The biggest challenge in any industry is to determine ‘what the customers want’. Many spend their lives fashioning the market models that can give us a clue.
However, I got my first important lesson on the topic in my own home.
My son, a toddler, saw a red car model in a shop window one day. He wanted THAT car. I had a good look. It was a crude tin stuff. The paint was specky and you could make out that it was a ‘left over’ materials stuff.
Not for my child this low level stuff. I went to some more shops and bought him a ‘safe’ toy car, made of food grade plastics, no sharp edges and ‘Leo” brand, who design all their toys in the most ergonomic ways for the pleasure of the children. And it was a beautiful, cool, nice yellow color.
Reaching home, the fellow looked at the car as if it was about to bite him, let off a sob that came right from the depth of stomach like ‘Baba Ramdev’s’ ‘Pranasana’ , and simply said “ I want that ‘led’ (red) car”.
All my advice, cajoling, threatening that chit of a boy was a waste. Finally, I thought ‘What the hell, if the child is happy with that crude stuff, so be it’. So I took another trip to the market for getting THAT LED car.
Lesson learnt.
The newly gained knowledge will come in handy on many occasions during the growing up of son (and more importantly, the synchronous growing up of us two, the proud parents)
It just dawned on me. Is this not what marketing Gurus have been saying all along?
It is not about what you think the customers should have. It is all about what they think they want and they need.
Maybe it is an oversimplification. But this is the thread I am going to weave my marketing strategy on.
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