Stand out or Be inconspicuous? How brands can make a strategic & mindful choice.

Yes, it's that time of the year. The mega heat wave is playing out across the country, and in an uncharacteristic way even in a place like Bangalore, known for its 'pleasant' climate. In the last few weeks, I came across two incidents related to air-conditioners, that were quite telling in terms of the customer experience & journey. The first one is not-so-cool (pun very much intended), and the second one, is an ideal one.

1) The not-so-cool way to stand out:

A friend, who runs her own medical practice, installed an air-conditioner in her clinic. During the time of installation, her assistant was overseeing the folks who got it installed. The next day when the doctor walks into her clinic and eagerly looks to see the new device installed, she is greeted by the sticker on the facade of the device (see photo below)! Supposedly an attempt to focus the customer's attention on the key features of the device?! She felt aghast, embarrassed and, at the same time, found it ridiculously funny that the brand ("Cruise", in this case) would have this kind of a sticker on it. Much relief happened when the sticker was finally removed.

2) The beauty of being inconspicuous:

In an unrelated incident, I joined the bandwagon and installed an air-conditioner as well. I purchased a Samsung (the 'brand') from Croma (the 'retailer'). I was pleasantly surprised to see updates from the retailer over the course of the first 24-48 hours, but only the "right" number of messages and updates to let me know that the device was being shipped and delivered and a certain date & time. And soon as the machine got delivered, within the hour, I got an update notifying me that a request had been placed with the brand (Samsung, in this case) to go ahead with the installation. Within 24 hours, I received updates from the brand that the installation was scheduled at a certain date & time and so on. I thought this entire experience, from purchase to delivery to installation was beautifully handled and seamlessly managed across two different organisations. All of this over the course of 4-5 days. And the best part was, I didn't feel like I was being bombarded with a dozen unnecessary updates or notifications over SMS and WhatsApp, as has unfortunately become the norm with most such scenarios. While I was notified at the right time and for the right reasons, I would imagine that the two brands had to do a whole lot of communication and interactions between them to manage this in a way that was seamless for the customer. And that's the beauty of inconspicuous design! It is designed customer-backwards, and most parts of the design solution are completely invisible to the customer.

Two remarkably different product & customer experiences. One, where the brand is more interested in screaming from the rooftops about their features, and doing so in a regressive and tasteless manner. In the other example, two brands and organisations come together to create a seamless experience for the customer and deliver on the visibility, clarity and control that they seek in these situations. It's simple, but it's not easy.

In the first situation:

1. In a category (i.e. household appliances) where most customers would want the device to blend in into their walls and home interiors, is this the best way to reinforce your brand? Yes, people are now becoming more 'house proud' , and yes, there is Instagram-brag value fuelling a lot of these trends, but seriously, a Bollywood celebrity in a red carpet outfit on a sticker on the AC???!! It's what I refer to as, the "item number" approach to marketing!
2. The brands that have managed to stand out in a positive way are the ones which use Design as a differentiator (see photo and link below), e.g. Smeg and Dyson . And they have done that by fundamentally rethinking the product and its entire experience. And yes, they look absolutely gorgeous too. Brands like Smeg and Dyson have managed to create an emotional connect with people to the extent that these appliances are not just visible in people's homes, but are even celebrated in home interiors because of their exceptional product and design. The approach that Cruise air-conditioner has taken is neither here, nor there. It's self-serving, rather than serving the customer's needs.

In the second situation:

1. The brand(s) have really taken the effort to focus on the post-purchase experience of the product. And in the case of an air-conditioner, the installation can easily become a nightmare if not handled thoughtfully. Designing for the peak-end rule for your brand is one way of getting sharp and rigourous in delivering a great experience, especially in those moments that matter.
2. By prioritising the customer experience, the two brands have (apparently) figured that either cannot succeed without the other. In the example that I shared above, the brand (Samsung) needs the retailer (Croma) to ensure timely and effortless delivery, while the retailer (Croma) needs the brand (Samsung) to do the installation right. In this situation, perhaps I was lucky (either that, or these brands have really got their stuff sorted out) that I experienced seamlessness. We've all been at the receiving end of the stick, when two brands, or even two departments within the same brand, pass the buck to each other and avoid accountability when things go wrong. And that again, the difference between being self-serving versus being customer-focussed.

Being customer-focussed is not easy, and it can be time consuming too. But when done right, brands build true loyalty. And that is worth every bit of effort and time invested.

#customerexperience #behaviouraldesign #designthinking #baddesign #gooddesign