What Can UGG Teach You About Influence?

By Chakisse Newton, President, Cardinal Consulting, LLC

You may not know the name “UGG boots,” but you’ve seen them around. The sheepskin footwear is donned by everyone from A-List celebrities heading off to fashion events to teens heading off to school. Even during a global recession, UGG grew by 22% last year and sold nearly $712 million in merchandise. These are impressive results for any company and especially for a product once considered dowdy in its native Australia that is now a fashion powerhouse.

What can you learn from UGG? In a September article in WSJ Magazine, “The Golden Fleece,” the former CEO of the company that owns UGG, described organizing his branding around “the affluent alpha consumer.” He had a clear vision of his target audience and how UGG would fit into her life: “I saw her in a Range Rover driving her kids to private school with her UGG boots on.” Keeping that vision in mind helped propel UGG to success and you can benefit from that example. Here’s how:

For Presentations:

Before you begin planning your presentation, visualize how you want the audience to respond: What do you want them to learn or do differently as a result of hearing you speak? What will the audience say to you after your presentation or how will they behave that will let you know you’ve achieved your purpose? Structure all your comments so they create the end result you want.

For Marketing Activities:

Create a buyer profile for each target audience you serve. (Depending on the product or service you market, you may have many target audiences for each solution.) Your buyer profile should allow you to “see” your client enjoying the benefits of the solution you offer (for example, driving the Range Rover). Use that profile to evaluate every aspect of your brand, from marketing copy and packaging to how you structure your customer service.

For General Influence:

Tap into the listener’s vision of himself and paint pictures that show how your suggestions enhance that vision. Use words that don’t just convey benefits, but moreover, make it easy for the listener to see how to immediately incorporate those benefits into daily life.

Whether you’re creating a presentation, updating your marketing or simply want to become better at influencing others, creating a clear vision of your target audience will make it easier for you to achieve your objectives.

Interested in learning more about UGG Australia? Read “The Golden Fleece” here.

 © 2010 Chakisse Newton. All Rights Reserved.