The critics may have been surprised that Moto X’s display
didn’t seem to impact sales at all, or that when the iPhone
5 came out the following month, it boasted the same 1280
x 720 resolution. Moto X also drew heat for using dual core
processors, dismissed by some as “last year’s technology,” yet
reviewers have been quick to point out that actually using the
smartphone is a genuine pleasure, not because it revs faster,
Crew’s decision to focus on personal service and customer
relationships. Case in point: the Very Pers onal Stylist service,
launched in late 2012, which uses in-store tablets to tell
detailed video “stories” about various clothing articles to
shoppers, and hooks them up with professionals who can
put together an outfit or take care of holiday shopping--all
free of charge.
Domino’s
Domino’s “Pizza Tracker” infuses the late-night pizza order
with story and personality. Besides letting customers place
their order online, and create Pizza Profiles to shorten the
process, the Tracker graphically charts the progress of your
order, tells you exactly what time it left the kitchen, and in
some cases even gives you the name of the person who made
A GENERIC BRAND CAN DIFFERENTIATE
ITSELF
BY
TELLING
A
STORY
THAT
EMPHASIZES HUMAN INTERACTION.
but because its interactions are so thoughtfully designed.
The phone’s sales numbers have been solid, if not stunning,
helping to revive a once-dismissed mobile brand, and
setting the stage for a resurgence in Motorola-built Android
phones--including the current darling of the category, the
Droid Maxx. For consumers, these developments suggest that
GHz, DPI, and other metrics are increasingly taking a back
seat to user experience.
it. The Tracker also opens up avenues for human interaction,
encouraging customers to leave notes for the pizza makers,
some of whom develop personal followings. This feeling of
being able to chat with the kitchen staff and watch them
work is part of the appeal of small, non-chain restaurants;
Domino’s has managed to bring it into the most formulaic
chain-store food experience imaginable.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
If there’s one thing the examples above have in common,
it’s that they are acting with the mentality of a small upstart:
fast, nimble, and hungry. Some are actual startups, like
NARRATIVE IS A DELIVERY VEHICLE FOR MAKING
IDEAS STICK
Everyone loves a good story. Even long-established brands,
which generally don’t spring to consumers’ minds as new
and now, can sweeten their offerings by infusing their brands
with a compelling narrative. A generic brand can differentiate
itself by telling a story that emphasizes human interaction.
J.Crew
J. Crew has been around since the early ‘80s, but has recently
entered something of a design-driven golden age, that’s seen
its revenues more than triple since 2003, and inspired fans
to start blogs that do nothing but sing its praises--a far cry
from its early days as a preppy alternative to Gap or Banana
Republic. A more idiosyncratic, fashion-forward aesthetic
played a big part in this, but even more important was J.
Vamp; others are large corporations breaking with previous
patterns by taking a page from the startup world, like J. Crew
and Motorola. We’ve spent the better part of the last decade
training ourselves to believe that an existing brand must
behave in very specific ways that are “authentic,” and that
authenticity means not changing. In 2014, they’ll realize that
being “on brand” may be the very thing holding them back.
Among big companies wondering where their big innovation
in 2014 will come from, the smart ones will realize they need
to disrupt themselves before a competitor does it for them.
2014 will be the year when established brands intentionally
start acting unlike themselves, rather than acquiring small
companies that have what they don’t. Instead of asking
“what would (insert founding visionary here) do,” they might
ask instead what that visionary would do if he or she were
starting up the company today.