Insights: Few & Far Between

Listen up, researchers. I’ve got some tough love for you.

We too often mis-classify facts as insights. Boring, run-of the-mill facts presented as if there’s something new and wonderful to them. Findings that could have been thought of without doing fieldwork, copy that leaves audiences asking, “So what?” Then, because we are scrambling to create a captivating story, we clutter our deliverables by making them long – throwing the kitchen sink at it so speak, in hopes that something will stick with our audience. I’m tired of making the audience work for it. I bet so are they.

Instead, I want an insight to stun me, make my heart beat a little bit faster. I want an insight to wake me up at night and make me grab a pen.

Insights should change our worldview, change our actions, but too often, the threshold of “insight” isn’t strong enough. So let’s change. Let’s be rigorous, over the top demanding, in what an “insight” is. Is this idea something you are so passionate about that you would want to tell it to a stranger? Is it something so emotionally captivating that you kinda well up when you think about it? Can you explain it in a sentence or less? Does it make your blood boil because of someone’s current plight?

Above all, insights must be meaningful, stimulate creative thinking, and most importantly, must have an inherent tension to them. Frustrations. Wish lists. Workarounds and hacks. The unstated need. This tension is what leads to breakthrough product and marketing ideas. As researchers, we should search for them high and low because they are like gold. So let’s go looking for gold while in the field. Something new. Something emotional. Something tension filled. That’s our charge.

Ideas Have Their Own Agenda

Ideas have a mind of their own. They can’t be forced or coerced; they can’t engineered to happen. In fact, they just happen. In weird places. At weird times. Yet, we so often force ourselves to generate ideas during calendared brainstorming sessions. Or, we block time to craft a document that includes all of our ideas on a given topic. As if ideas could come effectively in a two-hour window. Could you invent Twitter even in the best of ideation sessions? I think not. Or more likely, how often have you stared at your computer screen, helplessly trying to solve a problem or generate new thinking?

So, I propose that we embrace the fluidity of idea generation; let’s change our approach. Let’s not try to artificially make ideas happen so much; let’s instead give them some breathing room. Some room to grow, even fester a little. Let’s embrace ambiguity, not letting it frustrate us. Let’s take the time to mold and build an idea, not rush to blurt it out.

And let’s take it to the streets. Let’s be intentional about thinking hard about topics when we’re not in direct work mode. Like going on a hike to think, like going people watching at the mall, like watching TED videos to expand our mind, like getting a fresh perspective from your spouse about your business challenge. Then, there’s also always the weird times: while you’re lying in bed, while working out, while you’re stuck on the freeway, the shower, the airport, and yes, the potty. I’m sure you’d rather focus on your other activities while out and about, but wouldn’t a quick 5-minute brainstorm amidst your varied contexts be worth a shot?

I also suggest that we need to think more deeply on why it’s hard for us to think sometimes. Good ideas certainly need good curiosity and good needs finding work, but I think there’s something deeper missing. I think one of the root challenges in idea generation lies in our limited ability to truly mediate and introspect in this day and age. I don’t mean just freeing our minds from the clutter, friends. I mean learning how to think deep, long, and hard, without getting frustrated. To truly mediate and introspect.

Think about our monk forefathers who lived in the desert or high mountaintops back in the day, spending their entire waking lives rooted in deep philosophical thought. Could we bring some of that thought discipline and mentality to our approach to generating ideas? Can you maintain a zen-like focus for 30-minutes? 15? I think we’d all have better ideas if we became masters of meditation.

The next time you’re struggling to get some good ideas out, maybe you should get out. Literally. Maybe a trip to the forest for some meditation will do the trick.

Let’s Make the Best Damn Product

Think about the last time you bought toothpaste. There were probably rows and rows of choices. There were probably claims up the wazoo about teeth whitening, cavity prevention, and a buncha other stuff that would require a degree in dentistry to make heads or tails of. Now, you probably spent a nanosecond making your choice, not giving much thought to all the features and benefits Toothpaste A has over Toothpaste B, C, D, etc. But, if this was the first time you’ve purchased toothpaste or you actually decided to pay attention to all the clutter, your head would probably spin. And it’s not just a toothpaste problem. It’s a paper towel problem. A shampoo problem. A dog food problem. You name it. 

Why is this? Lotsa reasons. 

First, there’s the shelf space war; more space = more power for a brand. Brands doggedly fighting for shelf space “innovate” by creating specialty product lines – products that feature select benefits, rather than rolling up all benefits into a super product(s). The ‘ol Good, Better, Best strategy. Specialty characteristics in the name of price and shelf real estate.

Then, there’s variety argument. Having multiple flavors of ice cream so to speak. While variety is good, do we really need 12 types of toilet paper? Are all these products truly differentiated? In most cases, I struggle to find a true difference.

So, here’s my argument:  Make the best damn product possible and screw Good, Better, Best. I believe everything else will fall into place then. Let’s put our heart and soul into making the best product we can, not worrying about shelf space, variety, and the like. Let’s think deeply about the little details, let’s continuously evolve the user experience, let’s just be open to dreaming how our product could be better. And let’s not even think about entering a category or extending our brand unless we can revolutionize it, unless we can create a truly original experience or benefit.

Let’s make the best damn product even if it means we’re more expensive. If people love a product, they’ll pay more for it. I firmly believe that. Even for toothpaste. Let’s make a product that people love.

Wouldn’t that be more fun and inspiring than re-hashing old product claims or coming up with a new SKU for the sake of shelf space? I’d much rather work for a company that had a few rows of one killer product than a company that has rows and rows of good but meaningless products.  Wouldn’t you?