Back in 18th-century Prussia, nobody wanted to eat potatoes. They were seen as bland, dismissed as low-class, and probably thought to be fit only for pigs. Then King Frederick the Great pulled a classic marketing move to change that perception.
He branded potatoes a “royal vegetable,” planted them in fancy royal gardens, and posted guards to protect them. However, the guards were instructed to turn a blind eye, and allow peasants to “steal” the coveted crop. Soon, curious peasants started sneaking in and stealing these exclusive spuds, because if something is worth guarding, it must be worth stealing.
This clever move created an allure of exclusivity and desirability around potatoes, making them appear valuable and prestigious. As a result, peasants began to grow and consume potatoes, transforming them from a despised crop into a staple food in Prussia. Now that’s marketing genius.
Centuries later, this clever manipulation of perceived value remains a powerful branding strategy, especially when it comes to premium positioning. Brands today mess with your perception of value to make average stuff seem extraordinary. And they don’t even need to change the product itself but just how you feel about it.
One key premium positioning tools is pricing. You see premium pricing isn’t just about making more money (though, yes, it definitely makes more money). It’s about making you believe something is better and more elite. It safeguards brand equity in a competitive market.
Apple is a perfect example. Their products are so expensive, you’d need a Ponzi scheme to afford one. But it’s precisely this pricing strategy that helps preserve and enhance their brand value by creating exclusivity and projecting superior quality. Apple effectively narrows its customer base to those willing to pay for perceived luxury or exceptional quality, which, in turn, increases the desirability and status of its products.
Law 16 in Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power states that by withdrawing yourself or something valuable from the market or social scene, you create instant value through scarcity. When something is hard to get, it becomes more desirable and valuable.
This sense of scarcity, driven by price rather than limited quantity, keeps Apple products coveted and maintains their prestige. I mean, if iPhones were priced like any average phone, everyone would want one, and that would ultimately kill its value.
Rolex, TAG Heuer, and other luxury watch brands know this too. They make just enough products to keep the rich happy and the rest of us drooling from behind the glass. I mean, do you really need a $25,000 watch just to know it’s lunchtime? Of course not. You’re buying status, not seconds.
In Malawi, apples used to be a luxury. The kind of fruit rich aunties brought on Christmas Eve. Then the market got flooded, prices dropped, and suddenly every kid in Mbengwe was snacking on apples like it was nothing. The apple didn’t change, but its perceived value did. Today, it’s just another fruit. The shine is gone.
In the end, value is rarely about the thing itself, it’s about perception and the story wrapped around it. Whether it’s potatoes in a royal garden, an overpriced watch, or an apple on a dusty roadside stall, perception is everything. People don’t just buy products, they buy status and stories that make them feel something.
If you want to win in this game, don’t just build a better product. Build a myth and guard it like potatoes.
