Posts Tagged “value”

Back when Comedy Central first went on the air, the Smothers Brothers hosted a Young Comedians show. They did bits in-between the new comics. One running gag throughout was Tom’s (presumed) lack of understanding of the idea of a rhetorical question. Dick asked, “How many man-hours do you think it took to build the railroad that opened up the West?” Tom tried to come up with an answer, until Dick explained, “It was a rhetorical question…you don’t answer it…you just think about it.”

At the end of the show, Dick pulled out a 35mm camera, ostensibly to take pictures of all the young commedians. After snapping a few pics, he opened up the back of the camera and pulled film out of the canister, exposing it, as if it was a Polaroid instant-film camera. Dick sighed, and told Tommy that he’d ruined the film, explaining that 35mm camera film has to be developed, and if exposed to light, it ruins the pictures.

Tommy smiled, and said, “No…it’s a rhetorical camera…you don’t need pictures.”

It was a funny bit, and it points out the dilemma here – the title of this post is – and isn’t – a rhetorical question. Read the rest of this entry »

What is coffee, really? Hot water run through some ground, roasted beans. What’s a soft drink? Carbonated sugar water. Pretty simple stuff, really. Yet, people are willing…nay, eager to pay $4 for a cup ‘o Joe at their local Starbucks, and $2 or $3 in a restaurant for a Coke or Pepsi.

What makes people willing to pay a premium for something with such a small cost of goods, and little inherent value?

I hate to harp on this “perception” thing (again) but people perceive that Starbucks coffee is better than Folgers, and they’ll pay more for it (plus the “experiential” thing that the Starbucks store represents).  In a restaurant, when you want a Coke, you pay for it – without stopping to think that you can buy a case of Cokes at Sam’s Club for the same money you spend to buy a 12 oz. Coke while dining out.

Now THAT’S marketing. Read the rest of this entry »