Which brand best meets needs?
We are all customers. And, we’re all people. Sometimes in marketing, head down buried in analytics, chasing the new shiny object, or just adapting to the constant pace of innovation, we forget this. We (and our customers) are not homogeneous “segments” defined primarily by our past behavior. We are humans, with particular needs, at a particular moment in time, navigating our way through a marketplace to find ways to meet those needs. And looking for goods and services that make our lives easier and more fun.
The humans looking at your products online or on the shelf are individuals, their preferences shaped by who they are, where they are, and what they want or need at a moment in time. The more you think about them in this light, the more attractive your brand will become, and the more opportunity you have to create products, and put them in the right context for the people who will buy them.
I might be a wine drinker, but there are different places and different times when I want an easy “Thursday” Pinot Noir, and times I’ll search for the perfect Napa Cabernet. I don’t want them both from the same place or the same time. I’m the same consumer, but I have different needs at different times. Understand that and be where I need you and we have a deal.
Strategy+Business published a great piece on this here that is well worth the read.
Think about this in new-home marketing. How might we take the home and community to the customer, when and where they might want? Sure, they will get out to see it in person, but there are other times and maybe other places during the customer journey and buying cycle to reach people on this most important purchase they’ll make. Love the way the team at Walsh Ranch did exactly this, with their pop-up store in Sundance Square. See it here.
When it comes to retail, and the human experiences it creates and nurtures, it’s time to not just think outside the box. It’s time to build a new one.