Focus less on the stage, and more on the audience

A successful brand is much like a brilliantly orchestrated, choreographed and entertaining play. The stage gets set. All the characters come together. The narrative starts. The acts are defined. Sound effects bring alive the emotions. Someone sings and others dance. People cry and scream. They do it not because the stage demands it.

The stage is just the canvas. Like our apps. The products on the shelf. The toll free number on a leaflet. It’s not the Center. The people coming to watch the play are.

It’s attention to the audience which makes the difference. How are they reacting? When do they unite? When do they cringe and cry with you? When they ask for an encore.

Much like in Theater, an app or service in today’s world is on a self created stage. The audience is waiting to be enthralled. And most of the act is focussing on the stage – how to add better lighting, more sound effects etc. Whereas what needs to be done is to focus on what the audience really came for. Surprise them, for sure, but first, tell them the story.

So the next time a product has to be developed, or something new has to be built – don’t focus on just your stage – look at the audience too. They might be itching for the curtains to close, or ready for a standing ovation.