We're so focused on the sale. What does the customer want? What does my product do? How do I convince someone that it's worth buying?
And of course, if you're running a business, those are incredibly important questions. But I want to challenge you to think about one other group of people.
Part of your work will be to convince people who will never become your customers that you are special.
I know that might sound strange. Why would I spend any time telling my story to people who probably aren't going to give me money? Let me give you an example.
Why Hermès needs people who will never buy a Birkin
Take Hermès. The stories people tell about its most coveted bags are almost as well known as the bags themselves. They're expensive. They're difficult to get. For some customers, getting one is described as a process, sometimes even a relationship you build over time.
Now, those stories aren't a single universal buying policy. People have different experiences, and there has even been litigation over claims about access to Birkin bags. I'm interested in what happens to these stories once they circulate outside the people who are actually shopping for a bag.
Because most people will never buy one.
And yet when somebody walks into a room carrying a recognizable Hermès bag, plenty of those same people understand what it represents. They know the name, they know the story about scarcity, and they have a sense of the prestige that comes with it.
Part of the recognition that person receives comes from people who will never be customers. Think about that. The story has reached a much larger audience than the market for the product itself.
I wouldn't say that recognition is the only reason a Hermès bag has value. Craftsmanship, design, availability, the product itself, they all matter. But when we're talking about the public prestige that comes from carrying one, other people's recognition has a role to play.
If nobody in the room understands what the symbol means, what exactly is the symbol communicating to them?
I was telling stories with my shoes in high school
I can bring this down to something much more personal. When I had the newest Jordans in high school, I was able to tell a story that I was cool, that I was up to date with the trends, and that frankly, we had a little bit of money at the time.
I didn't have to get up in front of my classmates and explain all those things. The shoes were doing some of that communication for me, because other people already recognized them.
Same thing with the American Express Platinum card. Part of the allure, at least from what I've observed, can be the feeling of pulling it out, the way it looks, the sound it makes when it hits a table, and knowing that someone around you might recognize it. That's a social interpretation of the card, and of course people carry it for plenty of practical reasons as well.
The person looking at the shoes or sitting across the table from the cardholder is part of the story.
What does your product say about the person using it?
Here's the question I want more brands to ask. You spend all this time being clear about what your product does. But what does it say about the person who chooses to use it? What does it say to others?
For something like paper clips, my answer is probably very little. I buy the cheapest option that works. I'm not trying to tell anyone who I am through my paper clips.
But if I choose to pay a higher premium specifically to have your logo on my clothing, there's a story attached to that choice. Something I want people to know about me, or something I want to be associated with.
And that means your work goes beyond the transaction. You have to make the story clear enough that other people understand it, too.
This connects to what I teach through Brand Echoes and Mythos Stories. The words people repeat, the symbols they recognize, and the world they associate with your brand can all travel much further than your direct customer list.
Before you make another campaign, ask someone who's never bought from you what they think your brand stands for. See what words they use. Because even if that person never buys a thing, they may still be part of the story your customers are trying to tell.
That means they need to know what the story is as well.
About this teaching
Edited from my November 3, 2026 recordings. The relationship between public recognition and perceived prestige is my interpretation, and I am not claiming a measured contribution to Hermès pricing. Purchasing practices vary; reporting about a lawsuit described disputed allegations about purchase history, not an official universal requirement. See Reuters' account of the 2025 dismissal.
