People love shortcuts

I was working in Delhi a few years back.

I had developed quite a good rapport with one of my colleagues. We used to talk about Geo-politics, Current Affairs and Books.

He was more a news reader than a book reader. So, after every one of our very lively discussions, he would ask me to recommend him a book. While I did recommend a few classics, I had also suggested a few simpler books to start him off. One of them was, Fault in Our Stars. It is a nice and simple read that I thought he would enjoy.

A few weeks later, he announced, he was leaving for another firm.

So, as a parting gift, he decided to give, Fault in our stars, to a few of us.

Now, there was a girl among us. This friend of mine was usually shy around her. Even when he gave her the book wrapped in a neat packaging, his hands were shaking mildly.

Now, when this girl opened the packaging the next day, she called him up. She had felt that connection with him, and then this book felt like a dead giveaway.

So she asked him point blank, “Why did you gift me this book?”

My friend replied.

“It was the cheapest one out of all the ones that Parijat had recommended me.”

We get so ingrained in plotting out the most careful customer journey that we think they actually follow this path. It is such an obvious seeming novel idea. It is linear.

But sadly, people are not linear.

Not even close.

We are mental satisfiers. We take shortcuts. We are impulsive.

We are sometimes price-sensitive, sometimes we splurge disproportionately.

We are unpredictable.

Just as economists cannot predict when the next inflation is gonna drop by, as a marketer, you simply cannot chart out a customer’s journey like a neatly done gift wrap.

Focus on ensuring your brand assets are distinct and memorable. Make your brand so easy to buy, someone does not have to think more than a fraction of a second which one to consider.

When I think of buying a cooking oil, I will look for Saffola, Figaro, Dabur etc .If I see them, it makes it easier to choose. These brands are high on mental and physical availability.

If you are not memorable and/ or not present physically, your brand will cease to grow.

So remember, when the day comes your customer decides to impulsively buy, or splurge, the basic task of a good marketer is to ensure, they recognize your brand, consider it and buy it.