I replaced my BMW X5 with a Toyota Prius. I had not heard of lifestyle marketing at that time.

It was a couple of years ago.

My lease was up and I was browsing for a replacement car when my daughter, the sane one in our family, quipped up.

“Why do you want another gas guzzler? You should go green.”

I paused.

The thought hadn’t occurred to me until then. I liked my BMW. Another German car was what I had in mind. Perhaps a used Porsche Cayenne, or a loaded Audi.

My wife overheard the conversation from across the hall.

“If you are going green, go Tesla!” she chimed in.

Tesla? It’s a hundred-thousand-dollar car!

My Indian roots kicked in.

What would people think?

Show off!

Even if I could afford it, would I be comfortable in it?

After all, I am a working man. I am not Neil Patel!

Neil Patel, you ask?

Yes, Neil Patel whose blog posts inspired me to write this piece.

There were two posts. One was titled “How spending $162,301.42 on clothes made me $692,500.” The second one had an even more enticing title – “How Ferrari made me a million bucks!”

Typically I would ignore such posts with a “Yeah, right!” kind of disdain.

But Neil is accomplished.

He gets mentioned by Forbes Magazine and Wall Street Journal. He is an influential Marketer. At one point, he was recognized as one of the “Top 100” entrepreneurs under the age of 30, by none other than President Obama!

So I read both the posts.

The concept behind the posts is “Lifestyle Marketing,” a new trend.

Through various examples, Neil goes on to demonstrate how he has been successfully using lifestyle marketing. He identifies expensive pieces of clothing, watches, and cars that he acquired, or used, drawing a direct correlation between his expensive trappings and improved close rate for his business.

He goes on to conclude by stating “The sad reality is people judge you based on what they see instead of your intellect.”

Sad indeed!

My initial skepticism gives way to doubt.

Is lifestyle marketing more for the entrepreneur? Or, does it apply to regular sales and marketing folks like you and me?

I think of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

I wonder if they ever had to wear bespoke suits and Patek Philippe watches before they transitioned to comfortable jeans and hoodies.

Perhaps they are exceptions. Or, maybe looks don’t matter when your wealth surpasses a billion dollars!

As I pulled up in my Prius at the squash club my friend Jay asked “So, you wimped out on the Tesla?”

My wife’s words rang in my ear “If you are going green, go Tesla!”

She may have been right, once again!

So, do you really believe that lifestyle marketing can make a difference for your business?