To me, a hard drive is in the same category as a hot water heater or garage door opener. You think about it briefly when buying, then never again until it breaks.
It's a classic 'low-involvement' product, as the marketing pundits say.
So how do you talk about them to customers?
It's interesting to see how Seagate and LaCie approach the issue -- from opposite sides.
LaCie seems to acknowledge that buying a hard drive is low-involvement, a simple 'pick-one' affair. They start parading product on the very first screen and don't stop: the entire site is silhouetted product shots and specs. LaCie figures the customer is simply looking for the right combination of Gigs, price, and maybe style. And they make it easy to do that. Product copy is minimalist and spec-heavy, manuals are plain Jane.
Hard drive maker Seagate disagrees. They've decided not to sell hard-drives per se, but 'cool ways to save and protect your stuff.' They serve up advice on selecting drives, and plenty of stories about how people use them, in gaming, entertainment, photography, data archiving. Their copy is about people doing remarkable things with their drives. Their manuals are human, friendly, even funny. (Download a .pdf of a good one here.) Seagate is thinking about the entire customer experience, from selecting one, to opening the box, installing it, and using it.
Who is right?
Both are, I think. LaCie's approach is attractive to some. Engineers and techs who profess to buy on hard facts and specs. Seagate's approach is appealing to others, who want to like their hard drive a little more.
And both did a good job of directing their content at the target.
