“Look at me, I am 54 but I look 45”.
She was so proud when she approached me after my presentation on skin ageing and wanted to share her feeling with me. She was glowing from within and the confidence she said it with, was remarkable.
As she approached me and was talking to me, I caught myself inspecting her actual signs of ageing (apologies, too many years in this trade).
She actually did have the signs of ageing of a mid 50s Caucasian woman but it was irrelevant. I was captivated by the confidence and glow she exhumed which did make her look 10 years younger. That is when I knew she had bought the perfect product for herself.”
So how can we capture this real-life event and encapsulate it for the team working on a product/brand launch? Is there a way to write a brief a different way?
A more realistic brief could be:
Who is the consumer: Alexandra is in her mid forties. She has young kids and a full time job.
How does she feel right now: Juggling every day life is an ongoing struggle and however hard she tries, she feels she is not doing enough. She feels she is running on auto pilot to maintain a perfect image she has been building for herself.
What life stage is she at: Married a few years or recently divorced
What is the problem: Her skin is starting to show signs of ageing from going on holidays in sunny destinations
What is her biggest fear: That she is not enough, she does not feel appreciated, she is not relevant anymore, she is getting older and her life is slipping through her fingers
How can we help: offer her a moment during her day where she feels she is taking the centre stage again
How do we want her to feel: Pampered, loved, taken care off, beautiful, a sense of control over her life. We want her to feel that she is making a smart choice, she is investing in herself, in feeling confident again and point out her life is still full of possibilities.
How do we want her to feel when she picks up our product:
we want to stimulate her senses as follows:
- the touch by offering a smooth paper carton and a rich sensorial product texture
- The smell with a rich and luxurious product scent
- The eyesight with colours that signal luxury
- The hearing with smart packaging she needs to interact with.
What do we want her to do: Use our product daily as a reminder of her self-worth.
What do we want her to do in 1 week/1 month after she has bought the product:
As her skin slowly improves, she will feel like these few daily moments of self care are paying off and she will work towards slowly building her confidence again.
Her friends tell her that she looks rested and radiant and ask what she has done.
The consumer shares her secret with them which in turn makes her feel like she has made a smart choice and her opinion matters (feels important).
The ultimate goal is to turn this consumer into a loyal advocate of our product.
In this case the product is an anti-ageing cream but not communicated as a constant reminder of a battle with time but rather a basic tool (one of many) that spark the light in a consumer and helps build the confidence.
KEY TAKE-AWAY
Before setting off in briefing yet another brand/product we need to:
- Understand what motivates the consumer on a deeper level when they are looking for a product in your category
- Build an emotional connection with the consumer
- Build a consumer journey including all the touch points that build up to the consumer making their choice on buying your product. Meet the consumer where they are at, don’t expect that they will come to you.
When we really commit to connecting on an emotional level with our consumer whether it is to play on their deepest fears (death, loneliness, uncertainty, lack of control et al), their needs (self esteem, confirmation, social belonging et al) or their desires (freedom, happiness, material wealth, balance et al).
We need to focus on how to make them grow closer to their real self with compassion, rather than build on insecurities and project unrealistic expressions of one’s self while helping them aspire for more.
Do you know how consumers pick products? Click here to find out!
Do you want to find out how to connect with the consumer? Click here!