establishing the right frame. establishing the right frame of reference is important because… the...
TRANSCRIPT
Establishing the Right Frame
Establishing the right frame of reference is important because…
• The first thing your prospects want to know is “what” you’re trying to sell them
• If the “what” doesn’t fit neatly into a pre-existing category, it creates confusion
• Minds hate confusion and tend to default to incumbent options whenever it’s present
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The right frame of reference…
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1. Signals to customers the job that your product or service will
do for them
Classic frames of reference would include categories ranging from…
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Mountain bikes Smart phones Fast food
Soft drinks Sport utility vehicles
Watches
But classical framing fails to acknowledge that products and services perform multiple jobs
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Exercise, Adventure,Commuting, Thrill seeking
Email, Texting, Web browsing, Photos, Social networking,
Gaming, Phone
Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Reward
Refreshment,Caffeination, Snack
Commuting, Transporting children, Hauling supplies, Protection from
accidents
Telling time, Showing status, monitoring body
functions
What jobs do customers hire cars to do?
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Hauling large pets
Driving off road
Driving in fould weather (i.e. snow)
Listening to news and entertainment
Hands free telephone calls
Protection from accidents
Navigating adroitly in traffic
Hauling supplies and cargo
Transporting children
Commuting to work
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Relative importance
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Female car buyers aged 40-50 years
Driving in foul weather (i.e. snow)
Both frames are informative but option B creates greater clarity for potential customers
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Sport utility vehicle Child-safe SUV
Framing option A Framing option B
Takeaways
• Our frames of reference must maximize clarity
• Jobs (rather than products) are often the most effective way to express a frame of reference
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The right frame of reference…
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1. Signals to consumers the job that your product or service will
do for them
2. Dictates the types of associations that will function as points
of parity and points of difference
Coca-Cola’s points of parity and difference will vary depending on the frame it chooses
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Thirst quenching drinks
Soft drinks Sport drinks
Energy drinks
Juices
Iced tea
Points of parity in soft drink and energy drink categories beginning to blur
Soft drink category
• Taste
• Availability
• Serving size variations
• Calorie content
• Energy functionality
• Color
Energy drink category
• Energy functionality
• Youthful imagery
• Calorie content
• Serving size variations
• Taste
• Availability
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Energy drink category
• Energy functionality
• Youthful imagery
• Calorie content
• Serving size variations
• Taste
• Availability
Soft drink category
• Taste
• Availability
• Serving size variations
• Calorie content
• Energy functionality
• Color
Mountain Dew and Monster have been leading this change in their respective categories
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The right frame of reference…
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1. Signals to consumers the job that your product or service will
do for them
2. Dictates the types of associations that will function as points
of parity and points of difference
3. Accelerates the understanding of new ideas by relating them
to things that we already know
Examples of effective framing
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Horse and carriage Horseless carriage(aka: the automobile)
Examples of effective framing
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Car Hybrid electric car
Examples of effective framing
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Personal Organizer Electronic OrganizerPalm Pilot 1000
Examples of framing that created confusion
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GM EV1* Electric car
* GM EV1 had a 60 mile range at launch and required 8 hours to fully charge
Apple Newton Digital Personal Assistant
SegwayPersonal transporter
Summary
• Establishing the right frame of reference is important because customers hate confusion and have a tendency to default to incumbent options whenever its present
• Effective framing mitigates this risk by performing 3 essential functions
1. It signals to customers the job that your brand will do for them
2. It dictates the types of associations that will function as points of parity and points of difference
3. Finally, it can accelerate the understanding of new ideas by connecting them to ideas that we already know
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