Knafs Lander 5 Case Study. Budget knives need love, too.
The backstory…
I recently had a brief economics lesson with a couple of my kids who are starting their own businesses. The lesson, for the most part, revolved around pricing and hitting certain dollar values so they can cater to various demographics & points of sale.
For this lesson in economics and products, I used my friends over at Knafs as my main “case study” for this discussion. I was, actually, in the midst of finishing up a photoshoot for the Knafs Lander 5 Pocket Knife, which hits the lower end of Knafs’ pricing tiers. So, the conversation basically built itself.
Balancing budget-friendly and high-end Products Together
I showed my kids the Knafs product line and talked through the differences between the budget-friendly Lander 5 Pocket Knife ($29.99) and the high-end Lulu Fixed Blade ($229.99) (both are shown above). I explained to them that both knives are fantastic, in their own right. They’re both built with a specific purpose and demographic in mind. The materials also reflect their price points. And, both designs have a lot of love poured into them by their designer.
At this point, you might be asking the question… “Why am I talking to you about this?”
…And I’m glad you asked!
The price point of the Knafs Lander 5 directly impacted the photoshoot I put together with Knafs, and I think it’s a fun story to share with you.
Budget-friendly knives need love, too!
A few main considerations went into this photoshoot, and I’m stoked to give you a peek behind that curtain today...
Budget:
- This is not a $100+ knife. And it is not, technically, a new release for the brand either. Meaning, Knafs already had some existing photo assets for the knife. So, we kept the number of photos lower for this photoshoot.
- Sticking to a budget doesn’t mean that this product isn’t as important as their more expensive products. It simply means that the photoshoot needed to remain economical and lean, while still producing incredible photos that feel right at home alongside the other higher-end knife photos we’ve previously shot.Demographic and accessibility:
- See, I told you in the beginning, this was a lesson in economics and demographics with my kids…
As I was coming up with the creative direction for this photoshoot, I kept “demographic” at the front of my mind for the Knafs Lander 5. I kept things super simple for the props: A simple pair of black jeans and a buffalo plaid button-down were the main props here (as well as a super cool soda crate that lives in my studio). All of this was intentional.
- If the knife was $100+, we could get away with tossing some additional high-end EDC Gear into the photo frame. But this is a knife that will find its home with Boy Scouts. Or with folks who, quite simply, want a solid pocket knife to “cut stuff with”.
- Props often convey the accessibility of your product when people see it. If I were to prop the photo frame of this $29.99 knife against $1,000 worth of other pocket jewelry, it would look out of place and feel unattainable for certain people.Keep the quality high, no matter the budget or demographic:
- As I mentioned earlier. I wanted these photos to look right at home with Knafs other high-end products. So, while I kept the props and set designs simple, I still achieved a high-end look that I hope will shock customers when they see the price tag of the product itself!
- Photo quality never gets sacrificed when any of my clients receive an Awaken Outdoors Photoshoot. No matter if it’s your most affordable or most expensive product.
