Hippes Hype Habits into Rituals

I listened to an interesting presentation by Jody Crane of New Solutions and Caroline Gibbons of Portico Research about how people adopt "new" habits for themselves.

They were making distinctions between habits, routines and rituals. I won't go into the details of their proprietary research, but here is what struck me about developing insights and pitching products to consumers.

Forget those Eisenhower-era marketing touts focused on functional benefits.

Those Hippies (now Baby Boomers) are more interested in the emotional benefits of products. Yes, they expect certain functional benefits, but functional benefits alone (those reasons to believe) are not enough in commodity product categories.

In an increasingly complex, threatening, multi-multi-media world, people want things that not only do good but make them feel good about using them.

Good design is an increasing cost of entry. And why not? Do you want a lime green tea kettle or a shiny, sleek Michael Graves tea kettle from Target? They cost the same. But which one makes you feel good about using it.

It all goes back to that Sixties revolution that asked for everyone to tune in. Today, the marketing translation of "tuning in" is an appeal to emotions. Eisenhower moms bought in to what worked best. Soccer moms expect that what they buy works; what seals the deal is the emotional appeal.

That soap in your shower. Lifebuoy, that gets rid of B(ody)O(dor) or L'Occitane's high-lather, citrusy Verbena soap. Unilever has got it down now with Dove. Real pampering soap for real women.

How do you transform your product from something that people use out of habit into something that becomes a ritual. Understand the emotions at play and play to them. Rituals operate at a higher level of involvement. That is where the premium play is.