100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 111the Fortune 1000. When customers buy Quiksilver apparel, they
are buying a lifestyle of sun, sea, and surf, without the worry of
having to brave any killer waves. Your product need not be sold just
for its functional use: it can be marketed as an entry fee to the life
your customers desire.
In practice
- Provide sponsorship deals, to show you are aligned with the
culture you wish your brand to embody. - Placement of marketing is vital. Make your brand’s presence
known at appropriate festivals, tournaments, meetings, parties,
and cultural hotspots. - Sell a range of products involved with the culture—this will
broaden your appeal and increase credibility. - Subcultures are a good target for lifestyle brands, as they often
feel a strong need to assert their group identity. - Elite cultures are also suited to lifestyle brands.
- One factor is often overlooked when creating a lifestyle brand:
ensure your product offering is compatible with the “lifestyle”
you are promoting. If you want to market your organization as
an elite sporting brand, remember to actually sell quality
sporting equipment that matches the needs and perceptions of
the target market.