Be The Consumer

I'm fond of saying, "In order to change someone's mind, you first have to know where they're mind is at right now." To me it's a fundamental basis that underlies all persuasion. As a marketer, you are required to get inside the mind of your consumer. That's the basis for countless focus groups, surveys and IDIs that are fielded each and every year. But here is a thought that has been rattling around my head for some time and few conversations of late have pushed it to this blog.

Can you really market a product to people if you aren't one of them? Can I sell you Vodka if I only drink Bourbon or worse, don't drink at all? Can I really get inside your head and heart if I'm not one of you but have tons of great research about you?

Lots of marketers would say no, you have to be the consumer to understand the consumer. Niche marketing agencies are fond of this argument. They'll tell you that research can't get you that kind of inner understanding. But then many others (general marketing agencies for instance) would counter that with the right research and a true desire to understand the underlying motivations of a consumer market that yes, in fact the marketer can get inside the consumer's head and thus create motivational messaging.

Both marketers could line up case study after case study proving their point. And in the end, both would be right. So what's my point here? Why do I think you should be the consumer?

Because while research can get you inside the mind and often the heart of the consumer and can help you understand what they are thinking and how they will respond to certain stimuli, it can't help you innovate.

Only a person that actually uses a product or service can figure out new uses for said service/product. And that, to me at least, is where the money is at... innovation.

But that's just my two cents. What do you think? How are you approaching this all to frequent challenge?

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