Assumptions Have No Place in Buyer Persona Interactions

There is a famous scene from the original Odd Couple television show where Felix exclaims, “When you assume you make an ASS out of U and ME!” He’s right, and when brands make assumptions about buyer personas, we, as the buyers, should say the exact same thing! 

The Value of Accurate Personas

Buyers keep brands in businesses. Most of the people who buy a specific brand have a great many attributes in common. The more of these attributes that can be identified, the better a brand can communicate and sell to everyone who fits that persona.

To create a detailed persona a brand needs to spend time researching various aspects of their buyers, and their products. Every persona starts with simple demographics such as age, gender, location, marriage status, family status, title, and annual income. This is the easy stuff. Research that helps brands understand how their personas think, when they buy, and why they buy is a bit more involved. 

Real data is needed to create personas that allow a brand to create products or services, messaging, and packaging that encourage personas to buy! Getting this right keeps a brand in business. A great brand example is JetBlue.

JetBlue understands their persona – how they think and why they buy. Their persona wants affordable and comfortable travel. Many of their customers are younger, so they make sure to reach them where they live, on social media. JetBlue even has secondary profiles on the same platform (such as Twitter) allowing them to develop different communities and communicate appropriately on each one!  

Assumptions about their personas did not lead JetBlue to success. They don’t make decisions based on what they THINK they know. They make decisions based on what their research has taught them.

This Penney Wasn't Saved

Many brands bring in new executives to inspire innovation. This is especially true in the retail space as buyers have so many options and brands have lots of competition! When JC Penney hired former Apple executive, Ron Johnson, as their new CEO in November 2011, they were looking for change.

They got it!

Johnson took all his experience from Apple and hit the ground running at JC Penney. He made many assumptions about the buyer personas and moved forward with a new look and feel for the retailer. One of his first moves was to kill the coupons and replace them with “everyday low prices.” However, these low prices were on new higher-priced items. JCP private label brands were out and designer inspired ones were in. 

JC Penney shoppers were not happy. 

Johnson had basically stripped the stores of everything their buyer personas loved. His assumptions about his personas were based on what he thought he knew, without any regard for the data. In his own words, “I thought people were just tired of coupons and all this stuff. The reality is all of the couponing we did, there were a certain part of the customers that loved that.”

In April 2013, Johnson was fired.

A Kodak Moment Missed

To grow, a brand must be willing to take a few risks. No brand can stay in business by continuing to do the same thing and offering the same products. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” should not be a brand’s motto no matter how risk adverse they are!

Unfortunately, this may have been what Kodak was thinking in 1975 when it developed the first digital camera. They kept it quiet because they didn’t want to risk disrupting their film business. They thought they knew their personas and stopped listening. Their assumption was that buyers would be loyal, and that staying the course would keep Kodak afloat and profitable. They were incorrect. 

Kodak could not stop the digital age from coming. If they weren’t going to take the lead with their new digital camera, another brand would, and did. Sony and Canon both launched digital cameras, taking the helm in the space and never looking back. When Kodak finally came to market with their digital camera, it was too late. Not only were their cameras just run-of-the-mill, but their film business was declining as well.  

Off-Brand New

Brands spend years and boatloads of money to establish their brands. Marketing and sales content, advertising spots, product packaging, pricing, and connection to their mission are all elements that need to work together. Buyers must understand what brand stands for, and over time, come to rely on that understanding, again and again. Once buyers connect with a brand, they trust they are going to receive the same quality of product/service every time. 

When brands expand their offerings, it’s important that the new product or service makes sense to their buyers. This is not a time for assumptions. Research and testing are the best way to launch a successful new product. Staying on brand results in growth. Two examples of excellent brand expansions include:

Vick’s ZZZQuil. Vick’s NyQuil helps you sleep when you’re sick by relieving your symptoms. They were smart to launch a product that helps you sleep even when you’re not sick. 

Duracell’s Powermat. This is the opposite of Kodak’s story as Duracell, a top battery manufacturer, moved forward with the market and created a product to charge wireless devices. This trusted brand is staying relevant.

However, when brands assume their loyal buyers will buy anything from them, the results can be confusing, and even cringeworthy!

Bic Underware.

Colgate Kitchen Entrees.

Pond’s Toothpaste.

Ben-Gay Asprin.

Zippo – Women’s Perfume, Deodorant Spray, and Body and Hair Wash. Yes, Zippo just kept trying!

Paula Deen Kid’s Furniture.

And there's more! Click here to read a longer list of brands that made assumptions that resulted in products failing!

Looking for help developing a detailed buyer persona? Contact The Data Chick!