A powerful approach to consumer insights that fuels brand growth

In the marketing tradition we all work in today, we look for consumer problems to solve, pain points to alleviate or barriers to our brand to overcome. Given our standard of living and the over saturated marketplace, these "problems" are becoming smaller and less significant than they were when marketing was developing (post World War II).  To compensate, we ladder brand benefits up to risible levels (snack chips helping solve world peace). Now, there's a more powerful way to look for growth-inspiring consumer insights. Applying the concepts of Positive Psychology to consumer insights shows wide open innovation and growth opportunities for brands.  As our world gets more complex, consumers are gravitating towards brands with a clear purpose that is linked to helping them live more positive and flourishing lives.    I'll be sharing more of this thinking and how to apply it at my next webinar, "Flourishing Brands," on Wednesday, June 20th, at 3 PM CST. Please forward to people you think could benefit from learning a new, more powerful way to find and articulate insights that can power growth.    Email Alexis Oddson to sign up.

How create a flourishing brand

The new theory of Positive Psychology provides some clues on how to develop a flourishing brand and business.


Positive Psychology has expanded the traditional purview of psychology:  from narrowly focusing on a deficit mentality (i.e., how to solve the problems of the mentally ill) to supporting human flourishing.


In today's traditional marketing mindset, we expect our businesses to grow by solving the problems of our consumers. I believe that this mindset or bias only shows half of the opportunities for growth.


Flourishing, iconic brands that most of us envy help their consumers flourish.


Let me back up.


Flourishing is a construct that is made up of five elements.  Each element is pursued by human beings for its own sake.  Here's my understanding of what they are:

1. Pleasure or enjoyable experiences
2. Accomplishment
3. Positive relationships
4. Inner-directed motivations:
• Being in the zone
• Being engaged in an endeavor that is meaningful (i.e., serving something larger than yourself)

Iconic brands (iPhone, Zappos, Southwest Airlines) help their customers flourish by supporting their endeavors in all of these dimensions.  Let's take Apple for a primary example.

First, their iPhones are an absolute pleasure to use.  They are beautiful objects, the packaging is even gorgeous as well as the chargers, screens, corners, etc.  And, the iPhone connects its users to their entertainment of choice: music, videos, movies, shows, photos.

Second, iPhones help users accomplish so much, particularly with Siri reminding you to take the meet out of the freezer, helping you find the closest gas station, etc.

Third, they foment positive relationships with the easy access to phoning, texting, Facebook, etc.

Four, they are so easy to use and intuitive that the technology does not disrupt the user's flow. 

And last, the iPhone user is engaged in a community of hip, creative, digerati.  

How many of these dimensions of human flourishing does your brand support?  My experience is that looking to advance consumers' strengths and their positive experience in life or at the breakfast table shines a light on brand new marketing and product development opportunities.

I'll be sharing more of this thinking and how to apply it at my next webinar, "Flourishing Brands," on Wednesday, June 20th, at 3 PM CST.

Email alexis.oddson@energyinfuser.com to sign up.

Even with a broken back, I'm more attracted to PASSION than pain!

OK, so I got bucked off a horse about 10 days ago.  And the pain meds might have had something to do with why my last email didn't make too much sense. Even in my condition, I'm more attracted to those health care workers who are helping me figure out how to move my body without doing more damage than to those who keep asking me how bad the pain is on a scale of 1- 10. Most consumers respond the same way to marketing messages.  "Show me what's possible, don't remind me of the problem!!" I have observed that brands that tap consumers' PASSION in a positive, relevant way win. Pampers Village taps the passion parents have for raising happy, healthy babies... and by aligning with that shared passion, Pampers takes the high ground over Huggies.  We use private social networks to understand that passion points that animate consumers' conversations with each other... passion points that your brand can fuel, and that can, in return, fuel your brand's growth. I'll be sharing some best practices of using these Social Energy Networks on Wednesday, May 30th at noon CST. Only 20 participants will be allowed to sign up. Email alexis.oddson@energyinfuser.com to sign up.

An eating occasion ripe for innovation

Consumers have one of three basic orientations towards health and wellness.  Some are oblivious (about 32% - mostly young men), some have good intentions but life interferes with their ability to follow through (45% - primarily moms with kids in the household), and the rest are really into being healthy (20% - mostly empty nesters).  Despite these differences, they all feel the least confident about their after-dinner, before-bed snack. The conflict is between consumers' desire to indulge themselves and their need to sleep soundly.  There is really no good solution, currently. I'll be sharing the results of our most recent Change Energy study on Thursday, May 17th. Only 20 participants will be allowed to sign up. Email alexis.oddson@energyinfuser.com to sign up.

Do you think young adults move home because of the economy?

My son Christian graduates from college a week from tomorrow, but I'm in the minority of parents.  He is NOT moving back in with me.

The majority of parents with "children" 18 - 29 have at least one of those young adults living at home with them.  And brushing the situation off with "well, it's the economy" is superficial.

The parents find it confounding.  Over 60% don't understand this at all.  They agree that when they were young adults, they couldn't wait to separate from their parents.  That they were eager to take life on, make their mark, experience the world.  They don't understand why their kids don't seem to want to separate (even if the can't, shouldn't they at least want to?)

And 75% of them find the whole situation incredibly stressful.  As one mom said to me, "When I tell her that I think she's drinking too much, she tells me it's none of my business - that she's all growth up.  But when there's no milk in the fridge, she complains."  The very definition of stress:  having responsibility without authority.

To learn about how this phenomenon affects household dynamics and product purchase decision making, please send me an email.  kay@energyannex.com.

Sticky Finger Parents

23% of US households have more or one young adult "child."  And over half of those households have one of those kids living at home!!  56% of these households have a 19 - 24 year old living at home.  41% have a 25 - 29 year old living at home. And, that doesn't count those households in which the kids are living on their own with mom and/or dad footing the majority of the bills. We call these parents Sticky Fingers Parents because they're stealing the experience of creating an adult life from their adult children.  Most of them are shocked that their adult kids are still so needy. What are the implications for marketers? For more details, sign up for our next webinar on 4/17 at noon CST.  I'll be introducing this concept more fully. Email alexis.oddson@energyinfuser.com to sign up.  Space is limited.

New survey results: routines separate the healthy from the, well, not so

Most Americans are Health Intenders.  You know, they WANT to be healthier and make better choices, and they intend to make those choices, but life interrupts and they get side-tracked.


This is 45% of all of the people we surveyed.  They tend to be parents with kids under 18 at home.  Interrupted sleep and other priorities (read: "Mom, my book report is due tomorrow.  Do we have any poster board?") derail their best intentions.  


This group is also most likely to get in trouble once they start eating something they've designated as a forbidden food.  They strongly agree that, "Once I start eating one particular food, I'm off to the races."  


Many a healthful intention is wrecked in the DANGER ZONE between dinner and bed.  This is when these Health Intenders want something to help them unwind and be ready to sleep, but their current routine is to start snacking on something that's calling their name from the kitchen.  And, once they start, they find it next to impossible to stop eating that chocolate, or that ice cream, or those chips...


This DANGER ZONE is crying out for a new healthful routine to substitute for the destructive eating routine.  What could your brand offer?