Portugal is well-known for its canned Sardinia and other sea foods such as shrimp, octopus, and so on. Under their own brands, many small businesses offer canned seafood. There are also a number of local grocery brands available. Prices typically run between €0.8 and €5 in local markets. If you live in Portugal, I'm sure you have a brand that you like and stick with. As a visitor to Porto or Lisbon, you've likely never heard of these brands.

At the city's most popular tourist spots, there are always souvenir shops. Magnets, post cards, and presents are popular purchases among tourists. When we were in Porto, we noticed that many of the tourist shops were selling canned Sardinia. We learned that, as a memento of their trips, visitors often purchase canned sardines.

We came across the following building and its mascot, an accordion player, while strolling along Porto's riverfront. The store seemed inviting and looked like it would be fun for us. As soon as we entered, the store's layout astounded us. "Mundo Fantástico das Conservas Portuguesas" was the name of the location.

Thousands of cans were neatly lined up against the walls, each one arranged in a row that corresponded to the year printed on the can's exterior. With its red carpet, circus-themed second floor, and band-themed mascots, the store had the appearance of a circus. You can view store photos to get a sense of the unique experience.

There were custom-made cans, various seafood cans, and special golden cans stored in a steel case. We found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the circus and a part of the action. It was at that moment that I exclaimed to my wife, "This is what marketing is, and we have to buy something to remember this experience!”

I requested a price. The cheapest can costs seven euros, which is seven times as much as the brand names found in grocery stores. If I wanted to get shrimp, salmon, or anything else, it might cost me 18 euros. For my birth year, I bought a can for myself and another for my wife’s birth year. I spent a fortune on a product that is actually only 1 euro. :)

Let’s discuss what I really bought.

• A canned Sardinia (1 euro)

• A unique sales experience and joy (2 euros)

• A story to tell to friends (2 euros)

• A memory from my Portugal trip. (2 euros)

• A marketing article (free)

Understanding a product's value proposition is essential for marketing it. This one-of-a-kind selling encounter is a product of nothing but marketing. Don't ever forget that the purpose of marketing is to increase the price of a product. I wrote it before: “Don’t be an idiot!”