Let’s talk about Consumer Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a well known and studied phenomenon. The fact that there is a difference between what we see and are told and how we feel seems like it should be common logic. The theory has been used to explain why people continue to hold irrational beliefs despite strongly contrary evidence. Applied to a business and branding perspective, it can teach us some very interesting lessons about brand alignment, consumer choice, and the strengths of nuanced brand marketing in the digital age.
For our purposes, I’ve coined the term Consumer Dissonance. While the traditional psychological term can be used, we’re talking about marketing, the small details that direct consumers to act. In most cases, that means a purchase, but if you’re any kind of marketer, you see great value in non-buying actions like word of mouth, and figuring out ways to support those actions can sometimes be a more effective brand growth strategy than direct response advertising.
Consumers have expectations. This isn’t new information. At the baseline, say, a soft drink, has to be packaged to a minimum level, and branded to a minimum level, before it’s even considered by a thirsty customer for purchase. These are considered barriers to entry in traditional business, but we’re more concerned with “why” they’re barriers. The answer, in terms of Consumer Dissonance, is simple. The further your product is away from my expectations of what that product should look like to the individual, the more you’ll have to work to get me to choose it over other, more trusted options. If I already have a preferred product in that category, you’ve just doubled or tripled the difficulty. These aren’t scientific numbers, but there are many good reasons why it’s easier and cheaper to expand vertically than horizontally with product offerings.
This is even true for existing manufacturers. When you’re building a product, if you’re building it right, you’ve accounted for who your competition is, and how you have to differentiate. That differentiation is a key element, too much and you’re not a contender, too little and you’re a copycat. This is where the nuances of brand marketing really start to come into play, and where the power of Consumer Dissonance can really make a product or brand sink or swim. If you have existing consumers, you may have established trust, but you have to subtly turn them from your current offerings, or create the niche that doesn’t compete with your established revenue stream.
Consumer Dissonance is about risk. It’s about defining the acceptable level of risk a consumer will take in order to receive the perceived benefit of your product, whether that benefit is lower cost, higher quality, or simply fear of missing out. The best way to get a real handle on it is to simply consider what you’re asking your customers to forego (in economics they call it opportunity cost). In most cases, those will be small bells and whistles, but in some, you’ll find there are core compromises a consumer has to make to use your product i.e. new technology, lost personal status, or emotional attachment. These are traditional sales objections, but seeing them before you take the product to market will help you anticipate the objection and meet it with meaningful answers to why that risk is worth their while.
On the back side of the sale, consumers who are aware of the benefits and possible pitfalls of a product they’re purchasing are informed, and informed consumers are the easiest kind to turn into real brand advocates, which, if you’re doing it right, should be the goal in the first place. You’ll also find there’s far less consumer dissatisfaction with a product when the original purchase isn’t made under an assumption of risk. Like most things, it just takes putting yourself in your customer’s shoes.