the kids know at an early age that education is not the only option of having a guaranteed good life. Sports and talent can do that. A good percentage of sportsmen haven’t gone to university but they are rich and successful
I was able organize for a client to do a commercial advertisements with a few local (Kenyan) companies, and also got an international company which made him and me a lot of money.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced as an agent? How’d you get past it? The player is the boss he can be lured by other agents who promises them better deals and can decide to leave you any time. Having to deal with this thought every day, while still trying to deliver on my end is difficult.
What’s been the highest point of your career? For me it happens every time when I partner with a client and watch the quality of their life change forever after we make a deal or endorsement happen.
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Demystifying
s E L SA
!
Why people buy what they buy
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n order to find a sales technique that works one needs to experiment and gauge what works best for a given target demographic. However, majority of the businesses that need to experiment have finite marketing budgets that restrict how well they appeal to the market. So how does the average business reach their niche in the most effective way possible?
We need to understand that sales techniques vary depending on the intended result. Also that no one person has the entire ‘Sales Playbook’. It takes a combination of experimenting and relying on tried and tested classic techniques. We go a step further and instead of looking at Sales techniques we look at the cornerstone of every sales interaction, Human Nature. If you have a grasp on your product’s applications and human nature in relation your product then selling it becomes the easy part. We highlight the internal and external influences with the hope that the new information affects how entrepreneurs shape their strategies.
PEOPLE BUY THINGS BECAUSE OF ABSOLUTE NECESSIT Y. In the first half of the 20th Century Abraham Maslow constructed a hierarchy of needs. The concept is popular in developmental psychology. It states that until the needs of a lower level are met one cannot move to fulfilling higher kinds of needs. This means that it is difficult for a person to pursue needs around esteem and self-actualization if they lack food or water. In the very same way some organizations are centered on providing the most basic of needs that is; Food, water and shelter. Sales of these kinds of products is relatively easier
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because they are absolutely essential for survival. It doesn’t take much convincing for one to acquire these things. The business model behind the kinds of companies that cater to these needs is structured more around the quality of the products being provided than the actual marketing of the products. What wins people over isn’t a flashy commercial from a food or water company, its good quality product. Once that is taken care of then the people themselves will market the product for you.
PEOPLE BUY THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE TOLD TO. Telling people about a product works best when introducing a new product. This involve commercials but it can go a lot further. A good example is the introduction of the iphone. We barely had a concept of what a smartphone was before the introduction of the iphone, so the innovator behind the product got on a stage and told the media about the revolutionary new product and what it can do. Once everyone saw how effective this was, the entire tech community followed suit and implemented this for everything from new device launches to software updates. Telling the public about a product is simply giving the numerous reasons why people should own a given device. This is one of the simplest ways to tell someone to purchase something. If you can convince someone of the merits of a certain product then they might think that it’s their own idea to want to purchase it. Commercials serve this purpose as well. Flashy images and a catchy song are designed to be magnetic and keep a given brand lodged in the customers mind. If this goes on repetitively then the customer is more predisposed to purchase the product because of a phenomenon called Cognitive ease. This is how it works, the more interactions one has with something, the more familiar he gets with it and the more likely he is to being susceptible to it.
PEOPLE BUY THINGS TO EASE PAIN/
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DISCOMFORT OR ACCENTUATE PLEASURE. People purchase both tangible and intangible products for the sake of pleasure. Look at how robust the travel, hospitality and extreme sports industries are. There’s plenty of demand there simple because they feel amazing. Bungee jumping is exhilarating, being pampered at a hotel is relaxing and travel is illuminating. These may fall into a luxury category, because they are not essential for survival, but improve the quality of life. The man behind the million dollar watch said, “No matter how the economy is doing, we always have customers.” This is because there is a continuous need for people to treat/ reward themselves. There’s an emotional need for people to reward themselves after attaining a given goal, this allows them to focus in the next objective with even more intent. Knowing this, if your product or service falls in the luxury sector you should position and market it as a reward use exclusivity to emphasize its value. Easing pain is an entirely different issue. This is believed to be a pillar in the pharmaceutical industry. Pain relief or the ability to ease discomfort is a means of create value. People will spend money to move away from pain and closer to pleasure. How you position your products or services around this matters less than the effect/quality of the product. Work on the product or service relentlessly with the aim of creating a solution to the pain or discomfort and you will build a loyal clientele, you can supplement this with marketing but always remember where the main focus is.
PEOPLE BUY THINGS BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE BUY THEM. The use of brand ambassadors is one of the oldest tricks in the book to improve product image. You’ve seen when fashion brands partner with models to imply that their products would have a similar effect on the rest of the public. This method works remarkably well. A good example is when Under Armour partnered with Basketball Sensation Stephen Curry to create a basketball
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sneaker and soon after the shoe was released it sky rocketed to become one of Under Armour’s best-selling products. There is something to be gained by partnering with certain celebrities who have specialized in your product’s niche.
mini-van than a flashy sports-car even if both share a similar price-point. The greater the utility of a product, the more likely it is to be the logical choice. When marketing for such a product, actively emphasize its strengths and its target group.
If you can afford to have a brand ambassador who pairs seamlessly with your brand, the go ahead and pursue that venture because there is a notable correlation with sales. Fashion giant Gucci gave the one of the Band members from the music trio Migos, a lifetime discount to encourage them to shop there. This is because the more they’re seen in Gucci, the higher the demand for their clothes from the general public. These kind of strategic moves can make all the difference.
PEOPLE BUY THINGS BECAUSE OF EMOTIONAL IMPULSES:
PEOPLE BUY THINGS BECAUSE LOGIC SUPPORTS THEIR PURCHASE.
Majority of the middle to upper class population are known to impulse buy. This is because their spending power exceeds their needs. If they come across a product with brilliant design or one they’re positively predisposed to, they will buy it. These kinds of products tend to have bright colors and slick designs and fair prices, posing a low barrier to entry and a seemingly good reward for fair prices.
Products and services are meant to have some utility or a problem that it addresses. If the product addresses an issue that the customer is facing then it would be the logical choice for the customer. Case in point, a family man would much rather purchase a family
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