By Jeff Taylor
In Washington D.C. , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later…
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes…
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes…
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes…
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour…
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
About 4 minutes later…
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes…
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes…
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes…
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour…
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
The violinist was Joshua Bell, noted to be one of the greatest 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, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
The event was arranged by the Washington Post as an experiment in perception and priorities. The experiment also has some very sound marketing lessons. If your business is positioned as a premium provider, be very careful how you present your business to your customers. If you speak about discounts and value you will confuse your customers and they will begin to ignore you. Likewise, if you are a value and price business and you try to discuss your premium quality you will also confuse your customer.
When Joshua Bell presents his brand as a premium entertainer and prices his tickets accordingly he sells out. When he was presented as value worthy of donations only, nobody paid attention. Think about your brand position and marketing approach, are they consistent?
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