This piece of news has been circulating since 2008. Inspired by the results, I attempted testing brands in a similar scenario. Results follow -
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowedhis pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal
pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth
3.5 million dollars.Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
The thought:
Joshua Bell is a powerful brand in music. He wasn’t recognized at the metro
because its unexpected to find a great musician play his music without the paparazzi. Does this extend to other brands? Does this mean that at some level the brand overtakes product offering?
The experiment:
One of my friend recently cleared her junk by having a garage sale. In the midst of her 25 handbags, she agreed to place an original Louis Vuitton. The visitors (all of whom were well aware of the brand) glanced, some picked it up, but nobody asked for the rate. When questioned later, they admitted to it looking “nice” and “an original LV look-alike.”
Here’s an interesting quote: “Of course it’s not original. What would an LV be doing at a garage sale when it belongs at an auction.”
What do you think? Do you recognize brands at all settings? Do you appreciate beauty at unexpected circumstances? Has brand value overtaken product offering?
Nice read! And very true indeed! Generally, I think the fashion industry and fashion products atleast have a cushion from the damage, as people are much aware of what they want, and what they buy. But the worst hit products, I feel are FMCG. Sometimes I go looking for a particular product, to be specific, aftershave, and I end up with some other product which I don’t even know. Reason, clutter in the category. Theres Axe, Theres Park Avenue, Adidas, Reebok, and on and on and on… The shelf is so full that the recognition becomes so damn difficult, and the product closest to the hand is picked!