Free Choice - or is it?

Isn’t it interesting when we go to a restaurant and are buying a bottle of wine? Everyone imagines it’s a free choice, but actually it’s not!

Imagine there were just two bottles on the wine list. One at £6 and a second at £18.

Now imagine there is a third bottle on the list at £34 a bottle. Are you more likely to buy the £18 bottle now? Most people are.

Porsche have done the same too with their model range. They have three sports cars. The Boxster, a convertible sportscar, the Cayman – a tin top Boxster and the 911 – the fastest in the range.

Before the Cayman it was just Boxster and 911. You either bought the cheaper, but very capable car, or the ‘ultimate’.

Now the Cayman – it is priced above the Boxster, despite being cheaper to produce than a convertible. Having a top makes it stiffer and so it will be better handling. Not that 90% of the owners will ever be able to tell the difference.

The case in point is the 911 / 911 cabriolet. The 911 cabriolet is more expensive!

So it’s all in the marketing. Make the Cayman more expensive than a Boxster and appear closer to the purist ideal of the 911 and people will buy it!

It’s no wonder Porsche is the most profitable car manufacturer in the world, making something like £15,000 per car sold.

Forget location, location, location. It should be marketing, marketing, marketing.