RTB = Reason To BUY, not Reason to Believe

The new poster advert from Quantas, the Australian airline, got me thinking about "reasons to believe": those truths about a product or service on which you can build a positioning. Now, as Mr Sausage, I am a big, big fan of brand truth. Its at the very heart of our view that the best brands are built on substance not spin. BUT, the Quantas brand truth in their ad left me cold: "Quantas: The world's most experienced airline." Huh?

Does anyone really care that Quantas are the most experienced airline? What is the inferred benefit from this? We've been flying for a long time, so we are good at it, I guess. It left me cold, and gave me no desire to consider Quantas instead of BA on a future trip to Oz.

The only thing it made me think of was a scene in the movie Rainman. Dustin Hoffman, playing a guy with autism, pisses off his brother, played by Tom Cruise, by insisting that the only airline he will fly is Quantas, because "Quantas never crashed".

So, we should perhaps forget about "reasons to believe", and replace them with "reasons to buy".

Here are some good examples of Reasons to Buy:

– Pantene: Pro-Vitamin B5 => unique ingredient for shinier hair

– Apple iPod (at launch): 1000 songs in your pocket => convenience and portability

– Blockbuster Guarantee: rent the movie you want, or get it free next time => confidence, choice

– Singapore girls: unique on-board experience, a taste of Asia in the air

 BA: the world's favourite airline => be with the best, must have good service-

– Pret a Manger: made fresh on premises every day => will taste better, and have no artificial crap in it.

– Moleskin notebooks: used by famous artists => I'm a creative type. Or like to think I am.

So. The RTB is dead. Long live the RTB.