“I love your product!” is not necessarily the same as “I love your product!” or “I love your product!” In fact, I may very well love your product and never buy it, use it, desire it, tell others about it, or even consider purchasing it. Why? Because love isn’t always enough.
Let me put it this way… We all have known couples who have been together for forty years and really, can’t stand each other. They don’t split up, and, in fact, they may go lots of places together, tell others how busy their lives are, and boast of their lifestyle. But, at the end of the day, they aren’t attached to each other in the most fundamental way: emotionally. Instead, they see life (their individual lives, specifically) through a purely rational lens. The notion of staying together is more palatable than the challenges of splitting up. Hence, although they really don’t share a substantial emotional bond, they appear at a casual glance to be quite content with their lives.
Consumers are no different than this poor couple above. They might “love” your creative, they may be entertained by your advertising, and they may even tell their circle of friends on Facebook that they “Like” your product. But they won’t ever buy it. It seems “love” just isn’t enough…at least not that kind of love.
Employees may feel the same way about your firm. They may toil away for years, doing just enough to satisfy a diminishing desire to outpace mediocrity. They stay because it is easier, perhaps more socially acceptable, or maybe just logical from a financial perspective. But they are not invested emotionally, and they see no reason to engage with your corporate mission and vision. It is easier instead to endure.
Emotions are at the center of everything that we silly, irrational humans do. What is logical may come into our field of vision, but can be readily dismissed or overridden by a simple impulse that is motivated by an emotional desire that we can’t or don’t feel the need to explain. We probably couldn’t explain it anyway, as we usually don’t really understand why we do many of the things we do.
Your employees tell you they “love” money. Nope. Sorry. They don’t. They are rationally attracted to attaining a specific level of income that satisfices their requirements for physiological well-being and safety. What they “love” (defined as that which partners with intrinsic drivers to change a behavioral pattern, velocity or intensity) is a vision of themselves in a better (happier, more satisfied or more powerful for example) place which supports an elevated self-perception. Money doesn’t do that.
Why does this matter? If you are a marketer, you must challenge your branding, packaging, positioning, and product design to appeal to your market on an emotional level. I can respect the fact that your product stands for something, but if it doesn’t resonate with my sense-of-self, I may settle for being amused, courted and aware, but not compelled to buy.
If you are an employer, you must understand what engages your employees’ emotions, and construct an environment that nurtures and supports the values that your employees are tethered to. Opportunities for personal growth, development, esteem and a shot at that elusive self-actualization are critical avenues to focus on. How well your management team individually embodies, interacts and reinforces the cultural mores of the organization are core to creating a workplace that one can become emotionally bonded to.
The bottom line is this: you can’t rely on “love” alone to sustain your brand or your company. You have to create a connection that goes beyond what is rational or logical. Like any other relationship, it is a lot easier to fall in love (with a product or an employer, or even a spouse) than to stay in love. Commitment won’t happen on its own, and must be continually reinforced, communicated and demonstrated in order to be sustained.
How will you bring this understanding to life with your product or your organization?
