Customers Want Bonus Materials

Futurelab's blog has a cool post on the "Anatomy of the New Creative Mind":

With consumer behavior evolving toward a more empowered status—the definition of creativity has shifted...Individuals possessing this “New Creative Mindset” blend Analytical, Expressive, Curious and Sensual qualities into their thinking process.

So logical thinking blends with creative problem solving.  Let's try it.

Problem:   You have a good to great product, but so do a lot of other companies - how can you stand out?

Analysis:  Yesterday I saw this article in the New York Times on the decline in DVD sales and that got me to thinking how DVDs have changed customer expectations.  Customers want, expect, demand bonus materials.  It's not enough to see a movie anymore.  We want to know what the director was thinking during this scene, or how the actors got along on set, or what was taken out and why.   

Curiosity:  I started looking around and seeing what people were saying about DVD extras.  Lots of disappointment if there weren't any.  And then this from Jeremy Charette at Digital Media Thoughts quoting Bryan Singer, Director of Superman Returns:

"I think we're going to something called 'The In-Movie Experience' where you'll be able to be watching the movie and then instantly go to making-of footage. It's sort of the next evolution in running commentaries. Instead of just hearing the filmmakers or the actors talk over the scenes you'll be able to leap in and experience the making of the scenes and experience what we call 'B Roll.' "

Charette goes on to say he's glad moviemakers consider these extras as they're making the film, and not as afterthoughts - because to fans they've become almost as important as the original movie.

Expressive: What if you took this idea of bonus material and applied it to other products?  Say you have a new phone or new car coming to market.  Why can't you, as part of the what the customer buys, (or even before the customer buys) give them all the same bonus material that DVDs give?  So from conception to production, give them the story of the product.  Give them deleted scenes (the rejected designs) - tell them why you chose one color over another, tell them problems you encountered and how you solved them, let the designers, engineers, marketers each tell their story about this product.  Now that's advertising I would choose to watch. 

This of course would mean a lot of change at a lot of companies.  The marketing/advertising dollars would be diverted to be able to do this.  The product development folks would have to be aware that the whole process will be revealed - with all its flaws.  But what you get are true stories, real stories of real people behind the products we buy.

Sensual:  So you want to satisfy all the senses.  So if you make cars, give potential customers a sample of the cloth used in the seat.  Let the designer tell you why he chose that cloth, what is it about that particular textile that moved him/her.  Give your customers or potential customers an experience when you launch the product.  If you have a phone you believe in (like Motorola did with Razr) - then don't introduce it they way you always have - show how much you care. 

So there you have it - Picasso said "Good artists borrow, great artists steal" - so why not steal the idea of DVD extras and make that an integral part of your product?  Customers will love you for it, and so will I.

 

Comments

[Liz]

Interesting post!