Blink lessons Kevin McCullagh draws lessons for market research from ‘Blink’

For a general review of ‘Blink’ see Kevin Where possible, managers should base decisions Finally, there is the more subtle influence of McCullagh’s article for Blueprint on reputable data. When it comes to investing ‘sensation transference’, the concept that people in new product development, market research convey impressions of the brand, including offers forecasts, scores and percentage points. packaging, onto the product. For a brand like But in his new book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, Coke, people make no distinction between the the American ‘author, journalist, cultural product and the packaging – ‘the product is the commentator and intellectual adventurer’, package and product combined’. unravels the veneer of certainty that such data The reason the sip test results didn’t translate seems to provide. into real world sales, is that ‘in the real world, Blink investigates the influence of ‘gut no one ever drinks Coca-Cola blind. We transfer instincts’ and snap judgements in all walks of to our sensation of the Coca-Cola taste all of the life. Here I focus on the lessons Gladwell draws unconscious associations we have of the brand, from the stories of New Coke and the ‘Aeron’ the image, the can, and even the unmistakable office chair. red of the logo’. The lesson here is the develop an The New Coke disaster understanding of an issue’s context, before ‘The story of New Coke... is a really good deciding on what the key parameters are that can illustration of how complicated it is to find out be quantified through market research. what people really think’. In the early eighties market research indicated Aeron against the odds that Pepsi was gaining fast of the once dominant The story of the ‘Aeron’ office chair illustrates a Coke, in terms of the number on consumers who second, deeper problem with trying to measure said that they exclusively drank each brand – even people’s reactions: it is hard for us to explain though Coke had far better our feelings about unfamiliar distribution and was spending things. $100m more on advertising. The story of In the early nineties the Pepsi were running their ‘Pepsi renowned industrial designer challenge’ campaign, in which New Coke... is Bill Stumpf, started work on 57% of people preferred their a really good his third task chair for Herman product in ‘blind sip’ tests. Miller. His previous ‘Ergon’ and Coke decided that they had illustration of how ‘Equa’ had been successful, a problem with taste and tasked complicated it is but Stumpf wanted to design the men in white coats with the ultimate in ergonomic tinkering with the fabled secret to find out what comfort. The result ‘looked Coke formula. They made it people really think like the exoskeleton of a giant lighter and sweeter – more like prehistoric insect’. In 1992 Pepsi – until it tested better Herman Miller tested them than Pepsi in blind tests. In a massive round of with local companies and asked each person to consumer testing in 1984 New Coke beat Pepsi use them for half a day and then rate it out of 10 in sip tests by 6-8%. At the press conference on comfort and appearance. The early prototypes announcing its launch, the then CEO Roberto C. scored badly. After some prototype development, Goizueta called the new product ‘the surest move comfort scores reach eight, but those for that company’s ever made’. aesthetics never reached six. This was unusual, New Coke was such a disaster, it provoked as experience has shown that consumers strongly protests and forced Coke to bring back the original relate comfort and looks. Generally, if people like formula as Coke Classic – at which point New the chair in the first ‘blink’, they will perceive it as Coke sales evaporated. The biggest surprise was comfortable – and vice versa. yet to come... Pepsi’s predicted catch-up never In 1993, Herman Miller ran some pre-launch happened. Coke remained the world’s favourite expert tests. Architects and designers, who cola. might specify the chair, generally liked it – they Coke’s error was to believe the sip test. More understood why the chair was radical. However, realistic studies, which involved taking a case of facilities managers and ergonomic experts, the cans home and drinking them over a number final purchasing decision makers, hated it – for of weeks, showed very different results – Coke mainly aesthetic reasons. clearly came out on top. Gladwell argues that Herman Miller trusted its instincts and there are sensory and psychological explanations. launched the product. Before long it won design Pepsi is sweeter and tastes good to many after a awards and got adopted by cutting edge creative sip, but less appealing after drinking a whole can. and technology companies – ‘it matched the Also, consuming the product at home is a more stripped-down aesthetic of the new economy’. By realistic context to reach a reflective decision. the end of the nineties, it became the best selling

View www.plan-design.co.uk June 2005 7 chair in Herman Miller’s history and scored eight While Blink is long on problems and short for aesthetics – ugly had become beautiful! on solutions, Gladwell does make a positive Testing consumer reactions to the Aeron, suggestion here; by drawing a distinction between failed for a different reason than those to New consumer and expert instinct. He argues that Coke. This was less a misunderstanding of instincts without experience in the subject matter context, than consumers misinterpreting their should not be trusted. Whereas, expert instincts feelings. While they said they hated it, what they are fined tuned to get at the ‘gestalt’ or the actually meant was that they didn’t understand essence of a subject: ‘with experience we become it – they thought it was weird. The lesson here is expert at using our behaviour and our training that testing innovative products has to be handled to interpret – and decode – what lies behind very carefully and reactions need interpretation. our snap judgements and first impressions.’ By If the Aeron has been a minor variation of what definition experts spend a lot of time studying, had gone before, consumer testing would have reflecting and developing a precise vocabulary been far more straightforward. on their subject; and as a result they build a rich subconscious database’. In comparison The wisdom of experts consumer reactions tend to be shallow, as they Deconstructing what happens in the first two are not grounded in real understanding. seconds of ‘rapid cognition’ is near impossible, Managers should still look to base as it is a product of our unconscious – the part investment decisions on data, but should ensure of our thinking that is outside our awareness. it is reputable. To do this they must understand Gladwell advises against trying to explain snap the context, before working out what can be Herman Miller, ‘Aeron’ chair, 1993 judgements by asking consumers to remember, realistically measured; and include expert deconstruct and describe why they reached a opinion into their assessment, especially when decision. the product in question is innovative.

Based on Kevin’s contribution to the ‘Surprise and anticipation’ panel discussion on Shop The art of surprise Talk, BBC Radio 4, on 12 April 2005. It can be accessed at: The ultimate product experiences involve ‘Later Wows’ by Kevin McCullagh www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/shoptalk/ shoptalk_20050412.shtml In the past design was from Mars and marketing integration with iTunes; and ultimately the way it (Click on ‘Listen Again’) from Venus, but both sides now realise the changes the way you live with your music. need to work together more closely. Areas BMW appeals to customers’ sense of of collaboration vary, from a more rigorous connoisseurship by crafting details that are approach to targeting consumer segments often not appreciated until after purchase. These to a more systematic development of a brand include: tilt-down wing-mirrors to see the curb language beyond communications. One area that when reversing; Hi-fi volume control that drops is attracting a lot of attention is the design of as you slow down and the engine noise lowers; delightful surprises that connect with consumers and windscreen wipers that adjusted their speed over time. to how fast the car is travelling. Marketers’ interest in design traditionally The delights of Later Wow have to be focused on catching the consumer’s eye. experienced to be appreciated, and even then However, if brands are to live up to the ideal of might not consciously be remembered, but rather offering seamless experiences – products need retained as a warm glow. They are not obvious at to express, embody and enhance brand values. first sight and even harder to itemise in a piece of If consumers can continue to be tickled after marketing communications, but are all the more leaving the store, the hope is that this will lead to powerfully human for it. ‘Lately I’ve been giving a lot of ‘word-of-mouth’ recommendations – advertising The strongest bonds are without doubt forged thought to ‘Later wow’. In contrast marketers can’t buy! through positive product experiences. However, with the ‘First wow’, which is the Naoto Fukasawa, the Japanese designer, yesterday’s surprise rapidly becomes tomorrow’s immediate surprise you get upon calls the delayed surprises delivered by products expectation. Like the Gold card member who gets seeing something, ‘Later wow’ is ‘Later Wows’. ‘First Wow’ being the delight of upgraded to First Class, they may be flattered the the kind of surprise that sneaks up seeing something in the first blink. Apple and first time but if they have to wait too long before on you. I think that a feeling that BMW are grandmasters of cultivating a band of it happens again they get tetchy. The business gradually spreads out has greater zealots who generate buzz through a range of of consistently delighting people, when the bar value and brings greater joy that Later Wow moments. is continually ratcheting upwards is not for the something that just makes you say The iPod’s success can be explained by the faint-hearted. One strategy to consider is to ‘Wow!’ in the beginning but then number of high-impact Later Wows it packs: the manage expectations by under-promising in the goes nowhere fast.’ surprise of chrome plated back; the changing marketing communications, and over delivering Cover Interview, ‘Naoto Fukasawa’ Axis Vol. 96, the volume with the dial moment; the awesome with the product experience. April 2002 View www.plan-design.co.uk June 2005 8