Do yourself a favor and watch this short video.
Pretty cool stuff. But now you're asking yourself, "How could this possibly relate to consumer research and/or innovation?" The answer: people are predictable.
Bobby McFerrin, best known for not worrying and being happy, is able to plant a seed in his audience's mind early, and then elicit a specific behavior without giving any instruction.
What does this mean for product companies?
How many millions of dollars are spend each year educating and instructing consumers on how to use products "the right way"? Consumers look to understand new things very early, classifying them subconsciously into schema that they understand. For example, think of the importance placed on first impressions. Within a minute of meeting someone, you've compared them to everyone you know, and to a certain extent, decided how you are going to relate to them.
So if you are planning on launching a new product, service, or other innovation that is staggeringly different, make sure you're paying close attention to what seeds you are planting.
If you're selling a radically new hat that can perform 100 different tasks from driving nails to opening pickle jars, work with people's schema, not against them.
If you try to sell people a hat, then they will focus on it being a piece of fashionable accessory, and may not be able to accept it as a viable tool for completing tasks.
If you try to sell them a multi-tool, then they may not be able to accept it as a piece of attire.
However, if you plan the seed of , Inspector Gadget (one of my childhood cartoon heros) in people's minds, anyone who is familiar will know instantly what the product is capable of.
Just like Bobby McFerrin figured out, if you can successfully give people the first few notes, then they will play the whole songs for you!
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