You may have heard of the Pet Rock.
A literal rock in a box became a phenomenon. Not because the rock was special. Not because it solved a problem. Not because the materials were premium.
It sold because the story was brilliant.
Packaging. Humour. Novelty.
A feeling that buying one meant you were in on the joke. The product was ordinary.
That same principle shows up in B2B more than people admit.
Companies often believe buyers choose purely on logic. Features. Price. Technical merit. Procurement grids.
Those things matter, but they are not the whole story.
People inside businesses are still people.
They want to make smart decisions. They want to look good internally. They want to feel they picked the winner, not just another vendor.
Think about the CrowdStrike Super Bowl commercial.
For many users and potential users, the product outcome was not just endpoint security. It was something more emotional.
A chair in the cool kids club.
The feeling that your company chose a market leader. That you were aligned with a modern, visible, respected brand. That if anyone asked what you use, the answer carried status.
That matters.
Especially in crowded markets where products are technically close, the story becomes the differentiator. The identity becomes the value layer on top of the functionality.
This does not mean substance is irrelevant. A bad product with a good story eventually gets exposed.
But a strong product with no story often gets ignored.
The lesson is simple.
Do not only ask what your product does.
Ask what choosing your product says about the buyer.
Because sometimes the real thing being purchased is not the tool.
It is the feeling of belonging to the right tribe.
Leave a Reply