Great products hit a nerve! What that really means is they provide something special that “connects” with their audience on an emotional level, tying into a basic fundamental need. We’ve all had the experience of seeing a new product that creates an instant and almost automatic “must have” response. Kids especially, are quick to respond to products and programs that are designed by experienced youth oriented product developers to create an instant emotional connection. When this happens, the product, and often the message supporting it, downshift the audience into the emotional center of the brain. I call this the emotional promise of a product or program.
I once tested a new product entry by a major toy company into the category of boy’s toys. The product was specially designed for young boys (3-7 years old) who are at the developmental stage of “autonomy”. That means that after the early co-dependency stage (0-2 years) they are feeling their “independence oats” which is directly tied to the need for autonomy and power. The “magic” of this concept was that in both the verbal and the visual communication, the product focused specifically on the need for autonomy and power. This translated into a very compelling emotional promise on a number of concrete and abstract levels that include entertainment value, need satisfaction, attention, competency, relationships and a variety of play patterns.
As far back as Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, psychologists have conducted research data on the fundamental “drivers” that motivate and move individuals to action. Maslow’s hierarchy started with basic biological survival needs such as food, water and sex and followed with the next level, the need for safety. The hierarchy of needs progressed into higher levels such as love, self esteem and self actualization. This hierarchy of needs is age and stage related and also assumes that the needs on the lower end of the hierarchy are at least partially satisfied before an individual can truly meet the higher needs on the ladder such as self actualization. Other theories and research have continued to emerge from the research on needs and motivation that point to a broad range of fundamental “drivers” that push and motivate our behavior as consumers, mostly on an automatic or unconscious level.
PRODUCT SUCCESS TOOLBOX
- Pick one of your favorite products and ask yourself, what is the emotional promise of this product? What need does it satisfy for me?
- While you’re watching TV or other forms of media advertising, focus on the emotional promise of the ad. What emotions is the advertiser trying to tap into? Why?
- In the development of enriching products and programs, why is it critical to understand the emotional promise?
- What have you noticed about how the emotional promise of a product or program is related to the age and the stage of the consumer? How is it significantly different for children than adults?