BRAND STORY: 03
Connecting to Your Target Customer
How to Align Your Start-up to the Customer Most Likely to Buy Your Product.
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as a consultant after being forced out twelve years earlier.
Having watched his brainchild suffer through near bankruptcy, poor management, and a lack of innovation, the prodigal CEO made his turnaround appearance at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, CA. His Q&A came to a sudden halt when someone in the audience snarkily questioned his technical approach. Jobs paused, thought about it, then deftly used the insult to deliver a strategic insight into the most critical branding question of all:
“The hardest thing is,” Jobs calmly explained, “How does that fit into a cohesive, larger vision that’s going to allow you to sell $8 billion, $10 billion of product a year? And one of the things I’ve always found is that you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to try to sell it.”
But “starting with the technology” was exactly Apple’s strategy during Jobs’ absence. The company lost a decade of innovation, having licensed its system software to 75 companies in the US, Taiwan, and Japan to build Mac clones — including the Motorola StarMax (rhymes with Star Macs) that launched our agency (it was cheap). Restating Jobs’ words:
“You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to try to sell it.”
If there’s one mistake most companies make, it’s this:
Build a better mousetrap and hope a market exists to buy it.
Steve Jobs’ defining gift was his ability to “reverse space” and start with the customer experience.
Reverse Space with your Customers
Reversing space allows you to view the world through your customers’ eyes. I learned this practice — not from my brand strategy work — but from Reshad Feild, an English author/healer I befriended in my twenties. As a healer, Reshad had the uncanny ability to know a person’s history by listening to the sound of their voice. I watched him on the phone — talking to a person he had never met — sensing the person’s history in detail.
“How does he do that?” I wondered.
As his student, Reshad taught me to reverse space. The easiest way to start is with a tree. You barely notice the tree when you seek its shade, but when the tree rips out your gutters, you curse it out. That is reacting to the tree.
Reversing Space starts with curiosity about the tree: What is it about? Why does it reach to the sky? Why does it work so generously to clean the air?
Reversing space captures the innocence of a six-year-old, lying in the grass watching the insects, birds, and trees. You let the world speak to you, seeing things, non-critically, as they are — including your customers.
In contrast, the market researcher puts the tree under the microscope — measuring the xylem, phloem, cambium, etc. As a shoestring brand strategist, you can’t afford to buy fancy data, so you learn to observe and think like your customer. To cast your customer as the protagonist in your Brand Story, you start by asking questions:
Why would someone pay $2.00 for a Kind Bar?
Because it tastes good, has less sugar, and more protein? Or, because you feel the need for some kindness? Maybe, no one loved you today.
A Kind Bar feels your pain.
Who’s the protagonist?
When you work for a corporation, you’re the protagonist — the “we” in the story. “Onward corporate soldiers! Let’s conquer new markets!” So, you build a better mousetrap. “We are excited to announce the all-new X100 Widget!” You forget the fact that if no one wants your product, there’s nothing to conquer.
When you reverse space, you realize that the customer has the lead role in your story. Customers have all the power.
Brand people use segmentation to understand their customers. They look at demographics, purchasing power, gender, socio-economic indicators, etc. They segment the people who buy their products into customer-types called personas. If you’re selling financial services, you might identify “Aisha, the Stay-at-Home Mom” who handles the family finances.
If you’re selling cloud-based solutions, you might target “Tom, the Technical Decision-Maker” who rigorously compares specifications from each company.
Avoiding Stereotypes
Instead of personas, I prefer to think like a screenwriter and build the characters in my Brand Story around the problems they are trying to solve in life. The challenge is to avoid stereotypes like this one: “We’re targeting our new America-themed beer for Joe Lunch-Bucket.” When you dig more deeply, you discover that Joe Lunch-Bucket is more likely named Jose, who works hard, loves his family, and prefers Negra Modelo. You can uncover this fact through market research, but by reversing space, you notice the world around you.
Start by Noticing
By reversing space, you see demographics changing, tastes shifting, and stereotypes falling away: Millennials aren’t interested in automobiles; Burger King is pushing plant-based burgers; people aren’t using desktop computers; Wall Street workers are wearing Patagonia instead of Brooks Brothers; Brooklyn hipsters are drinking low-carb hard seltzers instead of craft beers, and the smartest college kids dumpster-dive on move-out day.
Even basic sundries like napkins and soap, physical destinations like banks and department stores, and all-American sports like football and golf are losing favor among millennials. Pro soccer is in.
When you reverse space, you notice deeper emotional motives in the buying decision. Suppose you’ve invented a high-tech baby stroller and want to research the market. You head to an affluent hipster neighborhood on a Saturday morning to observe young couples getting coffee with sleek-wheeled baby contraptions that cost more than I paid for my first car — a 1965 Volkswagen bus.
You notice the shock-mounted wheels, the UPF 50+ canopy, the five-point harness, leatherette push-bar, phone charger, one-touch brakes, and the reversible seat. The baby seems comfortable, but she’d probably be just as happy in a $14.00 sling. Why did these couples pay $1200 for a Bugaboo stroller? You dig deeper and recognize that their big stroller investment cements their commitment. The baby is their first big project as a couple, and they want to do it right. Then, (drum-roll) comes the aha reversing-space moment:
The stroller has nothing to do with the baby!
Beyond Meat
Suppose you’re a vegan named Ethan Brown. You invent a convincing plant-based meat substitute because meat production takes a toll on human health, the climate, our natural resources, and animal welfare. Your business becomes so successful, you get Whole Foods to carry it. Next comes your moment in the spotlight: you want to take the company public to expand your facilities, finance research, and dominate in an emerging global market. So, who is your target customer?
Vegans? Wrong.
Eco-progressives? Wrong again.
Meat eaters? Yup.
Beyond Meat enjoyed one of the most successful IPOs in Wall Street history, trading at 163% above its IPO price, making it the best performing first-day IPO in nearly two decades. From the Beyond Meat prospectus:
Our brand commitment, “Eat What You Love,” represents our strong belief that by eating our plant-based meats, consumers can enjoy more, not less, of their favorite meals, and by doing so, help address concerns related to human health, climate change, resource conservation and animal welfare. The success of our breakthrough innovation model and products has allowed us to appeal to a broad range of consumers, including those who typically eat animal-based meats…
Wow… Wall Street is subverting carnivores. The Beyond Meat prospectus is backed by a long list of research, but the central question is still answered by reversing space.
Can you visualize your Uncle Cal eating a Beyond Meat burger at the family cookout? What if his cardiologist told him to cut out meat? Can you reverse space and see Cal pressure-cooking beans for dinner? Nada. Suddenly, a vast market emerges:
- Hard-core vegans,
- Climate-conscious consumers,
- Health-conscious moms,
- Global countries without ranch lands, and, drum roll,
- Uncle Cal. Or in the prospectus’ words:
Beyond Meat is positioned to “compete directly in the $1.4 trillion global meat industry.”
Cast Your Brand Story
Suddenly, the characters in your Brand Story aren’t looking like vegans. Here’s the casting call:
If you’ve been lying in the grass thinking about your customers — or like our stroller-guy, observing them “in the wild” — it’s time to cast your Brand Story. This isn’t rocket science, so don’t over-think it.
ACTIVITY: Come up with 3 to 5, or even more, characters (with descriptive nicknames) who are likely to buy your product.Cardiac Cal is a medical-device rep with rising blood pressure and an expanding gut. Cal has been sternly warned by his cardiologist to quit red meat.
Gunner the Mechanic is a meat lover with zero interest in vegan diets. His wife is curious about eating healthier.
Vegan Vicki as a hard-core vegan and PETA member who craves a burger but remains steadfast meat-free.
Mary the Mommy has no diet ideology but seeks wholesome foods for her family.
Yolanda the Yogini studies nutrition, drinks Kombucha, and practices yoga.
Climate Clint lays awake at night thinking about cow methane destroying the planet.
Fill Out Your Character Cards
ACTIVITY: You’ve reversed space; now get to work. Describe each Brand Character in your story using a Character Card. This exercise will pay off mightily when you create your Brand Positioning Statement. Start by filling out the boxes. You can visit my website to download this form:
- Brand Story Character — Create a nickname like “Cardiac Cal” that slots your fictional character into a category. Find an image on Google that portrays your brand character.
- Background — List demographics that shed light on your character’s interest in your brand. These might include age, education, region, income, ethnicity, or politics.
- Interests — Paint a cultural picture of your character’s interests. Hunting, scrapbooking, yoga, and hip-hop each describe very different people.
- Brands/Media — Same as above. If you’re developing high-end fashion accessories, it helps to know they love Versace. If you’re launching a progressive blog, you need to know whether they read The Atlantic or watch MSNBC.
- Goals — Are they building a career? Hoping to save the planet? Wanting the best for their children?
The top three boxes address your brand position:
6. Problem — Describe your character’s problem (and not that they hate their boss) — just the problem or need your product or service addresses. Examples:
- Ice cream provides an inexpensive frozen treat, but my doctor tells me to cut back on sugar. The 20 grams of sugar in my beloved Ben & Jerry’s has suddenly become a problem.
- I sit at a computer all day. Repetitive stress injuries have become a problem.
- We just got a super cute Russell Terrier, but training our high-energy, barky dog has become a problem.
- We’re looking for a family vacation, but the high cost of airfare, hotels, and eating out is a real problem.
7. Seeking — Restate your character’s problem to describe the solution they are seeking. Examples:
- Seeking a gourmet ice cream with half the sugar.
- Seeking an ergonomic chair with highly-adjustable armrests.
- Seeking a “dog whisperer” trainer with the experience to work with difficult breeds.
- Seeking a drivable vacation resort with efficiency kitchens where we can cook our own meals.
8. Target — You will use your casting cards to determine your target customer. But first, stick them on the wall.
ACTIVITY: Create Your Story Board — You’ve always wanted to hang in the writer’s room for Seinfeld or Friends; here’s your chance. A TV writer’s room is adorned with a wall of index cards for episodes, acts, scenes, and characters. Our cards just show your characters.1. Create your board by pinning your cards to the wall.
2. Next step: Do nothing.
That’s right. Simply reverse space. For the next day or week or month, let your characters speak to you. What do they want from your brand? What turns them on, and off?
- Does your product connect to Yolanda’s health fanatic needs?
- Does it meet Mary’s motherly instincts?
- Or relieve Cal’s health anxieties?
- Will your brand make Clint feel better about his impact on the planet?
- Will Gunner even dare to try it?
ACTIVITY: Describe your customers in the blue Target boxes on the form. Create a one-sentence description for each target customer in generic terms and enter it into the blue box on their card.For Cardiac Cal, you might write:
Mainstream consumer who loves meat, but seeks a plant-based alternative for health.
Select Your Target Customer(s)— Imagine you are filming a video for your product or service. Select the characters you want to appear in the spot. These are your most likely target customers.
ACTIVITY: Write a summary statement that covers all the characters you have selected:- Example 1– Mainstream consumers who love meat, but seek a plant-based alternative for their health, the environment, and the welfare of animals.
Does this statement address the needs of all of your chosen characters? If Cardiac Cal represents a key market, call him out:
- Example 2 — Mainstream consumers who love meat, but seek a plant-based alternative for their family’s health, the environment, and the welfare of animals, plus red-meat-lovers with cardiac concerns.
Does that cover everyone? Since Climate Clint and Vegan Viki represent growing markets, let’s add them to the mix:
- Example 3 — Meat-eaters who seek a plant-based alternative for their family’s health or have cardiac concerns, climate-aware consumers who seek to limit greenhouse gases, and veggie-lovers who support the welfare of animals.
Our target now includes mainstream eaters, cardiac folks, vegans, and climate-aware consumers.
A little research shows that 6–8 percent of men have heart disease, so not a huge market. Vegans represent just 1 percent (but seems to double every couple of years).
With its big IPO, Beyond Meat has big aims, so let’s focus the brand solely on mainstream meat lovers. Cardiac Joe, Vegan Vicki, and Climate Clint will respond regardless. Let’s go back and stick with Example 1 for your summarized target customer description:
Mainstream consumers who love meat, but seek a plant-based alternative for their health, the environment, and the welfare of animals.
This process may seem picky and laborious, but a brand position functions like a laser-guided marketing missile. Your brand position needs to target your biggest market at the top of the bell curve. When you weigh all the factors, it’s Mary the Mommy. You will use this description to create your Brand Positioning Statement in the next chapter.
Target customer: Who is the actual buyer? — Before you finish, make sure you have identified the actual buyer of your product or service. Here are examples where it can be confusing :
Wholesale Customers
Example: McCain USA provides frozen food to restaurants. Their sweet potato fries (below) are not targeted to:
- Consumers seeking a delicious and nutritious alternative to regular fries — but rather to:
- Restaurant owners who want to: “Bring excellence to every part of their menu all day long. Discover the sweet opportunity and profit potential of our sweet potatoes.”
In other words, McCain’s target customers (restaurateurs) don’t consume the product.
- Retailers — My artist friend, Sara Anderson, sought to sell her artist-original silk scarves and kimonos directly to her target customer — the sophisticated woman who seeks a sensuous fashion accessory. When Sara’s online store failed to gain traction, Sara realized that yoga studios and resort gift shops might be a better way to get her fashion line in front of consumers.
- By moving from retail to wholesale buyers, Sara’s new target customer became the gift shop manager or yoga studio owner. Unlike McCain, who targets the restaurant owner rather than the end consumer, Sara elected to keep her brand focused on the end consumer because store managers would consider her products through the eyes of their customers. I talk to Sara in chapter 12.
- Commodity Products — If you sell a commodity product — one that everyone uses — identifying customer segments is more challenging. For example, with dish detergent, is there a No-Scent-Sue or an Eco Eric? If your dish soap avoids perfumes or uses plant-based cleaners, you can identify these specialized customers and their needs. But with most commodity products, global companies like Proctor & Gamble and Unilever spend millions to build brand loyalty and differentiate their detergents from nearly identical competitors.
- Corporate Customers — Selling to corporations makes identifying the target customer trickier. For one, the corporate sales cycle is longer with various selling stages, gatekeepers, and middle managers to get through before you reach the actual decision-maker. Secondly, the ultimate corporate customer is the shareholder. Shareholders have only one problem or need: boosting earnings per share.
Selling to corporations requires balancing three target customers:
- First, you must identify the Gatekeeper. If you can’t get a foot in the door, it’s game over.
- Second, you must target the Decisionmaker who faces quarterly pressures to perform.
- Finally, you must address the Corporation as a whole with its bottom-line mandate for shareholder earnings. Each person in the chain faces a different set of pressures and biases.
- Non-Profits — If you’re a non-profit, it’s tempting to see the recipients of your good work (i.e. people in need) as your target customers, but your actual customers are the donors. As a non-profit, you are in the business of soliciting funds by appealing to the conscience of your donors. That’s straightforward, but it gets more complicated when you need to simultaneously “sell” to individuals for small donations and to foundations to get larger grants. I discuss this in a forthcoming article.
One Last Thing
Before you finish this article, take a moment to practice reversing space. Look at a chair in your room. See it as if you were visiting from another planet trying to make sense of the earthlings. Or study it through the eyes of your chiropractor. Suddenly, your benign chair becomes a lower-back torture device.
Try to look at the market for your new business through the eyes of Steve Jobs. How can you solve your customer’s problem or improve their experience? This is why you are starting a business.
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