Mar 16, 2021
From the. new idea to the new ideal: How Uber turned an idea into the must have.
Idea: ‘A thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action’
Ideal: ‘Satisfying one’s conception of what is perfect: Most suitable.
‘To be successful today you must be in touch with reality. To do so you must connect with a reality already within a customer mind.’
This is a quote from Al Ries and Jack Trouts marketing classic ‘Positioning’, confronting how to be seen and heard in an overcrowded market.
They describe how in this ‘communication jungle’ the mind screens through most of the content it see’s everyday, placing emphasis on content that matches with prior knowledge or information.
The battle for your mind is an ongoing battle. The failure to communicate can be attributed to many problems in life: Marriage, business, relationships etc.
How do brands stand out in a media blitzed age where every position possible seems to be taken?
By triggering basic human needs.
Branding is a feeling, not a logo, anagram or colour.
Positioning
What you do to the mind of the prospect. Change in the price, product is changing the position in the prospects mind.
Once a product has taken proprietorship in a particular area of your personal spending, it has (possibly without you being aware) assumed occupancy within a certain part of you (the consumers) mind.
The huge task is to rewire the consumers brain and allow them to convince themselves that they will benefit from using your product and to retain their interest to the point that they can’t conceive an existence without your product or service.
Uber: Digging up a critical human need.
A great example of successfully translating their idea into an ideal can be seen in Uber’s pitch to the world.
Uber defined two critical human needs through communicating these problems (available online).
Before Uber: Cabs in 2008.
- Insufficient technology — Radio dispatch has no two way communication.
- Hailing is done by hand — No GPS coordination between driver/client.
However, to convince consumers that using Uber was in their best interest, and that using an outdated cab system that they had put their trust in all their life’s was a fruitless exercise.
Fast and efficient cab with is convenient to those who adopt it.
- Prioritise convenience
Weren’t aware of the possibility of time being saved on a taxi ride and cashless pre-ride payments being the ideal state of transactions
2. Efficiency — on demand service where individual can book from anyplace, anywhere, anytime.
Latent to blatant
It’s all good reflecting on the limitations of this process now, where we are blessed with one tap taxi orders and instantaneous communication.
However, before Uber blew they were not the norm. To no longer be a speculative idea, they had to speak to the minds of those they wished to impact.
Through communicating the highly desirable concepts of convenience and efficiency.
Today, Uber is over £12 Billion in value and close to every conversation when getting from point A to point B.
No matter how innovative, futuristic or downright fanciful your ‘ideal’ may seem at the time, it can become an accepted ideal once people get the chance to make it their new normal.
To be continued….
