The Dog Brain loves instant gratification.

But what delights one buyer might leave another cold.

After thirty years of product marketing, I’m still surprised by who falls in love with what product — and why.

Look at Carhartt workwear.

Once purely functional gear for construction workers and farmers, it became high fashion among urban youth. The brand’s rugged authenticity resonated far beyond its expected audience.

My wife has a brown Carhartt jacket and matching knit cap. I don’t. (Although I’ve got two of their coveralls.)

La Croix followed an equally unexpected path. Sparkling water was traditionally marketed to health-conscious women.

Yet it exploded among millennials of all types, becoming a cultural phenomenon and status symbol.

A client’s “masculine” barbecue accessory found unexpected traction with female buyers. Another’s premium pillow, initially marketed primarily to women, saw surprising adoption by male customers — including for many of the biggest orders.

You’d think we’d be better at predicting these patterns. After all, we spend countless hours developing detailed buyer personas, mapping customer journeys, plotting the perfect marketing strategy.

Then reality does its own thing.

Direct-to-consumer data tells different stories from retail behavior.

Gift purchasers demonstrate different patterns than end users.

Some buyers need extensive research while others transact immediately in response to pure impulse triggers.

Consider Liquid Death water. Packaged like craft beer and marketed with heavy metal imagery, it found surprising success among straight-edge teens and suburban moms.

Or what about Champion sweatshirts, that transformed from basic training clothes to coveted streetwear.

The most fascinating part? These surprises often lead to the biggest opportunities.

When we discover that busy executives, not fitness enthusiasts, are the power users of a health product…

When parents, not children, become the primary collectors of a toy line…

When professionals, not hobbyists, drive sales of a “casual use” tool…

That’s when marketing gets really fun.

Because your ideal buyer isn’t always who you imagine them to be.

It’s who actually needs your product most — regardless of whether or not that reality fits your original vision.

The Dog Brain’s pursuit of gratification doesn’t follow our rational predictions. It sniffs out its own path to satisfaction.

What surprises have you discovered about your product’s truest fans?

Laurier

P.S. Some of my favorite client meetings involve watching marketing teams process unexpected buyer data. The initial disbelief, followed by the excitement of discovery. Those moments remind me why I love this work.