6: Product Emotion Strategy
Products evoke emotions. Your choice is limited to whether you wish this to happen in an uncontrolled and random manner, or a controlled and intentional manner (EN: which is a bit arrogant - you can attempt to influence them, but cannot "control" them.)
The goal of a product emotion strategy is to evoke positive emotional responses that are supportive of the product, yet differentiated from your competition. Such a strategy enables the brand stewards to be proactive and forward-looking, rather than merely reacting to whatever happens to come up.
The author suggests a three-step approach:
- Determine which emotions are appropriate for the product.
- Develop a strategy that suggests how those emotional responses can be elicited.
- Translate the strategy into actionable initiatives.
This may also involve considering whether the emotion is specific to one product, to a line of products, or to the firm itself. (EN: and likely, customers are not the only audience at the level of the firm - but it's worth considering when the effort impacts no only customers but also employees, candidates, suppliers, regulators, the media, the general public, etc.)
Product Emotions
There are a vast array of emotions that can be considered relevant to products and brands, and it is necessary first to consider which might be applicable to a specific product and brand. It must be a small enough set to be usable, and differentiated enough to be unique to your brand.
A company may consider which emotions are most appropriate to their existing brands, but this approach can also be used when a new brand is under development: to consider, even before the product is fully defined, what emotions should be associated to it, and to use those emotions as a guide, such that they are built in from the beginning rather than layered on in arrears.
The author has put together a list of 130 descriptive terms that describe emotional responses. On one hand it seems like quite a lot, but given the range of human emotion it is likely rather few. While it may not be comprehensive, it should be serviceable as a starting point.
(EN: I won't preserve the entire list - not only would that be tedious, but the list seems a bit slapdash and includes many phrases or terms that don't seem to be emotional states. Likely a look at a psychology text could yield a more extensive and appropriate list for brainstorming purposes)
He also suggests that you can ignore negative emotional states because people don't generally tend to seek out products that create bad feelings. One possible exception might be appealing to teens who relish negative emotions associated with rebelliousness - but it's suggested that even in that state, an individual is seeking a positive outcome (usually independence).
There is also the notion of contrasting the positive emotions associated against their opposites, which are expressed in terms of a problem they are seeking to solve (or a situation they wish to avoid), which is quite common in the language of advertising messages.
Crafting a Product Emotion Strategy
The experience of using a product evokes a specific set of emotions by virtue of the situation in which it is used and the outcome that is achieved. Companies that fail to recognize this risk creating a product that is contradictory to these emotions. Companies that recognize it to some degree may accommodate the emotions people feel when using any product in that situation. Companies that recognize it fully seek to associate specific emotions to their brand.
The emotions that can be most successfully associated to a product must arise from, or be compatible with, the goals, incentives, and emotional desires of the customer in the context of the fulfillment of the need, to which end the product is purchased and used.
It's suggested that customers may feel a vast array of emotions in a given situation - your product cannot possibly associate to them all, which is the reason firms specialize their products to specific market segments (or where segments of customers arise on their own) by appealing to their specific emotions. The driver who most wishes to feel powerful, the one who most wishes to feel safe, and the one who most wishes to feel responsible gravitate toward different products that serve the same functional need, but address different emotional ones.
The author briefly mentions the assumption on the part of many insiders that they know their customers' needs and desires without having to ask. Those with close customer contact, such as salesmen and front-line service personnel, may indeed have enough contact with customers to claim to observe their behavior - but observing behavior is not the same as understanding motivations.
Further, even surveying customers may not be the most effective way to assess emotions. Even people who are willing to speak candidly about their emotions often lack the vocabulary to accurately describe their own emotional states. The author suggests that trained professionals observing behavior may infer what the emotions of a person may be, but even this is dodgy and based on psychological theory that is not scientifically sound.
(EN: At this point, the author has deconstructed his own argument and begins to flounder. The remainder of the section seems random and oblique to the topic, so I'm skipping it. Ultimately, I think it can be observed that the reason firms do not consider emotion is because there is not really a good basis for considering it, even if they wanted to, and what's left is sloppy and unsound theory, which is not a good basis for strategy.)
A Planning Tool: Emotional Map
The author suggests a tool of his own devising - a survey instrument in which customers are asked to identify the emotions they feel about a given brand on a seven point scale between two opposing emotions (secure and vulnerable, embarrassed and proud, etc.).
He asserts that this can help determine the emotions about a product at a given time, can be used repeatedly over time to gauge changes in emotion, and can be used comparatively between products.
(EN: This seems weak, as survey respondents are likely describing how they imagine they might feel, or a vague memory of how they felt at some time in the past, and lack the ability to describe their own emotions accurately and candidly. I don't think it's horrible, but it is more a measurement of thoughts rather than feelings - how I think I might feel, tainted by how I think I should feel, rather than how I actually feel. This may be better than nothing at all, but it's still not accurate or scientific, and I sense some danger in relying on it.)
Case Study: The Lone Star Truck
The author returns to an earlier case study - the Lone Star truck. Even before considering emption, it was clear to the company that it needed to build a truck that suited the needs and desires of the driver. The had also done studies of their brand that suggested there was little enthusiasm - they were regarded as an earnest and honorable firm that was "dull and boring like a pair of old brown shoes." With this in mind it wasn't enough to improve their product, as the market was poised to greet anything under their brand with a resounding yawn.
To maximize the impact of the new product launch, the firm had to rekindle interest in the brand. The author suggests that the firm analyzed customer perceptions of itself, along with perceptions about the competition, using the author's emotional mapping tool, to identify where they stood, and where the needed to be.
What they found was that truckers had an emotional relationship with their trucks: they needed to have the sense of a safe, reliable workhorse, but also wanted to feel a sense of power, pride, and independence. While the company's existing products satisfied the first set of needs, they did nothing to serve the second.
This is largely the reason that, in addition to functional improvements, the Lone Star brand was launched with a dramatic design, making a drab working vehicle seem dramatic and distinct in comparison to competitors' models that were serviceable, but not visually appealing. While style seems only skin-deep, the additional features that made the line more suitable for long-haul drivers reinforced the perception that this brand was designed for proud working professionals, to drive any other brand made them "an insignificant person in a generic truck."
Case Study: Design Advance Systems
This case study focuses on a technology product sold business-to-business. Design Advance was a start-up firm created to create software for designing circuit boards for electronic devices. Their application provided enhanced drag-and-drop capabilities for designing boards, significantly reducing the amount of time (six weeks or longer) it took engineers to develop diagrams.
The author presents his emotional map for the desired impression the firm wanted customers to have: they should feel smart, enabled, powerful, collaborative, efficient, and distinct. This was a challenge in creating software that effectively "dumbed down" the task of designing circuit boards and, ultimately, engineers who evaluated the software might regard it as being too toyish to be used for serious work.
The author is vague about exactly what they did with this information, except to change corporate messaging toward the "emotion" of intelligence and targeting engineering managers, rather than executives, with its marketing. This led to increased interest in their product by engineers, better adoption, and more sales.
Case Study: Red Zone Robotics
Red Zone robotics was another small firm that had a specialized niche: they developed robots that would map, inspect, and repair sewers. It was an area than seemed ripe for robotics because it is an essentially dangerous and disgusting task, and sending a human diver into the system required shutting down part of the sewer system. Their solution included robots that could enter, inspect, and even perform maintenance tasks (such as removing sediment buildup or debris) without shutting down the system.
The company began with a service model (hired by a city to perform a task) and wanted to switch to a hardware/software provider (selling their robots to the cities). City governments are particularly fickle customers, knowing there will be public scrutiny of their expenditures, and fearing public uproar over investing in experimental technology and eliminating jobs, however loathsome those jobs might be.
The author again breaks out his own emotion mapping tool, but in this case notes that there were two measurements: the emotions felt toward the technology and brand prior to engaging with them, and their emotions afterward.
Potential customers felt a sense of excitement at the newness and adventure of using a robotic system, but were cautious of being seen as wasteful and frivolous. Once they converted they were more interested in security and dependability. There was still some fear related to being seen as ineffective.
Naturally, this suggested to the firm the need to change the tone of interactions with customers before and after the purchase - and more importantly, to recognize using the emotions of their existing customers would lead them in the wrong direction in pursuing prospects.
An Actionable Strategy
Insight into the emotions that people have about a company give it the ability to take informed steps, rather than gut feel. Every product should connect to these emotions, and it should not be allowed to happen in an arbitrary or random way, but as the result of a careful analytical process. If done right, the agreement between expectations and outcomes will drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. If done wrong, it will undermine the very same.