Creating a Need...

The job of a marketer is to create a "want" and then turn that into a "need."

There are plenty of ways to do this, but one that has affected me recently is the what might be called the inadvertent "advertorial."

I have taped a few episodes of "American Eats" on the History Channel, most recently "The History of Garlic," "Pizza," and "Coffee."

These are hour long episodes (thanks to the DVR only about 40 minutes) where in History Channel fashion, they chronicle the evolution of these foods from their origin to modern times. As a student of history, they are fascinating in their own right.

I've found, however, that as I understand more of the historical context of these foods, my appreciation of them is heightened. After "Garlic," I was on a Garlic binge for a while and I now look at the food differently and appreciate it more-feeling better about the fact that I am eating it. After Pizza, I made my own and savored each bite a bit more--really.

Coffee was particularly interesting. I am no connosieur, but I do appreciate good coffee. I've read Howard Schultz's auto-biography (no link as I wouldn't recomment a purchase) and can understand where he is coming from re: Italian coffee bar experiences.

While each of the numerous experts on the program had a different opinion about their favorite coffee bean, one thing that impressed me was that ALL of them said they preferred to brew their coffee at home using a French Press (pictured-I had seen one but didn't know it was called that.)

For a while, I had been more than content to drink a cup of Elite instant coffee from Israel (it's actually pretty good), but after seeing the documentary, I had a want that became a need and for ($30 or so, I could fill it).

So, now, I am the owner of ground coffee beans (Starbucks, of course, since I don't know any better and we are susceptible to the power of brands) and a French Press.

And the kicker...of course I think it tastes better. It must, right?