The Faster Horse Carriage Syndrome: Why Listening to Customers MAY NOT ALWAYS BE Enough

Relying on Customer Feedback Sometimes Can Hold You Back

Had Henry Ford asked his customers what they wanted, they probably would have said, “A faster horse carriage.” If he had worked on that feedback, he would have done something else or we might still be waiting for the car or something else entirely would have been on the road.

Instead, Ford didn’t rely on customer feedback and ended up changing the world by bringing the “CAR.” He created the first car and gave it to the world.

Customers in any field (even us) think within the bracket of what they know, not what could be.

Faster Horse Carriage Syndrome — the idea that customers, when asked what they want, often don’t see the bigger picture.

Customers in any field think (even us) within the bracket of what they know, not what could be. Most customers have a “bracket of expectations,” and once that bracket is reached, their imagination stops. That’s when they (in fact, we all) enter what neurology calls the Default Mode Network (DMN) — the brain’s autopilot that takes over when it’s not asked to think outside the box.

As marketers, especially in pharma, we often make the mistake while calling on the doctors’ for feedback. While their insights are definitely valuable and no replacement for it, we need to remember that doctors, like anyone else, are also humans and a part of the system. Most of them think about what they know from their current settings or past experiences or expertise. Many may not think of what’s possible radically in marketing or consumer behaviour or even a better way.

There are doctors who do it.

Doctors will surely ask or want “better treatment options,” but that’s a generic requirement.

Let’s question ourselves first: how often do we ask doctors to imagine something truly new? Instead of pushing the boundaries, we ask for minor improvements. They will naturally give the same.

For marketers, it’s like the classic “jugaad” approach that’s so prevalent in India — fixing things with what’s available at hand, no matter how imperfect it might be. We’re so caught up in making small tweaks that we forget to look at the bigger picture.

Ask yourself: How often have we been happy with “just a little better” when we could be creating something that changes the game entirely?

They may want “better treatment options,” but that’s a generic requirement. Let’s question ourselves first: how often do we ask doctors to imagine something truly new? Instead of pushing the boundaries, we ask for minor improvements.

Remember the old-time classic “Lassi wala” in every Indian town?

You walk down the street and see a tiny roadside cart with a man serving lassi to customers, offering either sweet or salty versions. Now, let’s imagine a marketer back in the day trying to innovate by asking customers for feedback: "What kind of lassi would you like?" Most customers would say, “Sweet lassi, obviously!” After all, it’s what they’ve always known. But here’s the kicker: What if the marketer thought outside the box and created a unique fusion drink — say, a “Tangy Mango Chilli Lassi”?

The market wasn’t asking for it, but guess what? It became a hit. Now you get lassi or, for that matter, ice creams and other things in hundreds of flavors.

This same thinking applies to pharma. The medical field is full of professionals who follow guidelines and standards, which is good, yet they are heavily influenced by their peers and traditional ways of doing things. When asked what they want, its simple that many might ask for the same solution, just faster or more efficient.

It’s easy to rely on this feedback, but it often limits innovation.

Default Mode Network (DMN)

There’s a fascinating concept called the Default Mode Network (DMN). It’s what our brains do when we’re not actively thinking — it falls into autopilot mode.

Often as brand managers, we are victims of this. When we ask customers (or doctors) for feedback, they tend to give answers based on their current knowledge and experience. Many doctors even give good ideas, but do we catch the insights? We default to what we know and don’t necessarily think about what could be. Innovation doesn’t happen in the DMN; it happens when we force ourselves to think beyond what we know. As marketers, we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and imagine solutions that customers haven’t even thought of yet.

The Limits of Secondary Data

Another key limitation for marketers and brand managers is the overreliance on secondary market data and prescription trends. While these data sources provide valuable insights, they often lack the depth to uncover transformative opportunities.

Secondary data reflects the past or current state of the market — the “what is” — rather than the “what could be.”

When we rely heavily on these numbers, we risk becoming reactive rather than proactive, tailoring our strategies to fit existing patterns instead of challenging them or creating altogether a new pattern by thinking on something to change the market behavior.

Prescription trends show us what doctors are prescribing today, but they don’t necessarily point to unmet needs or the potential for breakthrough innovation.

It’s time to stop asking for feedback every time that simply pushes us to make incremental improvements. Instead, let’s create something revolutionary, just like Ford did with the car.

Let’s take a page out of the jugaad book, but not limit ourselves to short-term fixes. Think about the bigger picture — create solutions that doctors and patients didn’t even know they needed but will fall in love with when they see them.

Next time, don’t ask, “What do you want?” Ask, “What’s the one thing you didn’t even know was possible?”

Because sometimes, the best brands and services are born from the questions no one has thought to ask.

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