This is a continuation of the “Conversation Capital” post.
1 of 1 billion. 1 of 1 million. 1 of 1000. Who wants to feel like that? I think most people want to feel unique — 1 of 1. How else will they contribute to their unique personal narrative? For example, I have a leather messenger bag that I got in Florence. It’s handmade in Italy, and I’m pretty much guaranteed that no one I know will have it. It’s all me and I effing love it.
“Consumers demand customization and differentiation…experiences that stand out by reminding us we are individuals.” - from the book Conversation Capital: How to Create Stuff People Talk About
Hence we have Exclusive Product Offerings — EPOs. And I’m not just talking about physical products (like a one of a kind iPod or something) I’m talking about *experiences* that are personalized, exclusive to you. Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order:
1) Travel
In my view, travel is the ultimate personalized experience — the ultimate EPO. No doubt this is why it’s a passion of mine, and many others. Ok, so you can choose where you go, where you stay, what you do, and how you get there. But that’s not where the EPO ends. Every bump in the road, every sight, every person you meet are unique to your situation. And you can never re-create what you’ve experienced in that time and place ever again.
Also, travel contributes to your personal narrative in a way that few things in life can: It adds character and shapes your views. You learn with full immersion, and you get stories that will last a life time.
2) Raw Canvas (or things like it)
What the hell am I talking about? Well, Raw Canvas is a bar/lounge in Vancouver (Yaletown, actually) that let’s you and the people you’re with paint on a canvas. That’s in addition to drinking lots of expensive wine and eating lots of humous, of course. The hook: At the end of the night you walk away with your own unique creation — a memento and something you will never be able to re-create. While I haven’t been directly involved with the painting, I’ve seen it happen up-close, and I think it’s a great idea. I think more places should do similar things. After all, it’s all about the experience, right? The unique experience.
3) Facebook and Twitter
On Facebook, my particular grouping of friends is unique to me; therefore, the content I see is unique, the interactions I have are unique, and the experience I have is unique. It’s a similar story with Twitter. As I mentioned in a previous post, Twitter is a great way to filter the information you get so that it’s relevant to you. By customizing who you follow, you create your own pool of people, ideas, insights, and opinions. Then all you have to do is “dip-your-cup” into it whenever you want — in my case, on the regular, like every 5 minutes.
4) Diesel Denim
I’m not sure if Diesel invented distressed denim, but (in my opinion) they definitely made it look good. The appeal: no two jeans are exactly the same. They also fit and feel amazing. I may be biased, since I have a thing for Italian-made jeans in general. Actually, maybe it’s just that I have a thing for anything Italian-made…. I love you, David Rocco!
Anyhow. . . next item.
5) LEGO
Who doesn’t love LEGO!? This wonderful Danish creation continues to bring joy to children (an adults, I’m sure) all over the world. You get a bunch of stackable, coloured blocks and the rest is up to you. An experience doesn’t get much more customized than this. Talk about having the customer create the product. LEGO basically pioneered prosumerism; the toy equivalent of building a platform.
6) My iPod (or more accurately, my iPhone)
I’m unique and so too are my needs. Luckily, there’s an app for that. My collection of apps, and therefore my user experience, is unique to me. It’s my phone. And most of its value lies, not in the physical product, but what’s on it. Not only the apps, but the content too: my contacts, my photos, and all my music. Music in itself is a very personal and intimate thing. And my playlist — uniquely chosen by me — makes my iPhone an EPO.
So those are my favourite EPOs. What are yours? I’d love to hear about them!