Selling customers "experiences" rather than just "functions": How to create a brand strategy for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Recently, Dyson released an electric toothbrush called "CameraJet." It uses a camera and AI to detect gaps between teeth, automatically sprays mouthwash within 100 milliseconds, and even flosses. The price is 79,800 yen. I think that's a pretty bold price for an electric toothbrush.
When I saw this news, I honestly thought, "Are there really people who would spend that much on a toothbrush?" At the same time, my own experience suddenly came to mind. Not long ago, I was using up and replacing vacuum cleaners that cost around 10,000 yen, when I saw a Dyson vacuum cleaner, which cost almost ten times as much, on sale for half price and impulsively bought it. I, too, was making a purchase that couldn't be explained by "function" alone. In this article, I'd like to share my own theories on how to create a brand strategy, drawing on that experience.
What the "79,800 yen toothbrush" is asking
CameraJet is by no means a bluff. It analyzes 28 images per second with a 100,000-pixel macro lens camera, trains its AI on 470,000 dental images, and runs its algorithm with 16 million lines of code. The WHO's 2025 report estimates that approximately 3.7 billion people worldwide will be affected by oral diseases, and Dyson designed this product based on data showing that "90% of people do not floss as often as recommended." The functionality is backed by a serious commitment.
However, what I found truly interesting about this news wasn't the function itself, but the question: "What exactly are people buying when they pay 79,800 yen for a toothbrush?" If the goal is periodontal disease prevention, there are plenty of cheaper options. So, I think what justifies this price is the "experience" and "satisfaction of ownership" that are an extension of the function.
I myself was paying for the "experience," not the functionality.
I'm not writing this as if it's someone else's problem. As I wrote at the beginning, I myself had been repeatedly buying replacement vacuum cleaners that cost around 10,000 yen and broke down every one or two years, until I saw a Dyson vacuum cleaner on sale for half price and bought it. To be honest, my motivation was that I wanted to test whether the suction power could justify the nearly tenfold price difference.
So what were the results? To be honest, the build quality of the unit wasn't particularly luxurious, and I didn't feel the suction power was "10 times better." So what was the money for? It was the green light that comes out of the unit while cleaning. When that light illuminates the floor, dust that was previously invisible becomes visible. Once you can see it, you can't ignore it, and before I knew it, I was engrossed in vacuuming.
What I find clever about this is that it's not about improving the "performance of the vacuum cleaner," but about making the "act of cleaning" itself enjoyable. Because it's enjoyable, you continue to do it. And because you continue to do it, your room ends up clean. I think what Dyson is selling isn't just suction power, but this mechanism for making cleaning a habit.
This idea of "visualizing to change behavior" is also present in the CameraJet. That toothbrush allows you to see the condition of your teeth through a camera while you brush. Previously, you might have brushed your teeth somewhat aimlessly while looking in a mirror, but now you can see exactly which areas you've cleaned and which you haven't. It's structurally exactly the same as a vacuum cleaner that visualizes dust on the floor, making you realize, "This area is still dirty." When you can see it, you want to do it properly. Dyson seems to be consistently using this method to succeed with both vacuum cleaners and toothbrushes. Perhaps that's why they've been able to establish a unique position not just as a company of high-tech home appliances, but as a company that "makes people aware and motivates them."
The same thing is actually happening in B2B as well.
Many business owners and marketing managers might think, "That's just about B2C products like vacuum cleaners and toothbrushes." But I think the opposite is true. The B2B field is actually full of things that are "unseen."
Dust on the floor and dirt between your teeth are definitely there, even if you can't see them. The same is true for B2B decision-making. Emotional values such as "I somehow trust this company" or "I can empathize with this company's philosophy" may not be written in contracts or quotations, but they actually have a significant impact on the decision-making process. A 2014 Google study found that while management accounted for 641 TP3T and non-management accounted for 241 TP3T in the final decision-making process for B2B purchasing, 811 TP3T of non-management influenced the decision-making in some way. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the proportion of emotionally connected customers is actually higher for B2B brands than for B2C brands. Although it is an old study, my own experience in sales has shown that this structure hasn't changed much even now.
In other words, the data shows that "the dust of emotional value is definitely there." However, unlike dust on the floor, this won't show up just by shining a green light on it. That's why a design is needed to make it visible.
There's one important point to note here. Branding company TCD warns in an article on B2B branding that "emotional appeals without functional value hollow out a brand." This makes more sense when reinterpreted in terms of visualization. Simply putting out a philosophy or story won't answer the recipient's question, "What makes us different from other companies?" This is because the wrong thing is being visualized. CameraJet is persuasive because it has functionality—470,000 training data points and a unique algorithm—and on top of that, it provides the visualization that "you can see with your own eyes whether it's polished or not." The order is always functionality first, then visualization. If you reverse this, the "hollowing out" that TCD talks about will occur.
Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have the right order of operations. They definitely possess functional strengths. The problem is that they haven't been able to make those strengths visible.
How to Create a Brand Strategy: 3 Key Perspectives for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
So, when small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) actually create a brand strategy, where should they begin? Following the principles of the "LH Method" that we use in our daily support, let's organize it into three perspectives. Ultimately, it's easiest to understand if you think of all three as processes of "visualization."
① Visualize the gap between the "ideal" and the "current situation".
A common mistake in brand strategy development is jumping straight into expressions like logos and slogans. But what you really need to do first is to make visible the gap (challenges) between your ideal state and your current position. Do you want to increase brand awareness, strengthen recruitment, differentiate yourself from competitors, or create internal cohesion? If you proceed to create expressions without visualizing the nature of the gap, you are likely to fall into what TCD points out as "emotion without function."
② Translate the functions into a tangible "experience".
Once you've identified your company's functional strengths, the next step is to consider how to visualize them as an tangible "experience" that customers can truly feel. In Dyson's case, they translate the suction power function into a green light, and the interdental detection function into a camera and automatic spray action, making each visible and tangible. For small and medium-sized enterprises, flashy presentations aren't necessary. The quality of the consultation, the speed of the response, and the enthusiasm of the staff—these daily interactions themselves become the visualization opportunity. The important thing is to translate the functional strengths into a form that makes customers think, "Ah, this company is doing things right."
③ Make what has been visualized "continuously visible" at every point of contact in daily life.
Now, let me offer a perspective that's typical of a branding company. The concept of CI (Corporate Identity) is said to have three elements: MI (Mind Identity = philosophy), VI (Visual Identity = appearance), and BI (Behavior Identity = behavior). The gap analysis done in ① is the foundation for MI, and "translating into experience" in ② is about BI. And I think ③ is about creating a state where these two, along with VI such as the logo and website, are not all working separately but are linked together on a single axis.
We believe that for a brand to "remain visible," it ultimately boils down to a state where MI, VI, and BI are all aligned and consistent. Even if the philosophy is impressive, if the appearance is inconsistent or the behavior on the ground doesn't match, from the outside, people will end up wondering, "What does this company really value?" Conversely, we believe that a brand only begins to function as a brand when the ideals, gaps, and translations of experiences that we've organized in ① and ② are connected along a single axis, from visible forms like the logo and website to the way language is used within the company. We think that's another way to look at it.
What companies that can't escape the spec competition are overlooking
Many small and medium-sized businesses fall into the trap of thinking, "We don't have any flashy features or a compelling story," and putting branding on the back burner. However, looking back on my own experience of buying a Dyson vacuum cleaner, what sealed the deal wasn't the overwhelming performance difference, but the combination of the visible dust and the captivating mechanism that made it so appealing.
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a functional strength doesn't necessarily have to be technological superiority. Rather, I believe that the justification for "why we do things the way we do them" cultivated through daily work can become a functional value that other companies cannot imitate. The problem is that this strength is only visible within the company and not visible to the customer.
Whether or not a company is aware of this is what separates companies that remain caught up in price competition from those that continue to be chosen by customers. I believe that brand strategy, at its core, is the process of highlighting the functional strengths that a company has already built up. Even without flashy displays or large budgets, if a company adopts this perspective of "visualization," even small and medium-sized enterprises can compete effectively. That's my experience.
The approach we call the LH method is essentially just the painstaking process of "visualizing the gap" and "translating it into experience," applied to each company individually. If you're struggling to articulate your company's strengths, or if you have functions that aren't visible, then our expertise lies in helping you organize and visualize them.
After starting his own business at the age of 26, he has over 20 years of management experience in the design and branding fields. In 2016, he moved with his family to the Philippines and established a local IT outsourcing company, leading its global expansion. Currently, as a "GLOBAL BRANDING AGENCY," he supports the growth of companies while also actively working on organizational reforms within his own company. Based on the real-world struggles and firsthand information he has faced in organizational development and overseas management, he shares practical branding and organizational theories that are thoroughly aligned with the perspective of business leaders.
