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Mirror mirror on the wall, if I ride a skateboard will I fall? The Ultimate Moment of Truth

Mirror mirror on the wall, if I ride a skateboard will I fall? The Ultimate Moment of Truth

By Natasja Beyleveld, Managing Director of NaMedia.

Architecting experience begins with empathy (Brian Solis), so stop focussing on the funnel. Or stop funnelling what you want, down the customer’s throat. Who told you that your good is better and that your better is best? And is your confidence appealing or unattractive?

Perhaps one hypothesis we could pursue, is that people will talk, and that people will listen. If we manage to engender a specific emotion, outcome or capability of a customer – we’re engaging in the journey; the experience that is part of the decision-making process of ongoing preference. On the contrary, from a management perspective, it could become our own journey of understanding why there is a perceived and growing disconnect with our product (and service).

If we are empathetic by showing that we see, feel and hear this journey that they have embarked on, then we are being real. “I understand why budget cuts are being made, but…”. “I hear that you’re ready to give up, I feel overwhelmed too, but…”. “It does seem like an insurmountable challenge, but research shows that…”. The journey to become a top athlete is not just about the shoes or clothes that you wear, it’s also about what you’ve worn up to now, and how that aligns with the trajectory that you’ve embarked on.

Solis speaks about designing for the four moments of truth, and every moment in between. Google introduced the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT). This is the moment when people are searching for what they want. We all have those moments where you google ‘stupid stuff’ to get to the ‘clever stuff’. Then P&G describes a First Moment of Truth (FMOT), when people see a product and create their first impression. Further down the line we have an Ultimate Moment of Truth (UMOT) – which is a combination of self-expression, and the desire to inform others. [Like; I now know what Anagnorisis means after googling “70+ Big Words that will make you feel smart”].

UMOT is the good stuff. This is the type of information that is desperately sought after by consumers in the decision-making journey. One person’s ZMOT becomes the next person’s ZMOT, but with the difference of being relatable, and trusted. My selfie-acronym for the day: OMTOM [oh my Truth ‘Onda Mana’]. Onda Mana is Owhiwambo for “I’m done”.

We’re always looking for information and for comparison. The old ‘predictable media sessions’ have been replaced by short bursts of digital activity intruding (or feeding) into conversations, meetings, events, and decision-making processes. We are not inadequate, uninformed or uncertain – provided we choose not to be.

If part of the X factor is tapping into the shared experience as an affirmation or research criteria, then the search is still a natural step in the discovery process. But we trust those that are more like us – we trust our peers to ‘tell us or show us so’. The vibe and tribe scenario.

Our future for search has been expanded to social networks, video channels, and image networks. It’s about that micro-moment and micro-experience that is instantaneous / in the moment, that will contribute to our urge for instant gratification – and be the ‘live guide’ to our decision-making processes. It’s the becoming, and not the ‘I am’ that we’re focussing on now, because constant access to new information is teaching us how to better adapt according to the most pressing factor or what we value most (wonder, comfort, survival, money, time, availability, preference, luxury, primal needs, image, approval, rebellion, awe – you name it).

Love, Natasja


 

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