You Decide: Staying a Drug Dealer or Become a Caring Brother
Listen to the audio version here
Marketing's job is to create, promote, and market an offering that customers want. They want things that solve some kind of problem in the broadest sense. The customer has the free will to choose. Some argue that it is a problem that their free will is to live on junk food, waste time on Netflix, and treat health symptoms rather than the root cause of illness. Sure, it's not up to us as marketers to judge people's free will. But is it up to us to decide whether we should remain a "drug dealer" or become a caring brother to our customers? What does this then mean for marketing and success?
A society that allows free markets is a true blessing. It gives freedom and creates material wealth and opportunity for many people. It is based on the autonomy and free will of consumers. Their choices determine what companies will make. That is a fundamentally democratic quality.
I had this moment while listening to a presentation by a global confectionery brand at the last ESOMAR conference. The speaker was explaining what sensations would lead customers to consume more and more of their products (which health experts would never recommend touching).
We live in an age of customer centricity. Everything we do as a business should be customer obsessed. But what does that mean? Sell and promote everything that is legal? Because the ultimate truth is what the customer pays for?
Last week I received a friendly email from a partner agency. "Hey Frank, unfortunately we have not sold your Supra Price Optimizer yet. Our clients prefer what they know. The Van-Westendorp (PSM) looks so scientific. Customers just love it."
This professional is truly customer-centric. He sells what customers want: PSM.
Fact is that PSM is neither empirically validated nor does it provide any logic that could lead to optimal pricing. It may be useful to learn a reasonable price range. But no more than that. It is objectively flawed.
Customer centricity does not always lead to a solution that is best for the customer. It only sells what customers want, not what they need.
Okay, there's free will. But let me make a provocative statement: As an agency, you have a choice: be a "drug dealer" or a caring brother.
“Customer centricity only sells what customers want, not what they need.”
As a corporate marketing or insights team, you also offer a product to internal customers. And you also have a choice: be a "drug dealer" or a caring brother.
But the issue is not that simple.
I recently met a business development director who works for a global fast-food chain. I asked her how she derived meaning from her job - meaning from selling products that cause more serious health problems the more you consume them. She was relaxed. Nobody is telling customers to eat a lot of it, and a "little sin" is what we all need now and then.
Again, it is not up to us as marketers to be moral and blame customers for their choices. But we can choose which choices we want to help customers make.
“We can choose which choices we want to help customers make.”
But what is a good choice? Can anyone answer that question objectively?
Ask yourself for a minute: "What does your customer REALLY want? As a "caring brother", what would be good for the customer?
As I delved deeper into this question, I found some interesting guiding principles.
This is GOOD and this is BAD for customers
I do not know about you, but for me, going hiking with my family feels like a good thing. It makes me feel healthy, it is beautiful to be surrounded by nature, and I enjoy some relaxed quality time in the company of loved ones. The activity serves needs that are good for our health, experiencing beauty, and companionship.
The rule of thumb for "good needs" is very simple: if the more you get of it, still provides you with value and no side effects, its good. It goes back to Plato that people should always be guided by truth, beauty and goodness.
TRUE: True is something objective, true is everything that serves survival. In terms of needs, it is whatever helps people to be physically healthy, mentally healthy, and safe.
BEAUTIFUL: This is inner truth. When something is beautiful, it creates the feeling of inner truth. This can sometimes be felt as bliss. But beauty should not be confused with excitement. I will come back to that.
GOODNESS: It refers to something that is true and useful to the community. These are the Need to "do good for others" and "enjoy connecting with other people.
“People should always be guided by truth, beauty and goodness” PLATO.
I also like (and demand) "normal" things. I love being in the front of the stage at Metallica and watching a good movie. I like sweaty treats from Merlet - the French bakery around the corner. I love craft beer, whiskey and a glass of red wine.
It is human to want all of these things.
But none of it is what I really need. Worse, the more we get these "needs," the more we become addicted to them. The dopamine rush it creates is nothing more than a drug dose. It IS addictive.
At ESOMAR we had an intense discussion in the hotel bar about whether it is good for you to consume news media. One of my esteemed discussion partners said “I agree that watching news has little to no practical use and is actually harmful”, but “I cannot live without it. I am kind of addicted. I looove to watch it”.
Here we go…
What's wrong with addiction? It limits your free will and leaves you less time to serve the needs that really serve you (the true, beautiful and good things).
There are other things besides the dopamine shot that we don't need but that we desperately want:
Prestigious (Related to the "deadly sin" of pride and egomania): I feel important when I give a keynote or sign one of my books. I feel superior when I drive a Porsche and have the latest iPhone. This is what we want, but not necessarily what we need. It is no big deal to indulge a few ego moments, but it is also addictive. You run the risk of investing in things that will turn out to be pointless.
Easy & convenient (Associated with the "deadly sin" of sloth and laziness): We all want things to be easier. We drive cars and electric bikes, we have computers and use Paypal. It is easier. Compared to 100 years ago, our lives have become incredibly easy. Have we become an inch happier? Science says no: No! What's wrong with ease? I wrote a whole article about it (https://10xinsights.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-easy-to-your-business-580). The more we avoid doing things, the less we build skills. Unused bodies get fat and sick. Unused minds become dull. Ease is counterproductive to real needs - to stay and get physically and mentally healthy.
Arousal (Associated with the "deadly sin" of lust): Worldwide, data suggest that 87% of men and 29% of women watch porn on a weekly basis. What's wrong with that? It's the same as excitement, prestige, and the chase after ease-it's addictive, it limits your free will, and it reduces the likelihood that you'll pursue real needs that are good for you.
Cheaper (Related to the "deadly sin" of greed): We all have a limited budget, so we appreciate when we can get things cheaper. So, do you use the saved money to donate or to fulfil some other good need? Typically, we spend it to buy more things that make our lives easier, more exciting, or more prestigious. There is nothing wrong with that. It is your free will. But is it good for you?
This article is not about telling you what to do or telling you not to live a sinful life. This article is about business: in marketing and marketing insights, we design, promote, and market offerings that sell. All marketing strategies, tactics and technologies are based on one assumption: SERVE a latent demand. Sell what people want. What they want is exciting, convenient, prestigious, or cheap.
Your choice is: "Stay a drug dealer or become a caring brother."
Some say that change must be initiated by the people. If the problem is big enough, they will stand up and demand the good stuff. That's fair, and I'm not arguing against that view.
I am just trying to bring transparency to what is going on. So that YOU can decide what YOU want to do.
Let us look around. In my neighborhood, most people probably afford a personal trainer, and using one would objectively improve their lives. But they have other priorities in their lives. They need to finance a big Mercedes Benz car they drive although they could use a bike (here in Cologne all is close). Compared to the latent demand, the demand for physical trainers is very low. If Personal Trainers would run traditional marketing campaigns it would not change that.
How you help getting customers off the needle
Products that do not offer excitement, convenience, prestige or lower prices have a hard time. Like the fitness, health, or mental coaching that most of us need. They are not convenient, cheap or overly exciting. It requires persuasion and a change of mindset. Can marketing do that?
Certainly, you will need to find a subset of people where the odds are higher. These are early adopters and people who are at a point in their life journey where they just need the right nudges.
But even then, "persuasion" is a tough game. Political parties try. But their approach is only useful to activate existing supporters.
To really help people overcome destructive mindsets, you need a few things: Avoid the goal of changing people's minds. Think of yourself as someone who offers an alternative perspective. "You can show the horses the watering can, but whether they drink is up to them."
I have been tinkering with this idea and researching it for a while. This three step approach is a framework for argumentation that you can use:
Affirmation: Show understanding and respect for the actual (dysfunctional) belief.
Story: Share a real story of how someone with an opposite approach succeeded
Close: Ask a thought-provoking question that gets the person thinking and finding the answer for themselves. Do not frame it as a rhetorical question.
Hey, lets try this on a couple of examples:
A health coaching program - it requires hard work, will not give instant results, and will cost much more than a gym:
“We all wonder: isn't there an easy, fast and low-cost way to get fit and healthy? We all want a magic pill an easy hack. How often did you found one in life?
My client Frank wrote in his review: "I learned to love the process and not look at the results first. At 51, my biological age has dropped to 35. I feel stronger, healthier and better equipped to age happily".
What would you pay to feel great every day? Are you able to act if you would know you can avoid developing diseases of civilization?
Lets do it for Supra Causal AI applications -
In marketing, we need insight solutions that are easy to understand to effectively socialize insights? Advanced analytics always raises questions and its harder to defend them in front of leadership teams
David Feick, when he was Head of Insights at T-Mobile, communicated the results of Supra Causal AI in a very simplified way. The impact surprised him as well. It led to the development of the "Uncarrier Move" strategy, which took the brand from being a small loss-maker to being not only on par with AT&T and Verizon, but highly profitable.
Is it always good enough to apply simpler insights methods? Is it impossible that quality of insights and making results accessible can go hand in hand? Whats your belief: Is it your job to deliver the insights the leadership team wants or to deliver what it needs?
What’s your impression? Would that make prospect think? Which other things would you suggest doing? Let me know!
From Customer Centricity to Customer Leadership
The customer is king. But he is human. No one is perfect. Too often, "Mr. King" goes for the easy, the dopamine rush, and the thing that feeds his ego instead of making him sustainably happy, healthy, and fulfilled.
Henry Ford once said, "People don't know what they want. If I had asked them, they would have said - faster horses.” We should add: People not only don't know what they want, they want what they don't need.
Being customer centric means neglecting this. Customer centricity creates drug dealers.
The idea of "customer leadership" instead takes a decision not to deal or support drugs. It takes a decision to act as a big caring brother. It is up to the customers to accept this leadership.
Surely, companies that don't find customers to buy their stuff will die. "Customer leaders” who spend a fortune trying to win customers will also fail.
This is the challenge: Find the niche to begin with. Expand that niche by finding ways to nudge people on the fence. Customer leadership focuses on the margins, not the core, of target customers.
“Customer leadership focuses on the margins, not the core of target customers.”
This challenge is very different from conventional marketing, which "just" taps into an existing need. Conventional marketing is also hard, as we know. It is hard because other brands are doing the same thing and are selling the same drugs.
In this sense, marketing inspired by the idea of "customer leadership" is NOT necessarily more difficult. Why is that? It is truly different, distinctive and authentic by design. This will help such a brand attract not only great customers, but also great loyal employees. It is not more difficult but it takes a different science and art to convert customer with an active demand vs. those with an inactive demand.
This article can only be a food for thought, an inspiration. There is so much to discuss. But my intuition tells me that customer leadership will thrive in the future. Other related trends are around us on purposeful brands are just precursors.
Again, not only the brand you work for, but also your marketing or insights team is offering a product. It's up to you whether you want to lead your customers or just give them the medicine they want.
As an insights professional, you probably know better how to get the insights that drive long-term business success than your internal customers.
Take the lead. Dare to be different and authentic. Like picking the right stocks to invest in. Short-term there is little difference. Over the long-term you’ll see...
THIS is how you 10x your impact