A Lesson in Competitive Branding

Every now and then we see an ad, video or photo and think damn, that’s some good marketing. Seeing something fantastic from a brand or company is inspiring, and last week was no different. We came across a video from a leather company we had never previously heard of, called Saddleback Leather. Entitled “How to Knock Off a Bag,” the video practically begged to be watched. It’s here if you’d like to see it too.

“I’ve noticed a lot of people knocking off my bags. And I thought maybe they would need a little help in case they’re missing some of the parts,” explains Saddleback Leather founder and CEO Dave Munson when introducing the video. He then goes through and explains every part of how his bag is made, and while he describes each step, video is shown of a worker putting together the bag by hand.

Peppered through Munson’s description of his own bag production are ways to cut corners and save money. “Vinyl is like a 20th of the price of what we use for ours… you’re going to save a lot of money here.”

But the marketing message in this video is brilliant. Because while Munson is telling viewers the ways to make a cheaper bag, he’s actually demonstrating the fine craftsmanship and superior quality of his own product. By the end of the video, I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who would knowingly purchase a knock off of his bags.

Everything, from the title, to the editing, to the step by step footage of someone making a bag, to the humor – “You could even nickel plate your crack pipe” – makes this video sharable. Though we do think that the joke about domestic violence was taking it a bit too far. It’s already received over 200,000 views on YouTube, and garnered positive comments underneath. Some commenters are even saying they’d like to buy a bag.

So what marketing lessons can you take from this video and apply to your own strategy? The most important is a demonstration of why your product or service is better than your competitors. The brilliance of this video lies in the fact that the superiority is being shown, not told. What ways can you show your prospective customers that your company produces better product and services than your competitors? What sets you apart from the crowd?

CGT is the Long Island marketing agency to help you stand out.