“Customers do not buy products; they seek to acquire benefits.” What is the reasoning behind this statement

Question

“Customers do not buy products; they seek to acquire benefits.” What is the reasoning behind this statement and what are its pitfalls?

Answer 1

It clarifies the importance of this "what is in it for the customer?"  The customer wants to know what is "in it" for them, that is why you see ads that show guys that drink certain beers having hot women around them... they are not just getting the product "the beer"  there is an unspoken benefit of having hot women surrounding them by drinking the beer too.

Answer 2

The reasoning behind the statement is that it acts as a blueprint for marketing.  You don't sell the product, you sell it's features and benefits.  The pitfall is you can manipulate products to sound like they carry more or greater benefits than they do.  For example, look at the new pepto bismol ads,  the whole song is based on symptoms and the conclusion is that pepto is the relief.  That's the benefit they're marketing.

Answer 3

You don't buy something for the product. You buy it so that you can get results. The pitfalls are that sometimes benefits aren't always a good thing.