Does Your Business Really Understand People?
November 21, 2008
How well does your business understand people?
If your business is going to be a success, it’s important that you understand your potential customers. Because, if you don’t know what people want to begin with, it’s impossible to give it to them.
Motrin Didn’t Understand People
Unless you’ve had no Internet access recently, you probably heard about Motrin’s marketing disaster. They released a viral video on YouTube, claiming to understand the pain of new mothers. But the video showed that they understand bugger all about them.
More than 100 people blogged about the Motrin marketing fiasco and the news shot round the social networking sites like a mosquito on coke.
This would have been great for Motrin if folk had been spreading good news about them. But, almost everyone who’d ever had a baby was totally pissed off with the company’s marketing cock up. And within a few hours, Motrin had taken their website down. It’s now back up and there’s an impersonal apology for their marketing video, on the front page of their site.
Motrin Screwed Up Because They Tried To Find A Problem, Not A Solution
In the Secret Business Success Formula, I mentioned finding new customers for a product you already have. And I guess that’s what Motrin tried to do.
Trouble is, they didn’t find a group of customers who had a problem one of their products could solve. They focused on a large group of customers – new mothers. Then they brainstormed what problems they might have, that their painkiller could solve and came up with a totally ridiculous, non-existent one. How stupid is that?
So How Can Your Business Understand What People Want?
Guessing really isn’t enough to understand what people want. If you’re planning to market your business to a particular group of people, you need to understand what their problems are, so you can provide what they need.
If you don’t try to understand what people really want, at the very least, you could lose a whole heap of money. And if you get into the type of situation Motrin did, it could cripple your small business.
Research Helps Us To Really Understand People
Research is so easy, now we have the Internet. There’s no need to stand out in the street, with a clipboard, freezing your ass off. Talk to people you know and ask questions, browse message boards, read magazines. The world is full of problems, so you won’t have to look far to find out what people want.
You don’t have to be a big company to do affordable research. Inexpensive products like Simple Market Research are an affordable way for you to discover what folk want to buy. They also show you which online niches are the most profitable and what profit margins you can expect from different products.
Don’t be like Motrin. Make sure you understand people, if you expect them to buy what you are selling.
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Means I DO need to learn Hungarian?!
Just kidding, I know what you mean. I’ve seen it so often.
People making a big deal out of something when the solution is actually so easy.
But no, it takes more time to create a big bubble first and then maybe solve it. Means you look more important and more impressive (they think) and they need not spend time on other things during doing that crap.
Hi Cath. I had to give my head a shake about the Motrin story. Hmmm. Seems that by them trying to find a problem they also created one for themselves.
I suspect that people will easily spend money on low cost comfort items now. Like Evelyn mentioned in a recent post, lipstick is one example. In my case, a cheap bottle of wine or whatever ice cream is on sale
Davina’s last blog post..Small Steps To Empower Your Attitude
Cath, This is why sales is something every marketer should engage in. The best way to understand customers is to talk to them.
Brad Shorr’s last blog post..You Know You?re Old When ?
[...] Does Your Business Really Understand People? It is a good idea to learn about the people your product serves. [...]
Hi Nicole – They really stuffed up didn’t they. I don’t know how they thought new mothers would need painkillers due to the strain of carrying a baby in a sling. As you say – they tried to look smart ans fell flat on their faces.
Hi Davina – It looks like they’ve created a huge problem for themselves doesn’t it. I found Evelyn’s article too – and I think you’re right – lipstick or icecream is probably going to do a lot more for new mothers than Motrin painkillers.
Hi Brad – That is so true. I can’t understand how they didn’t speak to new mothers. It’s not like there’s not many of them around. Surely – they have plenty of folk working there who they could have talked to?
I wish these companies would realise social media is a tool for interacting with folk – not advertising at them.
I’ve always told my kids and my family and my friends – I’ve failed Mind Reading 101 – communication is *crucial* when trying to find what will work best for one’s customers and clients.
What would be interesting to see is the moms outraged were the ones on the Internet. I wonder how the non-Internet moms viewed it? Was there a difference? If so, why?
Data points,
Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach’s last blog post..An Unfettered EAGLE amongst turkeys – embracing your learning style
I have a friend who does Market Research for a living. Many companies don’t even consider releasing a product or a service before checking what the market – their potential companies – want, need and expect.
Vered – MomGrind’s last blog post..Oh No She Di’int!
It seems to me Motrin must have a big Marketing and Research department. I wonder did they not consult them for this ad? Did they skimp? Hmmn.
Jannie’s last blog post..A good poem
My husband does qualitative market/design research.
It is amazing what all his research turns up!! This is such a big issue and I am glad you highlighted it!
But Cath, I was amazed at how it all went quiet when Motrin “apologized”. I really wonder what went on behind the scenes ???
Maya’s last blog post..Integrity, Values and Happiness
I have a male friend who I told about the motrin incident. After viewing the ad and what happened he told me that he never thinks about motrin but now it was stuck in his head. Is it possible that he might buy it now? Of course, he’s male and not a Mom so he can’t relate on the level but I wonder if has increased awareness of the product …
And lol at “mosquito on coke”.
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..5 Ugly WordPress Themes
That commercial was hilarious: they started out by saying that it was fashionable to wear your baby (WHAT?). I agree that it’s not a good idea to try and guess what problems your potential clients might be having, you have to develop systematic methods for discovering problems instead of trying to make problems up.
Marelisa’s last blog post..30 Creativity Cards: A Gift I Made For You
Great point, Cath. I think you know I’ve been on this discovery journey lately myself. I like to consider stuff like research as “intelligence”. That’s a great word.
To succeed in business, you need to have intelligence (both you and stats).
John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..My Favorite Kind Of Website Statistic To Have Is . . .
Hi Barbara – that’s a really good point. It would be interesting to know whether non internet users found the ad offensive.
Hi Vered – That’s so true. I know research costs money and time but a flopped marketing campaign can cost even more. I wonder if they didn’t bother because they were using youtube and it was free?
Hi Jannie – it does make you wonder if they skimped and did this campaign on the spur of the moment doesn’t it.
Hi Maya – It did go pretty quiet after the apology didn’t it. It’s really hard to guess what may have been happening. I wonder if the apology killed the noise, or was it something else.
Hi Kim – That’s interesting. So it’s possible that Motrin may have picked up new customers anyway. It would be interesting to know how many people who hadn’t heard of the drug, began buying it after the campaign.
Hi Mare – It was hilarious wasn’t it? When I first began watching, I hadn’t heard of Motrin and I thought they were going to be advertising designer baby slings or something.
Hi John – you have been doing a great job trying to find out what folk want from a webhosting company. And it’s really going to help you offer a more personalized service.
What I found interesting was that so many people pointed out that with a simple change in tone the Motrin ad would have been just fine. One of the biggest problems was simply that many people found it condescending.
As other people on other sites have said, the ad could have been about how some days moms get aches from wearing their babies. Drop the stuff about baby wearing being fashionable, looking like an official mom and so forth. A better understanding of the audience would have made the ad work.
Stephanie’s last blog post..Motrin, Meet Social Media
Hi Stephanie – that’s a really good point. I was one of those who found the reference to being fashionable just a tad irritating. As you say, perhaps the ad could have worked if they changed their tone.
With the Internet, we have most of the answers we need. With an analytical mind, you can figure out anything just by gathering info online.
Then, you can obviously find forums, blogs and websites for whatever you want and grab some info..
Jim Gaudet’s last blog post..Managing Application Servers with WSUS
Hi Catherine – You’re right on with this one. Our customers will tell us what they want. All we need to do is listen to them and then reiterate what they said. Even if that means drawing a picture (which we often do), than so be it. They know you’re on the same page and get what they want (and pay for).
Barbara Swafford – Blogging Without A Blog’s last blog post..NBOTW – An Explorer Of Life
Hi Jim – that is so true. The Internet makes research so much easier. I can’t imagine life without it.
Hi Barbara – Drawing a picture is a great idea. If the customer can visually imagine what you can offer them, they’re far more likely to be happy with the end result.
I had posted something related to this a few months ago. I put it in the link under my name if you want to read the whole thing but the basic point of it was that an organic cereal wasn’t selling well and I bet it was because they “researched” with testing by random consumers. Joe Random is almost automatically going to say “Needs more sugar” (or “needs more salt” in other products) but the real market for organic products is people who want to eat healthy foods – we do NOT want added sugar or salt.
This cereal loaded up on the sweet – organic sweet, of course, but they screwed up understanding their market.
[...] illustration of a BIG company who really missed the mark on this one – read Cath Lawson’s Does Your Business Really Understand People? [...]