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When an audience comes in contact with your brand, do you strive to simply meet approval or meet expectations?

Meeting approval is limited to that which is acceptable to the average; like vanilla ice cream.  It is seldom the preference, but most people will eat it.  The result is something that is safe, and usually boring.

On the other hand, meeting expectations first seeks to define the attributes of the desired audience.  Designing for audience interaction with your brand, whether it be attending a live event or test driving a new product, requires a few considerations;

1. Recognize that each individual shows up with a unique story made up of personal experiences that you cannot change, and should not want to change.  Success depends on your ability to align the brand story with their story.
2. Resist the temptation to design an experience that is intended to be interpreted the same by everyone. It’s an impossible task.  Interpretation is as unique as each individual, because of the perspective they arrived with.  This is not negotiable.  Experiences can be shared but are never the same for unique individuals.  Intentionally design for interpretation.
3. Seek to accentuate those elements that stimulate innate human characteristics. (e.g. curiosity, relevance, survival, acceptance, etc.).  This ensures you will have their attention.  Keeping it requires building on top of these elements, whether simple or complex; do so for dynamics.  (i.e. Experiencing the smell of a brand new sports car can accomplished while going 80 miles an hour listening to your favorite music, and/or parked under a shade tree with the window rolled down; listening to crickets.  The leather smells the same, and both experiences provide the same available horsepower.)

Simply attempting to meet approval screams of “conformity” while meeting expectations celebrates the individual and encourages innovative application for each individual that comes in contact with your brand.  When you ‘kick the tires and go for a test drive’ you tend to imagine yourself driving through YOUR neighborhood and on YOUR way to work.  You ask yourself, “how will this change or better my condition”?  If the brand story and the individual’s story align… SOLD.

So, design to that end.

Remember, unless you ARE God, your audience is not the whole world!  Disappointed?  You might sincerely believe that everyone needs your product or service, and while it might even seem feasible, it’s just unrealistic to design with a global objective in mind. It is unattainable; too comprehensive, there is too much competition, and you do not have the resources to cross the chasm required for success.

Your time is better spent attracting an audience that already recognizes the need for your brand.  They are better prospects anyway.   Every defined audience has an identifiable affinity.  Speak to this and celebrate the edges.

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