by Michael Eckersley, PhD HumanCentered Design Management Review, Summer 2004

1. DMI
DESIGN MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
ARTICLE REPRINT
Design
Management
Review
Joining People and Brands
Michael Eckersley, Principal, HumanCentered
William O’Connor, President, Source/Inc.
Reprint #04153ECK60
This article was first published in Design Management Review Vol. 15 No. 3
Copyright © Summer 2004 by the Design Management Institute . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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2. MARKETING
Joining People & Brands
by Michael Eckersley
s the focus of relationships that customers honor with pride
A and loyalty, strong brands don’t just happen; they are designed
and nurtured. In this endeavor, it is crucial that companies know
their customers intimately. To get beyond the superficial, Michael
Eckersley proposes—and Bill O’Connor illustrates—a “deep dive”
research methodology that unveils the kind of thorough under-
standing essential to building powerful brands.
When was the last time you experienced Modern brands transcend any partic-
a truly great product, service, or envi- ular offering. Think of them as meta-
ronment? You know—something so offerings—embodiments of ideas and
utterly useful or engaging that it simply values that attribute meaning to (and
captured your imagination and drove derive meaning from) product and serv-
you to tell others about it? This kind of ice experiences. Their intangible value
thing doesn’t happen often, and the suc- ebbs and flows in the marketplace, but
Michael Eckersley, cess of its appeal is almost never acci- there is no question that a strong, well-
Principal, HumanCentered
dental. Somewhere, somehow, a team of managed brand contributes valuable
people created a standout consumer intellectual property to any enterprise.
offering, and it found an audience eager
So why do so many brands fail to break
for more.
through and earn a place in consumer
Such extraordinary consumer offer-
consciousness?
ings are statistically rare and valuable.
They attract people in ways and for rea- Causes of brand failure are always more
sons that are not always apparent. To complicated and varied than are the rea-
earn the attention of a sophisticated sons for success. But from our perspec-
William J. O’Connor, consumer audience in today’s crowded tive as business-oriented social scientists
President, Source/Inc. media culture is to beat the odds. Some and planners, it is clear that brands begin
brands demand market attention on the and end with people, and that companies
basis of thin rhetoric and lots of cash, suffer for lack of deep knowledge of the
but the effects are usually short-lived. end customer—how she thinks, per-
Sustaining earned market attention over ceives, and acts within a natural cultural
time, with ever-new reasons for con- context. Confusion, faulty assumptions,
sumers to stay involved—now that’s the and bad decisions are the natural conse-
measure of a great, living brand. quence of that information deficit.
60 Design Management Review Summer 2004

3. Joining People & Brands
Branding, at its best, is a science of artful conversation. There might be a feigned interest,
attraction. Sensitive applied social-science tools but you get a clear sense that they’re simply not
are brought to bear to uncover a wealth of built for input. Eventually, you walk away or
contextually rich audience information. This change the channel. By the time they figure out
information, methodically sifted and shaped, nobody’s paying attention, it’s usually too late;
inspires the fertile minds of creatives and brand they’re out of business.
strategists alike. The result? Integrated brand More than a few brands are conversationally
meanings and architectural elements that challenged. Whether the problem is technical
resonate with the right audience on multiple (you’ve started the conversation at the wrong
levels. Though it’s still far from being a sure hit, place, they can’t hear
such a brand should find the stars aligned for
its success.
you, or they’re simply
the wrong audience),
Branding, at its best,
stylistic (your tech- is a science
Brand Conversations nique is inapt or dis-
“Know your customer” is still the first principle tracting), content-
of artful attraction.
of business, but it is often the first casualty of related (your message Sensitive applied
growth and success. While standard market is irrelevant or uncom-
research is good at capturing a 30,000-foot pelling), or some com- social-science tools
market perspective, and “values and lifestyle” bination of these, it is are brought to bear
research will get you closer, neither affords an best to remember that
accurate “up close and personal” picture of the the currency of brand to uncover a wealth
customer. Focus groups, used inappropriately, conversation—like
lead to grotesquely skewed conceptions of “the good interpersonal
of contextually rich
mind of the customer.” Through this lens, the conversation—is gen- audience information.
customer becomes a vague abstraction, a uine interest in what
chimera, and it is spectacularly difficult to serve the other has to say. Such interaction fuels
a customer nobody really knows. No wonder mutual interest, empathy, and even the possibili-
brands get stale and lose their ability to engage ty of relationship.
the customer in conversation. How interesting or relevant is your brand
But strong brands are all about conversation, story to the dispassionate prospect? A good indi-
and good conversation is two-way, lively, and cator is how personally invested you are in get-
mutually rewarding. It is one of our most intrin- ting to know her, and the various layers of her
sically human needs, and it grows out of a deep story. An even better indicator is how her story
desire for personal identity and interpersonal alters the course of your brand conversation. Put
dialogue. Conversation is a good metaphor for another way, can your brand meaning adapt to
the ideal function of a brand, as Paul Hawken and reflect the natural self-interest of your cus-
pointed out early on in his classic book Growing tomer, and still remain true to itself? If not, then
a Business. you’ve got a worthy goal to shoot for. Next-gen-
Speaking of conversation, have you ever eration brands will likely demonstrate such
found yourself cornered by someone who has a sophistication in allowing customer-specific
desperate need to talk about him- or herself, but reflexiveness to appear effortless, even natural—
who hasn’t the slightest interest in hearing what like good conversation.
you might have to say? Some companies demon-
strate similarly boorish behavior in their Deep-Dive Intelligence
attempts at brand communication. Endlessly Periodic immersion into the customer’s world
fascinated by who they are and what they have can be a valuable reality check for companies.
to say, they show genuine disregard for anything Such “deep-dive” audience research and discov-
the audience might have to contribute to the ery is, quite logically, where the branding process
Design Management Review Summer 2004 61

4. Delivering Value Through Design
should begin. Most conventional branding below the surface that broader market statistics
endeavors center upon the enterprise itself, its conceal. Remember that consumers are humans
industry, its competitors, its offerings, and its first, and there are effective social scientific
various value propositions—leaving precious lit- methods for explaining the interplay of human
tle time for the important work of getting inti- psychology, sociology, and biology. Second,
mately acquainted with the brand’s various humans exist only in context with other humans
constituencies. Ironically, in their rush to con- and environments. This context is better known
verge on a (re)definition of the brand, teams fail as culture, and there are effective applied anthro-
to take advantage of the most salient knowledge pological tools for explaining culture, thus mak-
resource of all—the customer. ing it possible for teams to responsibly intervene
Practically speaking, the deep dive involves and deftly influence the culture.
sending out small interdisciplinary reconnais- Bill O’Connor, president of Source/Inc., in
sance teams to spend a day, a week, or a month Chicago, frames the relationship between culture
in the life of your cus- and brand this way: “Successful brands derive
tomer (if you’re an their meaning from the culture, or from values
Successful brands executive or a senior that are strong in the culture now and are likely
manager, find a way to to remain strong. These carefully crafted brand
derive their meaning tag along). Initially led meanings can be added to, subtracted from, and
from the culture, by big-picture con- finessed—in a word, managed.” The brand’s
sumer market data, meaning-making arc travels from culture to
or from values you and your teams brand to consumer, and there are a host of
will likely emerge cultural meanings a brand can consider.
that are strong
from the field with a Probably the most important benefit of this
in the culture now wealth of fine-grained “bottom-up” approach to brand building is its
consumer data and ability to help even large companies gain a sense
and are likely to more fresh and of intimacy with their customers. Knowing
remain strong. authentic, brand-rele- something about your customer is always good.
vant material than you Having a richly textured, evidence-based under-
These carefully crafted ever thought possible. standing of your customer is better. It inspires
brand meanings What’s the payoff to ideas, relationships, and strategies that are
such an atypical grounded and sustainable. Resulting brand
can be added to, approach? Greater themes, stories, and symbol systems inspired by
understanding of your the process also enjoy greater persuasive rele-
subtracted from,
own brand and how vance to the lives of a target audience—because
and finessed—in a its offerings currently it is from their very lives that the themes
fit (or, importantly, originated.
word, managed. don’t fit) into the cus-
tomer’s world. You Working On Your Act
begin to see the dimensions and subtleties of her Consider what makes a great stand-up comedi-
story. You begin to see connections, spot discon- an. It isn’t his delivery—though superb story-
nects, and imagine opportunities to better serve telling ability is a prerequisite. Rather, what sets
her. (Oh, and the experience might just remind him apart is the quality of his material. Inspired
you of why you went into business in the first comedic material is usually the product of
place!) observing people in real-life situations (think
If this sounds soft or too anecdotal, that isn’t Robin Williams or Bill Cosby). The artful comic
necessarily a defect. Anecdotes, carefully collect- holds up a mirror before our eyes, and we recog-
ed and reported, are the valuable data of cultural nize truths—often revealing truths—about our-
understanding. Anecdotes often reveal truths selves. We can’t get enough of it. Observation
62 Design Management Review Summer 2004

5. Joining People & Brands
inspires other forms of popular art, too. When to the Hertz brand on the basis of such a pro-
asked in an interview to explain the secret of his nouncement depends, of course, on how honor-
consistent string of hits, pop-music legend Sam able Hertz is judged to be in delivering on that
Cooke replied, “I think the secret is really obser- promise. Similarly, your tagline must be more
vation. If you observe what’s going on and try to than a pick-up line. Why? Because your audi-
figure out how people are thinking, I think you ence is already conditioned to disbelieve what
can always write something that people will you say. Hence, your ad agency does you no
understand.” great favor in making delectable promises your
How do consumer brands such as Starbucks brand can’t possibly keep. In this jaded atmos-
and Honda hold a vast, diverse crowd of other- phere, customer expectations aren’t especially
wise preoccupied people? First, they stay close high, and that’s good news to the enterprising
enough to the audience to be able to make (and upstart able to deliver.
rapidly test) good hypotheses about what will Companies have a lot at stake in gaining flu-
engage and hold its interest. Scott Bedbury, a ency with the cultural milieu in which their
driving force behind the branding success of brand(s) are intended to live. Likewise, most
Nike and Starbucks, insists that a brand must brands have a lot yet to learn about the cus-
develop a clear sense of itself and how it con- tomer, who is expected (astonishingly) to graft
nects with people’s lives, both practically and the brand to her life.
emotionally. Nowadays, so much is expected of a brand:
Brands get interesting as they reveal depth to tap reservoirs of consumer emotion, to
and dimension. While devalued brands thin out address needs, to articulate aspiration, and to
and fade away (think of Plymouth, Clearasil, lead desire. Deep-dive research and discovery
and Duncan Hines), “dimensional” brands methods complement traditional market
evolve and find ways to reinvent their value, research by producing a wealth of unvarnished
often in surprising ways. Get the content, style, user data that savvy teams can gather, sift, and
and technique of your brand story right, and be formulate into valid consumer models and
sure it is congruent with an excellent network of strategically savvy market hypotheses.
offerings. Given the requisite perseverance, the The result is uncanny brand experiences that
odds just might tip in your favor. not only satisfy demand and desire, but also
instill loyalty and spark new desire. That’s no
Mining the Cultural Seam small ambition or accomplishment.
Great brands set the stage for interesting things
to happen in the lives of participants. You might Acknowledgement
even think of branding teams as consummately The authors would like to acknowledge Andy
skilled event or experience planners. For Schechterman and a host of research partici-
instance, walk into a Trader Joe’s, a Virgin store, pants who contributed to the Designer-Arbiter &
an REI, or a Starbucks and you’ll probably feel a Client-Consumer research study profiled in this
palpable sense of energy, even expectation. The article.
customer plays a vital, willing role in making
that vibe real. Indeed, he is the final arbiter and
co-creator of your brand’s value. If that makes
you nervous, remember: You can do a lot to shift
the odds in your favor.
Consider Hertz’s new brand message: “At
Hertz, we know exactly how you feel, and have
exactly what you need.” Whether value accrues
Design Management Review Summer 2004 63

6. Delivering Value Through Design
How Deep-Dive Consumer Research Defined an
Emerging Market and Helped to Create a Brand
by Bill O’Connor
There it was, displayed in a spread in the them, to open their minds and their eyes.”
Christie’s catalogue of distinguished residences So, while taste may be a matter of taste, there
and estates: a bunker-like, low-rise, meandering is certainly a web of historical conventions, val-
manor, the centerpiece of an expansive and ues, and cultural meanings that contribute to an
beautiful Pacific oceanfront property. What was informed sense of style. Residential interior
most breathtaking about the house, aside from designers and architects live and work in this
the vista, was its $17 million asking price. It was space. They act as arbiters of taste. The assign-
an architectural-kit house, with some ment we were about to get was to learn who
Mediterranean bolted on to some Arts & Crafts, these arbiters are. How do they manage the
and all of it architecturally duct-taped to a basic process and work with their clients, the people
California ranch style. The interiors were also a building high-end custom homes? Who were
mishmash of misplaced whimsy and disintegrat- these clients, anyway? What values did they
ed style. embrace that informed their choices and moti-
While its asking price gave this Tuscan- vated their decisions? What kinds of advice and
Stickley-Chateau-Little-House-on-the-Prairie collaboration did they seek from the designer?
leader-of-the-pack status, its visual style of con- At the end of 2001, when this assignment
spicuous affluence and blender architecture was was in its formative phase, there had been plenty
common to many of the other very-high-price- of architectural criticism written about these
point properties Christie’s was flogging in its look-at-me lairs. Empirical research and anec-
glossy catalogue. dotal evidence suggested signs of a renaissance.
How could anyone, I asked our client, able to The very small market of those who could afford
afford this–do this? “Taste is a matter of taste,” to build or remodel such homes did not want to
he replied, “and we believe that the market has be stigmatized as money-come-lately’s, their
begun to turn away from these kinds of architec- homes criticized as tasteless monuments to
tural expressions. People who can afford these recent affluence.
homes are now looking for architectural integri- Our client, a large global marketer of hard-
ty in the design of their homes and furnishings. ware and fixtures, believed that a product whose
They want their architects and designers to teach designs expressed these newly rediscovered and
Figure 1. We spent time with Kim, an independent interior designer in Figure 2. Melanie is a contract commercial interior designer with a side-
Atlanta, and her assistant, Lucy. They are shown at a vendor showroom, line in residential interior design. Here she is shown specifying colors with
specifying interior furnishings and built-in elements. a client.
64 Design Management Review Summer 2004

7. Joining People & Brands
Relationship Continuum Archetype: Carole and Leslie
Designer-Arbiter & Client-Consumer
User Research
Client leads Arbiter Collaboration Arbiter leads Client
Figures 3 and 4. In 2002, Source/Inc. spent time with families building high-end custom homes, and their interior designers. We were particularly interested in the processes
and dynamics of their working relationship. Our data analysis helped us invent Carole, an archetypal interior designer, and Leslie, an archetypal client who is building a high-
end custom home. We posited a range of collaborative relationships, from high client involvement and control to relatively low client involvement. Understanding the dynamics
of this relationship proved key later on.
ascendant architectural styles could be served up
as a brand rich with information and the oppor-
those conversations.
Getting these answers
Science teaches us
tunity for personal discovery. The client wanted required a deep dive of that humans
to catch this emerging market at the bottom and discovery for us all: client
ride it, wavelike, to the crest of a successful and team, research team, and
are more alike
enduring business with “first-in” prestige and creative team alike. (See than different,
authority. figures 1 and 2.) Wisdom
Science teaches us that humans are more gleaned from the with the primary
alike than different, with the primary differentia- research surprised and differentiator
tor being culture. Understanding the nuances of inspired subsequent
human experience, across a continuum, deeply work to an unforeseen being culture.
informs strategy for brands, products, services, degree. For instance, the
and environments. target of primary interest actually turned out to
The brand team at Source/Inc. worked with be a hybrid, which we characterized in the “rela-
Michael Eckersley and Andy Schechterman to tionship continuum” existing between an arche-
plan a study that would do more than define the typal interior designer/arbiter (Carole) and an
target in marketing terms. At this point, there archetypal high-end residential client (Leslie).
was no market definable by the classic marketing (See figures 3 and 4.) This relationship is key in
metrics. The primary audience happened to be terms of who influences the specification of fur-
select interior designers managing high-end resi- niture, wall coverings, hardware, and so forth,
dential projects—a fairly exclusive group, to be not to mention the general theme or stylistic
sure. But we also needed to find other likely tar- direction the project takes. Understanding these
gets—people who were constructing or remod- dynamics of control, and how they play out to
eling high-price-point homes. It was important varying degrees from client to client and from
for the entire team to experience their rumina- designer to designer, yielded a complex, yet
tions, collaborations, and conversations with strangely simplifying and authentic picture of
their interior designers in order to build a brand the customer—a refreshingly nonsuperficial, evi-
meaning and a brand story that could be part of dence-based familiarity unavailable before.
Design Management Review Summer 2004 65

8. Delivering Value Through Design
From the mass of user data collected and
processed, 70 touch points were validated by the
team and mapped across various dimensions.
Some meaningful patterns emerged from the
touch-point data, illustrating key underlying
themes that were discovered in the client-design-
er relationship of Carol and Leslie. One pattern
was named Realization; it captured some com-
mon aspects of the manifestation of a lifelong
dream that a home-building project can repre-
sent for financially successful people. Another
resonant theme came to be known as Search
(Find), and it represents the demanding experi-
ence of managing a complicated project from
beginning to end, through a search-space of
seemingly countless options and decisions—
some big and many small.
The experience informed an integrated strat-
egy for a new brand of high-end custom-home
hardware that is scheduled to hit the market in
early 2005. The research—which took place over
a period of just three months in four regions of
the US—was foundational. The archetypes,
models, and constructs it offered have a surpris-
ing shelf life. They proved informative both
strategically and tactically in our subsequent
process of brand identity development, name
development, packaging, and merchandising.
It’s some story, and a full telling of it requires
an article all its own.
Reprint #04153ECK58
66 Design Management Review Summer 2004