Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?

“Permanent Change” in the Market

Customers used to be dogs – ring the bell, wave the treat and they’d come running. No longer. Consumers have become cats. They want what they want when they want it. And if they’re not sure they want it, you have to convince them. More and more ads, websites and choices now compete for consumers’ attention. In this atmosphere, firms can’t rely just on branding alone. Brands used to suggest large, amorphous but understandable concepts. For instance, showing a rugged cowboy on horseback conveyed the nature of a certain cigarette. Now a brand is only each buyer’s “personal experiences with a particular product or service.” Consumer interaction holds all the brand’s meaning. Supplying new awareness about your product is no longer enough. Now, you must cajole cats and “celebrate meows.”

The “Persuasion Architecture” process is the way to accomplish that goal. It begins with developing a “persona” for your targeted customer and proceeds through framing a story about the product to reach that persona, making prototypes of your promotional pieces, developing and using those materials, and monitoring your sales results. Persuasion architecture...