How Customers Think

I love the Innovation domain. How can you not? Trying to figure out that next great idea that changes the world is invigorating. That no blueprint for success makes it intellectually stimulating. That I do it in a Fortune 200 company is equally frustrating. =)

As I study the Innovation landscape more and more, I continue to get drawn into deeper and deeper dives in this space. My latest foray is into the area of consumer behavior, how the brain works, and cognitive science. Not much of a foray to date (lots of blog reading... my favorite is the Eide Neurolearning Blog), but I've decided to give How Customers Think a whirl. Been sitting on my bookshelf for three months, and I finally got around to opening it.

I've become a disciple of Clayton M. Christensen, whose theories on innovation are changing the way large companies think about innovation. My favorite quote from Seeing What's Next follows:

Furthermore, those who require data or best-practice comparison companies to make decisions about the future must throw their collective hands ups when inassailably conclusive quantitative data doesn't exist. And the truth is, data only becomes conclusive when it is too late to take action based on its conclusions.

Wow. Think about that. "...data only becomes conclusive when it is too late to take action based on its conclusions." Again, wow. Big problems for big companies trying to do innovation.

Christensen goes on in Seeing What's Next and outlines his theories and models for innovation. But I was left wanting to dive deeper. Thus, How Customers Think.

Already I like this book (primarily because it agrees with my philosophies on consumer research!). It starts off by identifying six marketing fallacies:

1. Consumers Think in a Well-Reasoned or Rational, Linear Way


2. Consumers Can Readily Explain their Thinking and Behavior


3. Consumers' Minds, Brains, Bodies, and Surrouning Culture and Society Can Be Adequately Studied Independently of One Another


4. Consumers' Memories Accurately Represent Their Experiences


5. Consumers Think in Words


6. Consumers Can Be "Injected" with Company Messages and Will Interpret Those Messages as Marketers Intend

Put another way, the way most companies go about consumer research and marketing is just plain wrong. Ouch. And that doesn't even begin to address marketing around innovation.

My appetite is whet. The next few days might be the fastest I've churn through a book, and will likely create plenty of blog postings =)