Perception is Reality

Years ago a friend of mine was asked to participate in a market research study. The company was going to send her product to use and provide feedback on. She was excited to participate because she loved their products. A few weeks later when the product arrived, her excitement diminished. The product was packaged in a ziploc bag! At that moment her perception of the product changed. It was no longer "special" in her mind. As a result, she declined to participate in the research study.

There are a number of things that the company could have done to minimize the negative perception created by the lack of packaging. For instance, they could have:

1. better managed customer expectations. The company could have explained what the customer was going to get and how it was going to be packaged.
2. included a note with the package. The note could have addressed the lack of packaging and reiterated the value of her feedback.
3. invested in some temporary packaging that reinforced their brand image.
4. created a better customer experience.
   

As it was, the company's attempt to gain customer feedback backfired with my friend. They lost out on her feedback and she no longer thinks of the product as "special".

Remember, perception is reality!

Katie Wacek is the President of Sandia Mountain Marketing, a marketing consultancy that provides strategic and tactical marketing expertise to small- and medium -sized companies, professional service firms, and thought leaders throughout the United States. Learn more.