MODERN MARKETING
The importance of connecting
with consumers through
authentic empathy
By Gaia and Andrew Grant
W
ho would have thought that
emotions would contribute
to better innovation, stronger
marketing impact, and general
business success? Yet that is exactly
what researchers have found: the
best ideas and solutions come from
better emotional connections.
Empathy is now pretty much
universally recognised as an integral
part of all areas of the innovation
process, from A to Z, and as a
38 ModernBusiness
November 2016
foundation for creative development.
Bestselling business author Dan Pink
believes empathy ‘makes the world
a better place’ because it is all about
‘standing in someone else’s shoes,
feeling with his or her heart, seeing
with his or her eyes’.
The shopping trolley challenge
The importance of empathy and
understanding the user’s perspective
when designing and selling new
products and services has been
embraced by a wide range of
companies. As an example of
how this can work in practice, let’s
consider the challenge of shopping
trolleys.
Have you ever noticed how difficult
these trolleys can be to negotiate
around the supermarket aisles, how
items become wedged or buried deep
in the basket, and how frustratingly
long it can take to get through the
checkout process? IDEO was set