Crowded Store Shelf? Make Room for the Hero
By Mary Louise Rubin
CMO
I found myself in a CVS looking for sunscreen on a hot July day and remembered what my husband asked me to buy next time I was running errands - disposable cups. This was the last detail he needed to ensure was complete before the music camp he runs would start the following week. Can’t have thirsty kids! So I found the aisle and stood in front of the paper and plastic products selection. Red plastic solo cups are too big. And too plastic. Dixie cups are too small, I thought to myself. More important than these thoughts was that I realized standing there that I really hate buying disposable tableware products, even when I know I need the convenience. So I stood there a little longer, gazing through the offerings on the shelf, not feeling positive about the purchase I needed to make. I consider myself an environmentally conscious consumer. I do my best to make my habits have less impact on the earth when possible, but admittedly, I still live a life of convenience and consumerism. So those conflicted feelings were with me as I stood at that self.
Then I saw a box that didn’t look like the others; one that I’d never seen before. A dark grey package with teal blue accents and a Ball brand logo popping out at me with these benefits in big, easy to read font: Enjoy. Refill. Recycle. I was intrigued, so I picked up the package and learned more. I soon found that not only was I excited to buy something other than those options that give me the “I try to be eco-conscious but can’t save the planet” guilt, I was happy to learn something new too. Turns out aluminum is “infinitely recyclable” and gets recycled much more easily and efficiently than plastic. Problem solved! I could let go of my emotional turmoil over this small purchase and feel satisfied knowing I helped my husband and maybe helped the environment just a tiny bit too. Sometimes innovation seems so simple - we all drink from aluminum cans all the time, why didn’t anyone think of this before? Kudos Ball team!
A few days later, while reading the brand strategy book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller, this moment in CVS came back to me with a new perspective. In one charter, called Who Gives Them a Plan, Miller offers a dramatic analogy to explain a potential customer's state of mind before they make a purchase decision. “When a customer is deciding whether to buy something, we should picture them standing on the edge of a rushing creek. It’s true that they want what’s on the other side, but as they stand there they hear a waterfall downstream. What happens if they fall into the creek?”
I can’t say that I felt that dramatic as I perused the disposable cup options, but afterwards I realized that this description was indeed very relevant to what I was experiencing in that moment - having a problem, feeling emotionally negative about how to solve it, wondering it is was worth the money and then - bam - a brand popped into my consideration set and guided me to a new happier solution. The brand needs to act as a guide, Miller explains as a key theme throughout the book, so that the consumer can be the hero. I still feel like I found my disposable cup hero, but I appreciate the thought that I can feel a little more heroic too.
How does your brand or company solve your customers’ problems? How can you guide them to the solution that you offer, and why is it different and distinct from your competitors? These are just some of the questions every business and brand needs to spend time discussing, debating and developing. No matter how simple or complex a purchase decision is, there is always an opportunity to tell a story. But that story needs to be clear, it needs to address its main characters’ problems (your customers), and lead them to the right solutions. Take this time with your team to build your story and chances are you will set your company on a positive trajectory and have satisfied customers coming back or more.