On rituals

Posted on January 27, 2012 by pokin

Every Friday afternoon, I’d look forward to her arrival.  I didn’t know her name, but without fail she’d show up at my cubicle with her kit.

“Excuse me miss, can I get by?” she’d ask.

I’d scoot my chair over to let her in and stop whatever I was doing to watch her at work.

Taking a spray bottle from her kit, she’d first mist over my entire phone before taking out a cloth to wipe down every curve and corner.  Next, she would take out what looked like a long Q-Tip and repeat the process over the smaller crevasses, paying special attention to the earpiece and mouthpiece.   Finally, she would spray the phone again with a scented polish before buffing it with disposable circular disc not unlike those you see at airport security.  She’d then move on to the next cubicle.

And with that, I had a squeaky-clean-germ-free-nice-smelling phone.  Booyah!

(Did you know that office phones are among the dirtiest items in an office?  25,127 germs per square inch.   Side factoid for you.

So yes, maybe you should have a phone cleaning lady in your office too. 🙂 )

For me, watching the lady clean my phone was like watching her perform a ritual.

ritual /ˈriCHo͞oəl/
: a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Rituals happen everywhere.  Think about the steps you take before you go to bed.  Or the beginning of a hockey game as the players enter the rink and sing the anthem.  (Go Canucks Go!)

What’s beautiful about rituals is that it’s a series of regularly occurring steps that follow a specific routine, allowing you to build a sense of anticipation.  It’s the anticipation really that is so powerful.  In the right context, it can strongly trigger specific emotions and senses.

When I think of a brand that’s really done this well, I think of Kerastase.  For those who don’t know, Kerastase is a high end salon hair care line.  Their signature is a series of highly sensorial in-salon rituals.  Everything is controlled — sometimes even down to the room decor, the mood, the lighting and the chair you sit in.  The product used for each step in the ritual are sealed within small vials – to be opened at the right moment before being applied and massaged into your scalp following a specific technique.

Think about that.  They’ve basically managed to turn a process where you’re getting cream dumped on your head and some fingers being stuck in your hair and some product moved around your scalp into a highly anticipated luxurious experience that you pay muchos dineros for.

Or think Folgers with their tagline “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!”  What better mindspace can you occupy than being a necessary part (and best) part of a morning routine?

So fellow marketers, think about how you might work your product into a ritual!

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On things that are so bad they are good for you

Posted on January 26, 2012 by pokin

My mom made me take cod liver oil growing up.

I hated it.

I got it straight out of a bottle, so no gel capsule barrier for me.

Ewwwwness.

But then there are brands out there that position themselves specifically to be gross.

Take Buckley’s for instance.  Buckley’s is a Canadian cough syrup.  And their tagline is – “It tastes awful.  And it works.”

And that works.

Buckley’s went from a relatively low market share of 2% back in 1987 to a #1 position with a market share of 16% — ahead of brands like Tylenol, Benylin and Advil.  By taking an unconventional approach, Buckley occupied a very clear mindspace very distinct from other cough syrup brands.  It  perhaps also signals that all of the effort has gone towards product efficacy, not on taste.  Or kinda like the now iconic Craigslist that nobody’s been able to unseat.

And why does that work on us?

It seems that our perception on the food has a strong influence on how we think things should taste.  Consumers often have the expectation that healthy food should taste worse.  In a product labelling study, researchers discovered that adding “soy” as an ingredient made consumers believe a product would taste gritter and have a strong after taste, yet, the labelling the product with soy was necessary for the perception of health benefits.  This translates to other things too beyond food, and probably has a little bit to do with some expectation confirmation bias.  We expect things to be a certain way, and data that reinforces that worldview will resonate more with us.  Medicine works.  Most medicine is gross.  Buckleys tastes gross = it must work!

So think about how you might leverage that to your advantage.  Or, if your product goes against conventional expectations, how you might fight it.  (Pepsi Taste Challenge, anyone?)

 

Thanks to my friend Mike Buckley, no relation, for the stats on Buckleys 🙂

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On building effective contests

Posted on January 25, 2012 by pokin

In my past life as a starving university student, I was a contest entering pro.

Truly, I entered muchos contests.

Then, I found myself on the other side of the table creating contests partnerships for GeckoGo. Suddenly, I was offering a lot of contests. And very envious of our winners!

So what did I learn, having been on both sides?

1. Figure out your contest objective
Obvious, but critical. Are you trying to raise awareness of your brand? Build engagement? Identify super users? Reward your consumers?

In our case, we wanted to identify super users who would stay on and form our uber traveller community. So we chose a prize that would appeal to intrepid travellers, and built the contest entry terms around actually using our site. But if you’re going for reach, you might increase the chances of winning based on sharing. So decide what you want.

2. Make ’em work for it
If you make your contest too easy to enter, you’ll attract a large group of people outside of your intended audience. The second contest we did, all you needed to do was enter your name and email. Not only was the winner completely uncommitted to our site, she didn’t complete the requirements post contest (to blog) and never came back after the contest. Learning from that, every contest after, we included either a daily or weekly component, or rewarded our members for more frequent engagement with our site during the contest period. You weed out old-me this way. 🙂 Also, contests are a good way to build new routines and habits (like visiting your site regularly, or commenting and engaging with the community.)

What you saw on your GeckoGo profile during our contest.

3. But you need a sufficiently compelling prize
It’s great to make your consumers work, but they better be striving for something compelling. This doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Our travel writing contest was low value, but a lot of people participated for the recognition of getting published with our partners. But on the flip side, in another case, we gave away a dream trip to Africa. Speaking of prizes, consider the possibility of partnering with other companies for your prize. There’s no reason you should need to foot the whole bill for a contest, and better yet, there are cross promotional opportunities when you partner up!

4. One big prize or several smaller prizes?
Good question. On this I’ve found that the big prize has to be sufficiently compelling, but I also like to have a handful of smaller low value prizes that increase the perceived odds. I received as many heartfelt notes of thanks when I informed winners that they were getting a travel guide as I did when I called up about winning the grand prize.

6. It’s not over when the contest is over
There’s no reason the interaction needs to end once the prize has been awarded. Is the prize an experience, like at trip? Backstage passes? Include in the prize a requirement that the winner blogs or posts about his or her experience with this contest. It’s great content to share on your social media page, and also gives other consumers a taste of what they might win when you offer your next contest.

 

While we are talking about awesome prizes, I’ll let it be known that I’m happy to offer trial-run services on any trip prizes to make sure they are sufficiently compelling for users. Or if you are so lucky to win a sweet trip, I also make a great travelling sidekick! Anyone else sponsoring a $12K dream trip to the Galapagos? :p

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On selling a dream versus selling reality

Posted on January 24, 2012 by pokin

By all accounts it was a runaway success.

In 2004, Dove’s Real People campaign exploded onto public consciousness.  It was featured on Oprah, Salon Magazine, LA Times, and the Today Show to name a few media outlets.  The campaign won two Cannes Lion Grand Prix awards.  Millions and millions of people worldwide saw these ads and commented on them.

Yet none of this translated to sales in the long run.

Six years after Dove’s Real People Campaign kicked off, the facecare line was quietly discontinued in Canada.

Why didn’t it work?

Because people don’t want to be faced with reality.

Because people already know what they have now right now.

Because, despite feeling worse when looking at skinny women, ads with skinny models just sell more.

The beauty industry (and much of luxury) is about selling something aspirational.  By buying this product, you’re hoping in some way to get some sort of transformational benefit.  You and I might not look like Aishwarya Rai tomorrow (considered the most beautiful person in the world), but at least we want to buy into the belief that we’ll look better than we do now.

Ergo, if a product is promising consumers what they already see in themselves, then why on earth would they feel the need for your product?

Uh huh.  You’re welcome. 🙂

Think about it.  From which “person” would you want to buy into more?

I think a more effective campaign might have been a slight twist on real people.  Instead of showing just real people with their imperfections on display, perhaps showcase transformations of real people into something gorgeous.  The Real People Campaign could have raised consciousness, but then tap into our desire to dream by showing how much more gorgeous these real ladies can become.  Think about the popularity of makeover shows.  Or The Biggest Loser (yes, I <3 this show. 🙂 )

So next time you think about showing the imperfect truth, consider if that’s what your consumer really wants.

p.s. Yes, I sometimes wish I looked like these ladies.  But I’ll trade for being +2″ in taller.  Scrap all that, I trade it all for a business startup idea that I feel passionate about again and stick to my current imperfect self. 🙂

 

Thanks Vanessa and Patrick for the original conversation that sparked this post. 🙂

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On creativity

Posted on January 23, 2012 by pokin

Earlier this morning (from ~2:00am – 5:24am to be precise), my new neighbour of 3 days graciously assisted me with my ongoing insomnia by having a house party where she managed to cram  something akin to a small village into her itty bitty student studio.

As I laid in bed feeling all cranky, I lamented that I couldn’t even write a blog post about it.

Then I realized – well, self.  If you can’t think of a blog post, it’s because you’re just not being creative enough.

And there it was.

Lots of times you need to challenge yourself to be creative in order to solve problems.

A lot of what I wrote on Friday about making things happen applies, but here are other ideas around how to be creative:

  • Early hours are your most creative time. (Like when you are at your groggiest.)   Or not.  Other studies think it’s 10pm.  Probably depends on if you are an early morning person or a night owl.  If you’re not feeling inspired about something, it’s worth trying it at a time when you wouldn’t normally work on it.
  • Try random associations between objects and words.  Quick, what’s the relationship between crazy glue and a goatee?  Bacon and jellyfish?  A hipster and a nun?  You’ll be a surprised how easy those connections come with practice, which makes bridging other connections more likely too.
  • Do something different.  Take a new route to work.  Pick up a new hobby.  Or do something really out there like sell all your possessions and move to Papua New Guinea.  Hello leeches!  Heeellllloooo new perspective!
  • Do something really embarrassing or stupid.  Like stand in a busy intersection and yell out the time to all the passerbys.  In French.  Ok, so I haven’t tried this one yet — but mark my words, I shall!  Once you challenge your inhibitions on what’s absurd and what’s not, other “previously impossible” problems may get solved.
  • Semi-occupy yourself – for example through vigorous exercise.  By distracting your linearly bent left brain with physical movement, you free your right brain to develop creative solutions.  Plus regular exercise has been proven to create new neurons.  Now who has the biggest brain? :p  Don’t go overboard though.  You don’t want to be too exhausted from exercise to think.
  • Sleep on it.  Beyond restorative powers, the time during REM sleep is when your brain best establishes associative pathways between different concepts and thoughts.  Afternoon naps are great for that too.  I’m a fan.

And on that note, dear neighbour – if you’re reading my blog, I’d like to focus on the last option tonight, thank you kindly. 🙂

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On thanking those who complain about you

Posted on January 22, 2012 by pokin

“How long do you think we’ve been waiting for our burgers?”

It’s one cold Sunday morning and I’m making small talk to kill time as I’m feeling something between ravenous and innards-being-digested ravenous.

“If we’re having this discussion, it’s far too long,” responds my friend.

As minutes turned into trop minutes to an hour, our conversation centres on all the choice words we plan to share about the insanely slow service.

Yet the moment our food arrives, we begin eating, and eventually leave, not a word said to the waitress or the establishment.

But we both knew we would never return.

Most people who are dissatisfied do not complain.  In fact, depending on the source, between 60-98% of dissatisfied humans do not complain.

And for those who do, sadly, only about  1/2 of all complaints are resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.  This is known as failure escalation.  Best case, the customer shrugs off their experience as a fluke.  Worst case you find yourself featured by sites like this.

Interestingly, if you respond well to a vocal complainer, their loyalty to you increases.  These former complainers often become your best evangelists.  Customers who complain and were satisfactorily helped had an 8% increase in loyalty versus those who never had a problem with you.

So rather than treat these people like nuisances, feel warm fuzzy about one.  Maybe hug a complainer or two.  In any case don’t ignore them or lash back at them!

Having said all this, I guess I’d better get to my long backlog of unanswered developer [Question] emails.  Doh!

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On just making it happen

Posted on January 20, 2012 by pokin

Ok, so I’ve done my fair share of failing. 🙂

In fact, you could argue I’m in the midst of working through a few of them right now, both business and personal.

Oftentimes you won’t have the right answer to a problem.  In fact, you might not have any answer at all to a problem.

So what do you do in those cases?  Here’s what I’m telling myself:

  • Inertia due to fear is often the biggest cause of unhappiness –– both from being consumed by the thing that’s scaring you, and by preventing yourself from doing all the things you’d get to if you weren’t scared.  So just get moving.
  • Grand epiphanies don’t happen often.  Small revelations and discoveries do.  Naturally.  When you don’t force it.
  • You might not know the answer.  But people you know might.  Or friends of friends.  Letting people know that you’re working on whatever you’re working on and possibly asking for help is a good way to bounce ideas and possibly stumble on aid or the right solution.
  • People don’t bite.  Cold outreach has actually worked.  Hey it got us a partnership with Bradt Travel Guides.  I’ve also had numerous coffee meetings with awesome people who have become friends as a result.
  • The big picture can just be too overwhelming.  Speculation never finished the job.  Figure out what small thing you can do today, focus on the present, and just do that.
  • Distract yourself.  Sometimes trying too hard is the thing preventing the breakthrough from happening.  Take a walk.   Write some music.  Do something else you enjoy.  But don’t procrastinate too long. 😉

Which means back to work for me!

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On the persuasiveness of paedomorphism

Posted on January 19, 2012 by pokin

Context first –

paedomorphism /-ˌfiz-əm/
: retention in an adult infantile or juvenile characteristics.

Ok, I admit it. Red pandas are pretty cute.

Ever wonder why most of us think so? (Fact, given it’s #8 on the top 500 cutest animals list. :p )

There’s an evolutionary reason for that.

Did you realize that universally, males find females who have more child-like features generally more attractive too?

That’s a fact too. And it doesn’t make you a pedophiliac either. Child-like features (big eyes, broadened, flattened faces, proportionally shorter limbs) is a signal for youthfulness (and presumed higher fertility). And from a mating perspective you will be more attracted to any kind of signal of good mating potential. This appeal translates beyond other humans and onto products and objects.

So we are predisposed to liking cute things. Angry Birds, most basically all Japanese characters, certain Olympic mascots, to name a few.

All images copyrighted by the respective owners.

Nature made us this way. So milk it for what it’s worth. Inject some cuteness into your product. Cuteness sells.

Right, of course unless you’re a serious scientific brand. Then don’t do that.


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On how much scents makes sense and cents

Posted on January 18, 2012 by pokin

There’s just no way you would ever walk past this store without feeling like you were punched in the face with fragrance.

That’s Lush, and I’m a fan. But then, I’m female. 🙂

But actually, the use of fragrance in marketing is way more common than you might think.

For instance, did you know?

  • Grocery stores will pump fragrances like pink grapefruit, bacon,  foccaccia and chocolate into their different aisles. And it can boost sales by 7-8%
  • Casinos want you to stay energized and enthusiastic so you can gamble the night away. And yep a mix of fragrances – perhaps containing lemon, jasmine or eucalyptus can help with that
  • An upscale hotel in the heart of a busy city might use a mix of white tea, green tea and lemongrass notes to relax you, and conjure up the feeling of being in an oasis
  • A shoe store using the smell of leather and wood to create a sense (:p) of nostalgia doubled their sales compared to other locations.
  • The smell of popcorn is used in amusement parks and movie theatres to get you in a snacking mood
  • The smell of freshly brewed coffee at a gas station gets you to linger beyond just paying for your gas

Given that of all our senses, the sense of smell is actually the most powerful, emotional, and the longest lingering, the use of scents makes a lot of cents. 🙂

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On the frustration of microwave design

Posted on January 17, 2012 by pokin

Every time I use a new microwave, I get a little irritated.

No two microwaves ever seem to function the same way.

Sometimes, you punch in the time before you hit start. Others, it’s the heat setting first and then who knows what magic combo. A third might require you to incrementally hit additional minutes and seconds while the fourth will use some sort of dial.

The inconsistency inevitably means a new learning curve with each microwave. And anytime there’s a delay in food making it into my mouth, I’m cranky.

While elevators can be equally inconsistent for denoting the ground floor – is it L? 1? G?, at least someone had the foresight to add a * beside the button for ground floor so there’s a modicum of predictability. Thank you, elevator designers.

It occurs to me too that there are far too many buttons and far too many options on the average microwave.

When’s the last time you changed the power level? If you’re like me, the whole reason you’re microwaving is that you’re already hungry. I’m not going to volunteer to take twice as long and microwave at 1/2 speed. And have you ever used the “casserole” button? Yeah, I didn’t think so. 🙂

Part of the popularity of Apple products is simplicity in design.

I think microwaves can take a page from their book. Let’s do some plagarising.

What if we took this microwave –

And instead, put an ipod style wheel on it?

Start, stop (reset), dialing to set cooking time and setting the clock is about all I need. Four things. Seriously, given that most things can be microwaved in 3 minutes or less, it should not take me 3 mins to figure out how to use any microwave.

There. I feel better already.

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