Product Personas

If You Want the Best Consumer Deal Possible, Don't Try to Help the Business Avoid the Google AdWord Fee

Is it just me?  Am I the only consumer marketing naive who tries not to add the Google AdWord cost to a business when I've just located them via Google?  I figure, if I Googled for "FIOS" to get the best Verizon link, Verizon would appreciate my decency in not adding a $.50 or whatever fee to the search.  Not any more!

I actually was Googling "FOIS" because it was time for me to leave RCN (reliable, but too expensive for HD) and I'd heard great things about the cost and reliability of Verizon's FIOS.  Here's the Google result of my search:

As expected, there is paid advertising above the Google search results. I tried to save Verizon the ad-word fee and followed the non-ad link to Versizon FIOS; Verizon offered me a small discount on a certain Verizon FIOS bundle.  But when I followed the ad-word link, Verizon offered me several additional discounted bundle options plus $150 cash back for the exact same agreement. my desire to save Verizon a few pennies had almost cost me $300.  I won't make that mistake again.

Mini Cooper Persona

Let me start by saying, "I love my Mini Cooper S."  Best-Car-Purchase-Ever. 

When I bought my Mini, the dealer told me there was no demographic particular to the Mini.  I wondered if that was bunk at the time, since all those dealers seemed pretty sure of themselves. Since then, I've wondered if he was telling the truth.  Maybe there was no demographic -- certainly, when I see other Mini drivers waving at me, they appear quite varied in age, sex and interests.  Even if there is no demographic,  it is clear there is a distinct buyer persona for the Mini Cooper. 

I'll call him Fred.

Fred wants:

• A small, fuel efficient car that supports the lifestyle of someone with a full-sized car.  (Kudos to the engineers at BMW for creating such a vehicle. I get myself, my newfie, my child and my groceries in my Mini.  I can add my husband in if I only buy 3 bags of groceries.)
• A car that helps him broadcast a youthful, slightly hip, alternative, independent and quite fun, attitude -- even if he is none of those things in reality.
• A very good handling vehicle. (A buyer can trade a bit of performance and not buy the S or a bit of handling and buy the convertible. I wanted the convertible, but noticed the additional weight and stiffness too much to go for it.)
• A safe vehicle.  (The safety tests and BMW's name on the box is good enough for me.)
• Good snow handling. (With the money I didn't spend on the Mini, I bought a 2nd set of rims and snowtires.)
• A price less than $30k.

And Fred is shocked to find the Mini Cooper has all of these qualities in a a price/performance ratio that puts any other car being considered to shame.  Therefore, Fred is willing to accept:

• Traction control rather than AWD (because of the $15k lower cost).
• Minor finish details (for example, my right heel falls into a hole at the edge of the carpet as I stand up to get out of the car) in exchange for the abover.

In a nutshell, Fred is willing to tolerate some minor finish details and manage without AWD in order to drive a stylish, safe, classic, BMW performance vehicle that can always find a parking space in the city.  And he still has money in the bank. As long as Mini makes Fred happy, the Cooper S will keep selling.