I recently bought myself a gift: a briefcase called the Newspaper Bag, made by the Belgian luxury company Delvaux. My bank balance suffered as a result, but I am convinced that the bag will last forever.
I mention this because the way I came to buy it is a nice case study – if you'll excuse the pun. How do you sell something to somebody who considers himself immune to advertising? Here's the secret formula. First of all, I read an article about Delvaux in the magazine Monocle (good PR). A couple of months later, I found myself in Brussels, where Delvaux has a small but stylish boutique (effective merchandizing). A friendly, smiling salesman showed me the Newspaper Bag, suavely explaining its features. See how soft the leather is, how tough the zip. The price caused me to hesitate: undaunted, the salesman gave me a catalogue and told me that, if I changed my mind, I could buy the bag on the brand's website (good service).
A few weeks later, I received an unexpected cheque from my publisher in the UK. It had hardly hit the bank before I was on Delvaux's website, looking lustfully for the bag. I held my breath, performed the necessary few clicks, and waited for my bag to arrive (e-commerce). It's sitting by my side right now, and all thanks to the perfect mix of media.
