We have habits, we are scared of the unknown and these combine to make trying new things seem like a waste of time and also seem impossible. When Samsung launched its S Series, I remember telling a former colleague of mine that I would never be able to use to a touch screen phone because I could not imagine typing without pressing on my Blackberry button keypad (The Blackberry was all the rage in Nigeria then). It seems laughable now, but it was a valid concern for me then, which only disappeared when I experienced the versatility of an android phone. This is what Henry Ford meant. My mind could not picture a different and simpler method of accomplishing the same task.
Do you know why business and wealth coaches always take their mentees through the importance of having a wealthy mindset? It is because our past experiences make us picture our lives in a certain way and this makes it difficult to envision something different because we have never experienced it. For example, the belief in a Paradise earth where man would be free from death and would live forever is unbelievable for some because they have seen a world filled with violence, hunger, sickness and wickedness. So, the idea that humans will one day live forever on the earth peacefully seems farfetched because it is difficult to envisage such perfection.
Forward thinking business owners figured out a solution to overcoming the mindset road-block by creating engaging user experiences. They create engaging user experiences that make us find delight in using new inventions. The swipe, scroll and motion features of many smartphones were all developed in a bid to give users the very best phone experience. However, getting people to try new inventions is another issue. This is where advertising and marketing come in.
Creating demand for new products through marketing is essential in overcoming consumer inertia. You have probably walked into a shop to buy an outfit without having a clear picture of what you want but just want to buy something that looks nice. The sales associate comes close to you asking, ‘What kind of outfit are you looking for?’ You say, ‘Something nice and simple’, and then she brings out something that she feels would look perfect on you, and you love it! Sales people work on the premise that customers don’t know what they want, you have to show it to them. This means using persuasive marketing to show them how they can look more beautiful, get people to love them, how to do things faster, how to prevent illnesses, amongst other things.
People set up businesses because they want to make money by satisfying a gap in the market. However not all businesses are created to satisfy a need, some just want people to experience something differently. To do that, they employ advertising to create a desire for that product or service because they understand basic human psychology about wants and desires; which is that they are based on what we see others acquiring, purchasing or doing. We usually want what others have or what we feel is a little beyond our reach.
This understanding of the human mind is key in creating successful products or services. Whether functional or luxury it must appeal to the mind by playing on the human ego, anxieties or wishes. The goal is to sell the desire of how much more you can be and how better you can live if you use or have a particular product which is not a lie because new inventions make life easier but is also not the whole truth because innovation also comes with a price.