06.02.07 jason oke leo burnett worldwide the customer isn’t always right the problem with research

some stories some advice

“ Let the consumer decide.”

what if people don’t actually know what they want ?

 you don’t really know what you like

“ I have never been more sure of a decision in my life” Roberto Goizueta Coca-Cola CEO New Coke Launch, 1985

“ I have never been more sure of a decision in my life”

Roberto Goizueta

Coca-Cola CEO

New Coke Launch, 1985

“ It is clear that consumers are not particularly good at judging taste… Consumer ability to discriminate and make consistent preferences is low, and lower than they believe it is.” “ The Sense and Nonsense of Consumer Product Testing” Priya Raghubir UC Berkeley

“ It is clear that consumers are not particularly good at judging taste…

Consumer ability to discriminate and make consistent preferences is low, and lower than they believe it is.”

“ The Sense and Nonsense of Consumer Product Testing”

Priya Raghubir

UC Berkeley

“ In spite of this lack of discrimination ability and preference consistency, consumers have a very high level of confidence in the evaluations and judgments that they make about product experience. ” “ The Sense and Nonsense of Consumer Product Testing” Priya Raghubir UC Berkeley

“ In spite of this lack of discrimination ability and preference consistency, consumers have a very high level of confidence in the evaluations and judgments that they make about product experience. ”

“ The Sense and Nonsense of Consumer Product Testing”

Priya Raghubir

UC Berkeley

our preferences are easily changed (and we don’t realize it)

the laugh track effect

what we like/want is not fixed it is often context-dependent

 you don’t know why you do things

we’re not good at explaining our behaviour

we’re not good at

explaining our behaviour

  making you think changes your answers

“ Too much analysis can confuse people about how they really feel . There are severe limits to what we can discover through self-reflection.” Timothy Wilson UVA New York Times, Dec 29 2005

“ Too much analysis can confuse people about how they really feel . There are severe limits to what we can discover through self-reflection.”

Timothy Wilson

UVA

making you think about a choice unconsciously changes your answer

making you think about a choice unconsciously changes

your answer

towards cautious safe familiar choices because they are easier to explain

towards

cautious

safe

familiar choices

because they are easier to explain

so we are often highly skeptical of new ideas the first time we see them

so we are often

highly skeptical of new ideas the first time we see them

“ I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? Why oh why would they do this?! It’s so wrong! It’s so stupid!” “ $400 for an Mp3 Player? It won’t sell, and be killed off in a short time… it’s not really functional. ” “ All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? Steve Job’s mind is starting to warp if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.” “ There are already two products similar to this on the market, which can come with a bigger HD. It is far from revolutionary. I am disappointed and think that apple is making a mistake by trying to get into this market.” “ ” Macrumors web forum, October 2001

“ I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? Why oh why would they do this?! It’s so wrong! It’s so stupid!”

“ $400 for an Mp3 Player? It won’t sell, and be killed off in a short time… it’s not really functional. ”

“ All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? Steve Job’s mind is starting to warp if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.”

“ There are already two products similar to this on the market, which can come with a bigger HD. It is far from revolutionary. I am disappointed and think that apple is making a mistake by trying to get into this market.”

“ Overcoming the desire to test everything under the sun is probably the greatest hurdle for any company seeking brand reinvention. You simply can't research your way to everything and here's why: Consumers prefer the familiar and can have a hard time accepting the unexpected… but consumers are not always right. ” Scott Bedbury ex-CMO Nike & Starbucks Advertising Age, May 1 2006

“ Overcoming the desire to test everything under the sun is probably the greatest hurdle for any company seeking brand reinvention. You simply can't research your way to everything and here's why: Consumers prefer the familiar and can have a hard time accepting the unexpected… but consumers are not always right. ”

Scott Bedbury

ex-CMO Nike & Starbucks

some thoughts on how to avoid all that

some thoughts on

how to avoid all that

 figure out what research is actually being used for

 figure out what research is actually being used for

fear of failure fear of blame inability to make decisions habit history support

fear of failure

fear of blame

inability to make decisions

habit

history

support

no one ever got fired for doing what their customers told them to do

no one ever got fired

for doing what their customers

told them to do

ask yourself what the research limitations are

ask yourself what the research limitations are

 accept that our brains are good at some things and bad at others

 accept that our brains are

good at some things

and bad at others

we are good at associating understanding

we are good at

associating

understanding

we are bad at describing what we like and why we do things

get beyond self-reported descriptions & explanations

observe people analyse usage data get people to tell stories

a taxonomy of explanations conventions codes technical accounts stories

conventions

codes

technical accounts

stories

“ One should never simplify or pretend to be sure of such simplicity where there is none. If things were simple, word would have gotten around .” Jacques Derrida

“ One should never simplify or pretend to be sure of such simplicity where there is none. If things were simple, word would have gotten around .”

Jacques Derrida

so, to sum up

so, to sum up

i’m not saying people lie i’m not saying don’t talk to people who use your product/service/site getting people involved is a good thing

i’m not saying people lie

i’m not saying don’t talk to people who use your product/service/site

getting people involved is a good thing

but first understand what you’re asking how to ask it why you’re asking it

but first understand

what you’re asking

how to ask it

why you’re asking it

and hang in there, baby

thanks. [email_address] http://lbtoronto.typepad.com