Choose Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s putting yourself in their shoes. And it’s the key to good branding, because the brand relationship is built on understanding the customer’s world view and desires. 

Hey, you got a lock?
 
Would you make a key and then run around looking for a lock to open?
 
To make good products and services, you’ve got to think first about how they’re going to be used and care about the people who’ll be using them. 
 
Draw a small circle.
 
You can't be all things to all people. Whom can you best serve? Draw the circle as small as you can – that’s called your minimum viable audience. Identifying who’s in and who’s out will save you a lot of effort in both product development and marketing.
 
Once you’ve identified that specific group, you'll want to find out: What do they care about? What makes them tick? What are their aspirations? Because knowing your audience and what’s important to them is critical to building your brand.
 
Show me your underwear.
 
Ask your customers these questions. Listen mindfully and humbly. Get to know them as human beings.
 
Better yet, observe them in their natural habitat. I have crisscrossed suburbia taking photographs of peoples’ bookshelves. I’ve spent hours watching college students shop online. I've grocery shopped with moms and hit the dog run with dog owners. And I’ve had scores of women show me their lingerie drawers. 
 
Doing what your customers do and feeling what they feel will help you create delightful experiences and relevant messaging - and avoid simply inventing cool stuff. 
 
So, how do you feel about lightbulbs?
 
Take, for example, my electronics client who had invented a brighter and longer-lasting lightbulb. These engineers had animated discussions about lumens and lifespan. When we spoke to consumers, however, they weren’t very interested in lumens or lifespan - or really in lightbulbs at all. 
 
They were, however, very interested in light. As they walked us through their homes, they spoke poetically about the importance of light in their lives. 
 
This insight completely changed the narrative. We helped them develop a compelling benefit story around quality of light = quality of life. And the innovation plan shifted from making improvements to lightbulbs to creating customized lifestyle environments.
 
Choose empathy.
 
You may also have noticed the phrase “The People Have Chosen Empathy” featured prominently on the political stage. I sincerely hope we that we, the people, have indeed chosen empathy, and that we will continue to do so on a global scale. 
 
Empathy is a choice. But, really, what other choice is there? Arrogance and ignorance are not great strategies. Look around with empathy at what your customers need. Once you start observing carefully, all kinds of insights and opportunities open up.