Daniel,
Here’s what I would suggest — optimise for Clarity first. When everyone understands what you do and how it benefits them , then start split testing for Fun/Humor/Jokes. :)
A side issue, but I think relevant here. Much (if not all?) humor is an emotional response to discomfort. The rapid intake of oxygen from laughing gives us a brief respite from the uncomfortable thought in our head.
What if I suggested that right now there could be a level of discomfort you guys feel around your product? Discomfort caused by some people reacting negatively to the idea of you taking their money? What if you are trying to deal with that negativity using humor/cleverness at the cost of clarity for the customers who count?
(And only a small % of people who hear about you through PR will really be potential customers who count)
I could well be wrong, but that might be worth thinking about. You’ve mentioned the need to “set expectations” or “signalling” a couple of times. There’s a fine line between setting expectations and avoiding criticism. Especially when you’re using PR and the mainstream press (ie. non-targeted) stories to get attention. That will ALWAYS come with haters.
If you want to avoid all criticism, this is the wrong business model. But I think much of the criticism is the result of your positioning. You haven’t cracked the pitch for this product yet. That’s a story issue. Improve the story, the sales script, the pitch, whatever you want to call it.
When you get that story right, it will have mass appeal and shouldn’t in any way stop the quantified self community using the product at all. Simple is simple. Better is better.
Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly spring to mind. They are both deep into the quantified self stuff right? Didn’t Kelly start one of the first groups? KK is a super smart guy, I love his thinking. But it takes someone like Tim, who can simplify and tell better stories to the masses to make a real impact. Tim, with his better stories will directly impact a lot more people using the same wisdom, in an easier to digest manner.
I have a feeling you guys already know the CodeCombat guys?? I think their simplification of coding, especially how they do that visually, holds lots of interesting clues you guys could benefit from.
For more tips on how to get the story right, I’m working on a big article about that. Might be ready in the next couple of weeks. Thanks again for your participation. :)
