THE PRINCIPLE

In a bland world, the quirks stand out

How many products or services are interesting enough that you talk about them to friends? This is called word of mouth and it’s the cheapest, most effective form of marketing there is. If you look for the quirks in your projects, you will find the key to word of mouth.

Let’s face it, most products and services do the job but they are bland. I go shopping at Tesco or Sainsbury’s, I buy office supplies at Ryman, I get coffees at Caffè Nero, but very seldom do I ever mention it to friends. Why? There’s nothing out of the ordinary about any of these. In fact, I’m having a hard time coming up with any examples of extraordinary shopping experiences to cite in this book, but let’s look at some quirks in other arenas:

• A product from Dave’s Gourmet, called Lucky Nuts – every tenth nut is super hot. They’ve brought Russian roulette to snack foods.
• The ladies in the casinos in Las Vegas who bring you free drinks while you’re playing the slot machines. Yes, I know – they are just designed to keep you there, losing money. And by the time you’ve tipped them, you’ve paid for the drink anyway – but it still seems like getting something free.
• The masseuses on certain Virgin Airlines flights who rub your weary shoulders as you wing in luxury across the ocean. Too bad Upper Class costs a fortune (I got it with Air Miles, and now I’m ruined for Economy travel for ever).
• At the gym, the personal trainer who gives you a free session on your birthday.

The characteristics of these appealing quirks and extras is that they are unexpected. By definition, the expected is the norm and not something we’re likely to talk about. It’s the pleasant surprise, the out of the ordinary that people remember.

I mentioned one more example previously, from the workshops I present. At some point in the afternoon, I hand out sealed envelopes and ask people not to open them until everybody has one. Then I have them open them in unison and take out the contents, and sniff it. What’s in the envelope? A peppermint tea bag. The smell of peppermint refreshes you, which is a good thing when people are a bit lethargic after lunch.

That’s a key point: the quirk should make sense, not just be something silly for the sake of being different. Seeing 30 or 40 people all sniffing tea bags always makes everybody laugh, which also helps enliven the session. It’s a small thing but years later people still mention it with a chuckle.

As you go through the development process, occasionally think about what you can do that’s quirky and adds to the value of the product or service. When you align the quirk with the personality you want your project to have, you have a winning combination.

Website bonus

At www.CreativityNowOnline.com, click on the ‘Creativity Now!’ button. Bonus 16 is a round-up of quirks that work.