Revolutions: Political and Commercial

Sometimes, I go pretty far afield in my studies – but it’s my sense that it's necessary to step outside to bring fresh ideas into the mix.  If an architect looks only to other architects for inspiration, then now “new” ideas are being introduced – merely variations on a limited set of themes, which leads to commoditization.   To innovate, an architect must sometimes look to artists, to molecular biology, or to theatre to find something truly different that can be adapted and implemented.  That said, I’ve recently read Gustave Le Bon’s Psychology of Revolution as a means to find something truly different to introduce to the practice of customer experience design.  

What does a political revolution have to do with customer experience?   In some ways, they are quite similar.  A revolution seeks to change the behavior of a people, first by tearing down the old regime and then replacing it with a new one that is entirely different.   This is not so far removed to what we do when we introduce a new brand or product: consumers in the market have an established way of meeting their needs, and our task is to show them a new way to do so and convince them to adopt it, abandoning the old.    It is not quite as dramatic, and hopefully not as bloody, but the psychological processes are similar.

In essence, consumers are supportive of the existing brands in a market in the same manner as citizens of a nation are content with a political regime.  They recognize that it is not ideal, and in some instances quite disappointing, but are fearful of the unknown and resigned to satisficing with something that may be significantly less than perfect, but is at least familiar.   And so, they cling to their old products and their old patterns of behavior.  

When something truly new comes along, a small number of enthusiasts will want to adopt it immediately, but the vast majority of the market will remain disinterested for quite some time.   The enthusiasts become the core of a revolutionary movement, who mean to bring others around to their way of thinking.

There may be the argument that consumers are not as aggressive in promulgating their beliefs as are revolutionaries – but this is not strictly true.   Their desire to be accepted in their social circles leads them to show off their new possessions to friends and acquaintances, seeking their approval, and hoping that others will adopt what they have introduced to the group to validate their choice and grant them esteem.   Given the explosion of social media, the social circles of an individual consumer are much larger than they once were.

A rebellion takes place when the majority of people desire to adopt the new model for society, and must dragoon those whom they cannot convince of its superiority.  In the commercial markets, this fighting takes place between companies and is often limited to marketing, advertising, and promotion – using gentler means of persuasion than physical threat to convince the laggards to adopt the new product.  

And the revolution is complete when they have succeeded in doing so.   When practically everyone uses the new product, and those who do not seem weird and out-of-touch for their refusal to adopt it, then the old way has been overthrown and the new way has taken its place.

Perhaps it seems I’m being a little too clever and exploring a completely academic theory: but in many ways the analogy proves out and the psychology of consumers in a market revolution is very similar to that of citizens in a political revolution.   And it would stand to reason that the tactics of revolution can be productive in either instance.