I had an all-too-familiar experience yesterday at a drive-through oil change shop. It started with just an oil change — the service I’d actually come for. Then came the suggestions: “You’re due for an oil system flush.” (I agreed) “Your fluids are low.” (Sure, top them up) “Your air filter is dirty.” (Fine, let’s replace it) “Your wiper blades are worn.” (Erm, okay…) By the time she suggested a coolant flush and a pricey replacement radiator cap (mine could start leaking, y’know!), I was...
1 day ago • 2 min read
I’ve been working with a client who makes a product that, technically speaking, consumers could create themselves. With some time, the right components, and a bit of trial and error, a motivated person could replicate it. There are even YouTube videos showing how. Yet thousands of customers happily pay a premium for the finished product. This got me thinking about our decision-making around make vs. buy, and the psychology behind why we often choose convenience over cost savings. Look around...
2 days ago • 2 min read
When I was a kid, my favorite April Fools prank was elegantly simple: wrapping electrician’s tape around the black plastic sprayer at our kitchen faucet. The beauty was in its invisibility. I’d sit patiently waiting for a family member to come along and turn on the tap, only to get soaked by the diverted water stream. LOLs for me. Their shock was my delight. It worked for years because it was the first joke of the day and caught them completely off guard. The perfect tension-release sequence....
3 days ago • 2 min read
I’ve been skeptical about some of the grandiose claims surrounding AI implementation in the product world. (I mean, aside from the stuff we see daily, like new ChatGPT competitors, and ways to create attractive but conceptually flawed ads or terrifyingly realistic video fakes.) But then I got into a case study about Reckitt (maker of brands like Lysol, Mucinex, and Finish) that offers something inspiringly different: Actual, measurable results from their generative AI pilots. No vague...
4 days ago • 2 min read
I’ve been working with a B2B startup lately that launched with beautifully crafted Ideal Buyer Profiles. They had the works: detailed personas with photos, fictional names, job titles, goals, pain points, buying triggers. Six months later, these profiles still make sense, but NEW target buyers have show up. They’ve seen the product, and seen how it can apply to different use cases. This happens often, because we can’t know what what we don’t know yet. We create beautifully detailed buyer...
5 days ago • 2 min read
Let’s play a quick game. What were your last three online purchases? Now, here’s a harder question: what were your last three purchases that you made after seeing an ad? If you’re like most people, you probably had to check your credit card statement for the first question — and really struggled with the second. Maybe you couldn’t even do it. I just did this exercise myself. My last three purchases were: Replacement cleats for my Peloton shoes A book recommended by a podcast host A gift for...
6 days ago • 2 min read
Yesterday I wrote about how I almost ripped my bumper off on a fire hydrant, despite 4 decades of driving experience and a vehicle equipped with sensors and cameras. That experience reminded me of a video that made the rounds a while back — Gen Z teens presented with a rotary telephone and given four minutes to make a call. (See it here) If you’re over 40 or so, you’re probably thinking: “Four minutes? I could dial a rotary phone number in 10 seconds with my eyes closed!” Yet these bright...
7 days ago • 2 min read
I did something embarrassing a few weeks ago. Despite a solid driving record for 40 years (not a single multi-vehicle collision), I managed to rip my front bumper nearly clean off — backing past a fire hydrant at low speed. My truck has cameras and sensors all around it, specifically designed to prevent exactly this kind of mishap. So what happened? I got comfortable. I thought I knew what was around me, and after waiting 30 minutes in a narrow driveway for my passenger to arrive, lost track...
8 days ago • 2 min read
I came across a case study about Tyson Foods that illustrates something I discuss in I Need That: The most powerful innovations often happen behind the scenes, invisible to customers, yet transforming their entire experience. While consumers know Tyson through brands like Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, and Ball Park, they don’t see the technological transformation reshaping how these and other Tyson Foods products get to their plates. Tyson tackled a deceptively complex problem: helping...
9 days ago • 2 min read
