The Drill vs. The Hole: One of the best brand theories you probably never eard of

This content was originally written and posted on LinkedIn by Mike Leon.

Years ago a prof of mine introduced me to a phrase that would change my life.

“Marketers sell the drill, consumers buy the hole, ” a paraphrase from legendary Harvard Business School marketing professor Theodore Levitt. Simple words that should be so obvious, except it’s not. Essentially it means:

• The DRILL: What product / service are you selling?
• The HOLE: What does it empower your audience to do?

Now take it a step further. What is the end experience that ultimately happens because your consumers were able to buy that thing they needed? Figure that out and you are not only selling more than “stuff”, but you are inspiring your audience to sell it for you. That’s the power of this one old statement. See why I love it so much?

How to sell happiness

Say you want to buy a TV. Is it the TV you’re interested in, or what it allows you to do, namely watch shows? Will watching shows allow you to connect more with the people in your life, like significant others or colleagues? Will it help you unwind and relax at the end of a tough day? Can having that TV make you happier? For the purposes of this argument, let’s say yes!

Happiness then becomes the hole. So if I want to sell more TV’s I’m going to have more success selling my brand of TV if I focus on the true reason someone buys it – happiness – or a little slice of it that TV can provide. That’s where selling the hole becomes a much more powerful approach to brand building. Let’s try it on for size with a few examples:

The Drill may be Coke, but the Hole is family

If you have 2 minutes and 30 seconds of your life to give to something, give it to this. Not because it’s good. It’s bad, like really bad, but the thing Coke does super well is it sends a laser-sharp message around what they’re really selling. Family, Togetherness and Love; which during a pandemic is as rare a thing but much needed. Sure the Coke logo and product is spackled everywhere, but the key message is to “give something only you can give,” and the reason to believe in the Coke brand is that along the way, Coca Cola is there for you.

This is what made me watch an ad that features a Dad battling whales, climbing mountains, hitching rides and somehow making it to the North Pole, on foot (no less), to deliver his daughter’s letter to Santa. The drill may be Coke, but the hole is family. So if we look at this in its simplest terms, Coke is behind all of these experiences that make families… well, families! – a much more powerful sell than “hey, buy some overpriced sugar water!.”

Oreo shines a light on what they value most

As a traditionally family-oriented snack, Oreo has often stood for wholesome, family goodness. So what’s the drill then? Let’s say for argument’s sake the drill is togetherness, then what’s the hole? I chose togetherness because that’s what rang out to me as the hole with Coke, but this one’s different. The ad begins with the premise of togetherness, but a richer, more complex story unfolds, one that weaves together all sorts of themes including trust, family, support, love, belonging, inclusion, breaking down barriers.

So in the end what is Oreo selling and what the hell does it have to do with cookies? The truth is, in this ad, the Oreos are no longer cookies, they’re glue. Glue that connects sometimes disparate moments in time. Moments that show the strength of the love behind a woman and her partner, moments that connect a whole family and embrace culture and community. Oreo shines a light on what they value most, values that power everything they do. And there’s no way they’d be able to do that if they were simply selling the drill.

Still not convinced, here’s one more, this time for the employer brand.

They’re selling possibilities

If Heineken were selling the drill, this spot would look like pretty much every other career video, with every other message that appears in them. Not Heineken. It’s clear they’re not selling careers, they’re selling possibilities, they’re selling a limitlessness, they’re selling the self directed experience. Sure, not everybody will identify with this message, which is okay because it helps shine a big light right away on the type of mindset Heineken wants and what kind of mindset thrives there. Drill vs hole – this one shines through big time.

The trickiest thing with selling the hole, is selling what’s most true to your brand. To really do this, it’s critical to understand what your brand really stands for, what they believe and what they are uniquely positioned to do.

What are you selling?