This month’s Emotional Branding column is about the human desire to discover. The question is: How can your products or services deliver a sense of discovery to consumers?
Humans love discovering new things. We’ve discovered microscopic atoms, subatomic particles and we’re now trying to discover particles that are yet unseen. We’ve discovered new territories, new continents, new planets and new solar systems. We’ve recently landed a 1-ton rover on Mars to discover any signs of life.
Albert Einstein understood the excitement of discovery when he said, “The process of scientific discovery is, in effect, a continual flight from wonder.”
Consumers also want new products and services that offer them the thrill of discovery. We want to be taken away and immersed into new experiences, and we will buy products and services that will offer us this escape. Some consumers may have the desire to explore the wilderness, and they will seek out products that help them discover an isolated waterfall or a beautiful canyon. Others may want to discover a new taste, so they will buy products that promise their taste buds something new and unexplored. Consumers want to quench their thirst to discover new things and they will gladly buy products or services that meet that strong felt need.
Maragas Winery, a Central Oregon winemaker, was able to harness the felt need of discovery to bring more people to their winery and purchase more wine. Kinetic Branding revealed to Maragas Winery that their wine and location has so much for people to discover. First of all, their wine has a unique taste and has won many gold and silver awards across the country. Most wine aficionados by nature desire to discover great-tasting wine. Secondly, their location is also a source of intrigue and discovery. While most wine is produced in places like California’s Napa Valley, Maragas Winery is successfully producing its own excellent wine in Central Oregon. They offer local Oregonians their own new wine country.
Your company may also provide products or services that can tap into the emotion of discovery. The key question you should ask yourself is, “Do my products or services offer the sensation of discovery to my customers?” If the answer is yes, then you need to know how to communicate with them to trigger this desire.
The first and easiest way to make a connection with consumers by using the desire of discovery is by the words you use to communicate with them. Whether your words connect with them via email, the web, in print or a broadcast, they need to be seasoned with trigger words that will excite people to discover your company.
To get your creative juices flowing, here are some trigger words and phrases that will help you make a felt need connection with consumers: “At Last!” “Find,” “Secret,” “Learn,” “New,” “Explore,” “Discover Something New,” “Discover Something Different,” “Uncover,” and “Finally!”
There are many other ways to trigger consumer behavior through discovery. Another effective method is to create a limited time offer that provides the consumer with a “taste” of your product or service. It might be a free trial. It might be a temporary discount. It might be a limited amount for the first 100 customers. These tactics will drive intrigue for your company and motivate consumers to buy your products and services.
Next month’s Emotional Branding column will be on the desire for status.
Paul Ruettgers is the founder and creative director of Kinetic Branding, a branding and marketing agency that creates deep emotional connections between companies and consumers, motivating them to love their brand. paul@kineticbranding.com, www.kineticbranding.com, 541-550-7272.
