By Marketing, ‘Tis Destination People Buy - Not the Bus

Given that human moments are integral to any successful marketing story, the marketer or storyteller should sell the destination, not the vehicle. This destination is what economists term utility, while the vehicle is the product. The former matters more than the latter. Travelers board on the basis of where a bus is headed, not because the vehicle is comely or comfy. It’s imperative to project the destination above the vehicle in line with the line: “Sell the light, not the light bulb.” The transport analogy applies to copywriting or editorial marketing.

We are paying attention to this subject matter because we are in the creator economy and content-first era. People are wont to see themselves at the destination before caring about how to get there. A product demo gets a scroll, but a 15-second story showcasing the before-and-after state gets a watch. Unlike dry product features, wrapping pain points inside real human moments makes the message an instant clincher. The point is that every product should be translated into a specific customer outcome.

For instance, the copy: “Our project management software has automated task tracking,” would land better as “Know who’s doing what, what’s late, and the deliverables due today.” When touring a potential member for a high-end country club, tell them, “This is where you’ll enjoy brunch,” rather than just saying, “This is the dining room.” If advertising a whitening toothpaste, the copy can read, “Stop hiding your smile. Start showing it off.” Then lead with the 3-day result from a clinical trial.

Benefits beat Features
Many technically great products struggle in the market because their campaigns focus more on features than possibilities - not giving prospective customers reasons to care. It is only when would-be buyers can picture how an offer solves their problems that they will appreciate the inherent value. Just as desire comes before details, features only matter after the customer has seen why a product is worth their penny.

Great marketing isn’t centered on what you built but about what becomes of the user of your creation. We know you worked hard to develop the specs, but focusing on that in marketing can come across as self-adulation, which audiences have no bandwidth for. Their attention and conversion are driven by “what’s in it for me?” The best copy makes a hero of the customer, not the product.

Features explain what the product is. Transformation explains why anyone should care. Proof removes whatever doubt remains. The strongest messaging connects the product to the problem it solves and the outcome desired by customers. The marketer would be remiss in allowing consumers to figure out the significance and relevance of the product on their own.

Avoid All Sizzle, No Steak
Waxing all sizzle and no steak hurts pipeline conversion, inflicting a heavy toll on trust and credibility. What people are actually buying is the reliable promise that they will enjoy having their problem solved by the product or service, once they become an owner or user of that offering. As far as editorial marketing goes, product features aren’t as important as transformation and proof.

The proof of transformation is what would make someone believe that the product can also take them there. Without this, a big brand promise sounds just like a bigger claim. A transformation promise without proof would always read as hype. Proof can be likened to that “tell us something about yourself which is not in your resume” question from an interview panel.

Meanwhile, brands must be careful not to be so wrapped up in the transformation narrative that the features get buried. This is detrimental and would make customers confused as to the actual thing they’re buying. The clarity that comes through specifics is non-negotiable!

Proof Moves Interest to Action
Every major claim in the copy must be backed by proof, the mechanism, or context. This is because people don’t buy a drill; they buy the hole in the wall! Proprietary proof must first be cinched in before selling transformation to stimulate sales. Almost any copy can convert if the result is pictured right for the customer. Features tell, but transformation sells. The one purveys information; the other panders to persuasion.

Most PDPs (Product Detail Pages) stop at dishing out information and appealing to emotions. The evidence or “prove it can happen” part is where reviews, unboxing videos, and real customer results earn their place. User-generated content (UGC) is the rub here, given that it showcases lived experience from a verifiable personality. Proof turns skepticism into confidence; it’s persuasion at its best!

The Formula:

• State the claim (destination),
• Explain how the product gets the user “home”
• Show proof that transformation is possible.
• Make the next step inevitable.
• When proof is within sight of the promise, the customer will easily find the reason to believe.

Another way is to start the copy or sales pitch by describing the problem; agitate the pain point mixed with customer emotion. Then sell them the panacea. This makes the prospective customer feel seen rather than being sold to (which many interpret as exploitation).

Essentially, marketing should show people where they could be, explain how the product helps them get there, and give them a reason to believe the proposition.

Algorithm Referrals, B2B as Exception Cases

In the age of AI, evidence might just be the most valuable currency there is. Everyone can describe the destination now, but not every advert can show they’ve actually taken people there. Meanwhile, with the growing use of answer engines where people describe their problems to LLMs (e.g., in SaaS), product details cannot altogether be underestimated. It’s what machines rely on to recommend answers (products) to user queries. The description should be pretty much around features couched in the same words people use in questions posed to generative engine models.

AI-powered searches reward authority, not gratification or sentiments. They aren’t built for feelings but facts. As an expert advisor, answer engines like ChatGPT and Gemini would only confer authority on (by recommending) a product based on its spelled-out features.

Also, transformation or proof portrayal isn’t applicable in business-to-business (B2B) transactions where technical details are required. Enterprises would want to know all about a product so that they can be armed with the required information to convince end users and answer their questions. Product features therefore take preeminence in this market.

Enterprise clients care more about specifics because they are driven by risk mitigation, collective decision-making, and complex technical integration rather than emotional or instantaneous gratification. Given that B2B products work inside a fragile ecosystem of legacy procurements, security compliance, cross-departmental workflows, and custom data pipelines, buyers dispassionately select vendors that won’t make them be blamed or put their careers at stake.

More so, B2B product features are simultaneously scrutinised by the chief financial officer, IT security, end-users, and legal teams. A CFO is typically interested in defensible ROI, unit economics, and risk elimination, not some high-level inspirational transformation story.

Alas, it’s About Aligning with the Customer’s Needs

Since it is the customer, not you, who know their destination, you’ve got to know their home to take them there. The marketer should have a hang of customer/buyer psychographics, and reflect or reference that in the campaign. A case in point is the copywriter for an MRI machine ad. With an understanding that most people are claustrophobic entering that humming cylinder, he should promise an anxiety-free therapy.

The best insights come from understanding what customers really want, not just what you’re selling. Sometimes their need has very little to do with the product itself. Customers buy experience and anticipated future outcomes. Great marketing helps buyers to picture life after the purchase. The easier they can picture that future, the easier it is for them to see the value.

Ugochukwu, the Communications Manager at Rhiagano, can be reached via [email protected]