I bought a lot of Cetaphil products but never did I do it because I went through their Instagram page or because their content got on my feed. Nope, it was because I saw it in a lot of get ready with me routines and I saw when Ali Abdel video where he has his dermatologist friend recommended it as well. So when it comes to skincare, I did not listen to the brand, nor did I seek the brand. What I sought was what other people are doing that is social proof and expert opinion.

When it comes to clothes, I have bought a lot of stuff from online brands and it was exclusively because I saw their ads or I came across their Insta account. If I would have seen a lot of people wearing that bullshit, or if I had seen a lot of expert talk about hey this is how we made it, this blah blah blah whatever, I wouldn’t have bought it. So. For this purchase, all what was needed was the brand talking with me, and the thing fitting my aesthetic choice.

And you can see the contrast between the two examples, right? In one case, community push and brand silence was needed. In another, community needed to be silent and the brand push was needed.

Another is also the type of content. Of course, if the clothing brand starts to yap too much, I wouldn’t pay attention to it. But I needed the skincare guys to yap a lot so that I can get more and more context. So different products, different needs need different ways they got in front of my face on social media. and a different way of communicating with me. If skincare products had done the same hype music and a lot of cool shots like the streetwear brand did, I wouldn’t have trusted it at all. Nor, nor would I even registered it in my head that this is a skincare thing and maybe it can help.

So you have to think about what product you are offering. You have to think about the proper channel to push it on social media, and you have to think about the proper way of communicating via that channel.

So here are the four parameters which you should evaluate your product and audience with to figure out what channel will work out best for you.

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Taste: Is it something that people can look at and decide for themselves whether they want it or not? Example, if a dress looks pretty to the person, they are not going to think about it much and just purchase it.

Expertise: Is it something where people need to hear from someone who knows more than they do before making a purchase? Things like skincare, interview prep, etc.

Social Validation: Is it something people buy because they see other people using it, or because they care about what others would think of them using it? This does play a bit of role in fashion. Like you wouldn’t want to buy a really crazy t-shirt. But mainly this one is for luxury or prestige goods to signal status.

Logistics: Is it something people already know they need in their day-to-day lives, and the product is so commoditized that they don’t really care which brand they buy? Like bread, for example. You’re not going to spend 20 minutes researching which bread to buy. You’re probably just going to pick whichever one is available at the supermarket, reasonably priced, and easy to get. So the competition isn’t really about convincing people to want the product. It’s about making sure your product is right in front of them when they need it, at a price they’re willing to pay.

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The lesson here is that the way you market a product depends on which of these four factors dominates the purchase decision: Taste, Expertise, Social Validation, or Logistics.

If a purchase is mostly about Taste, then the brand itself can do the talking. Think about clothing. If I see a T-shirt that fits my aesthetic, I don’t need a dermatologist, an influencer, or 500 other people to convince me to buy it. I like what I see, and that’s enough. So the brand can simply put out content that makes the product look desirable.

If it’s about Expertise, things change. Usually, expertise becomes important when people are dealing with a problem they don’t fully understand, or when there are so many possible solutions that making a decision becomes overwhelming.

Think about skincare. You know you want to look better, but there are hundreds of products, ingredients, and routines out there. You don’t necessarily know what’s going to work for you. So instead of listening to a skincare brand talk about how amazing its products are, you’d rather hear from a dermatologist or someone you already trust.

The same applies when you’re ill or dealing with pain. You want someone who understands the problem better than you do to help you make a decision.

Now, expertise doesn’t always have to come from a third party. A brand can develop its own credible in-house expertise and communicate that directly. But the content has to actually demonstrate knowledge and help people make decisions, rather than simply claim that the product is good.

Then there’s Social Validation. This kicks in when the purchase isn’t just about whether you like something, but also about what other people will think of you for using it.

Maybe you don’t want to look weird. Maybe you want to signal status. Maybe you want to belong to a particular group, or be associated with a certain type of person.

In these cases, the brand talking about itself isn’t necessarily enough. You need to see the right people using the product. That could mean UGC, word of mouth, influencers, celebrities, or paid associations. And sometimes, seeing too many people using a product can actually make it less desirable, particularly when exclusivity is part of the appeal.

Finally, there’s Logistics.

This is where the product is so necessary and commoditized that people already know they need it, and the purchase mostly comes down to price, convenience, and availability.

Think about ordinary bread. You’re probably going to buy whichever decent option is available at the supermarket at a reasonable price. Nobody needs to convince you that bread is worth buying.

This is largely an arena surrendered to the optimizers. The companies that win are often the ones that can manufacture cheaply, distribute efficiently, secure shelf space, and make the product available wherever people need it.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

These four factors aren’t fixed properties of a product category. You can change which one dominates by changing the product itself.

Take bread again. If you’re selling ordinary packaged bread, logistics dominates. But imagine you’re selling some extremely bespoke artisanal bread, with an unusual texture, distinctive ingredients, and a completely different eating experience.

Suddenly, Taste becomes important again. People might seek out your particular bread because they genuinely prefer it. Expertise might enter the picture too, because now you can explain the ingredients, fermentation process, and craftsmanship that make it different.

And a lot of that can be communicated through the brand’s own content.

So the point isn’t simply to classify products into four buckets. It’s to understand which factors drive the purchase decision for your particular product and your particular audience.

If it’s overwhelmingly about Taste, the brand can do much of the communicating itself.

If it’s about Expertise, you need credible knowledge, whether that comes from independent experts or from expertise you’ve developed in-house.

If it’s about Social Validation, you need the right people and the right associations, which often means involving customers, creators, or celebrities.

And if it’s about Logistics, you’re largely competing on availability, pricing, and operational efficiency.

Of course, most purchases involve some combination of all four.

But for someone starting a brand without the money to pay celebrities, seed large amounts of UGC, or build an enormous distribution network, this gives us a pretty useful starting point.

Look for products where Taste dominates, where the customer can make a decision for themselves, and where the brand’s own content can create enough desire to generate a sale.

Because in that situation, you don’t need someone else to speak for your product. You can do the talking yourself.

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Now I need to understand what is a digital product that I can scale to the fucking moon just with my brand talking, no UGC or paid associations.