The Death of Feature and Function Marketing
By Michael StelznerI remember back in the mid-90s when I was working at a high-tech company.
My responsibility was to determine product feature sets and create data sheets and brochures.
This was called product marketing.
To help sales, the goal was to identify the top features of our critical products.
For example, the storage library includes:
- 28 tape storage
- Random access
- Bar code scanning
While this effort seemed to help sales back then, the importance of product marketing has largely faded away over the last decade.
In the absence of feature marketing has emerged benefits and solution marketing.
The premise behind benefits marketing is that first someone must be sold on “why” they need a feature and “what” the feature can do for them, “before” the feature itself has any meaning.
Today, the marketing process begins with messages that discuss problems and how a solution can solve those problems.
It also means abandoning feature discussions early in the sales cycle.
Let’s examine the wrong way to do it by looking at Apple’s iPhone marketing.
Some of their key messages include:
- “Widescreen iPod with touch controls”
- “Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching”
- “One small and lightweight handheld device”
The problem is that Apple is still using feature marketing.
For something as amazing as the iPhone, there needs to be a benefits discussion first.
Here are some of Apple’s features converted into benefits:
- Eliminates eyestrain by significantly enlarging the screen real estate and eliminating keypads
- Simplifies use with easy touch screen controls
- Brings your favorite desktop applications to your mobile phone
- Packs the power of a music player, computer and phone into the palm of your hand
If readers do not first understand the benefits of a product, they will look past the feature and ultimately it will not sell as well as it should.
Are you still relying on feature-based sales strategy? Why do you think benefits are so important today?
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March 5th, 2007 at 8:59 am
One of the most useful, simple, and workable posts I have read this year. Thanks!
March 5th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Very well written Michael. I enjoyed reading this post.
March 5th, 2007 at 10:49 am
Feature messaging, at the start, is the right way to go. At this point, Apple wants the public to know what the device can do, not what it can do for you. They don’t stand to benefit by overheating demand three months before the product hits stores. Instead, it seems like they are building awareness, letting it cook a little while, and they will begin marketing different sets of benefits for different target markets (business, high end consumer, geek, etc.)
Good, thought-provoking post.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Hi Jeff;
While I respect your response, I think you are incorrect.
Apple ALWAYS aims for maximum hype with its product launches. This should be no exception.
If people do not understand what the heck an iPhone can do for them, they will not spend the $600 or place the advance orders.
The iPhone is supposed to be a paradigm shift, but there is no discussion of user benefits in their messaging.
If you click around on the Apple website, you will see this same problem with its other “currently available” products.
I think the issue is that the advertising agencies understand that you cannot sell features, but the folks writing copy for the web are stuck back in the 1990s.
Mike
March 5th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Hi Mike,
I don’t disagree with your assessment of Apple, but I guess what I’m saying is that they will market in phases. During the awareness generation stage, they aren’t looking to segment their markets. I think they’ll do that once the product launches, and that’s when they’ll start benefits messaging.
Until that point, though, they risk alienating market segments through benefits messaging. Each feature has several benefits that they’ll purpose for specific markets.
Thanks for your response.
Jeff
March 5th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Hi Jeff - Then why do they have such a great commercial at the bottom of the page. See http://www.apple.com/iphone/hello/
They would have been wise to leverage some of the implied messages (”A new way to say Hello!) into their copy.
On a side note, Steve Jobs did a good amount of Disney-related movie integration there in that ad.
Mike
March 5th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
As a former Apple employee, I can tell you that this would not have occurred when the Mac was first introduced in the 1980s.
I see this as the evidence of an innovative company that has become big, bureaucratic and lothargic. Unfortunately, this trend is a natural occurrence that happens to every small company as it grows into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Sadly, Apple seems to have forgotten their past and the elements that made them successful.
While it’s too early to tell how well the phone will sell because it hasn’t been released yet, it’s too expensive. It’s a radical departure when you compare the success achieved by the very price-competitive iMac when it first came out in 1998, or the iPod today.
March 6th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Michael, Very good stuff. I can never understand why a company - especially one as savvy as Apple - would assume that its end-user would take the time to flush the benefit out of a feature. Especially with all the clutter out there today.
I use the analogy with my clients of a car’s air conditioner. By itself AC is just another feature of the car. But if you add that it keeps you cool on those blistering summer days the feature takes on new life.
Thanks.
March 6th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Michael, nicely done. Completely agree with your adaptations.
The only tweak I’d make is to put the 4th bullet first because it sets the tone for the rest by establishing value on multiple dimensions.
Do you find injecting benefits into features requires a bit more copy? I think the extra copy is a small price to pay for clarity whereas pure feature-function comes across as cryptic, although in this case, it’s fairly clear.
March 6th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Hi Jonathan, David and Eric;
Thanks for you r comments.
Actually Eric, I think eliminating features and selling benefits actually reduces copy.
I made those benefits bullets up myself, so you are right that they are not in the best order.
Mike