In products and in life, people are always looking for ways and means to fulfill their psychological needs. One area of basic human motivation is the desire for change and transformation; taking a risk and trying new things if you will…
When I say risk, I don’t just mean betting $10,000 at a casino or investing in an American bank – I also mean little everyday risks. For example: tasting something new in a restaurant, meeting new people at a function or buying something different at the grocery store.
The desire for transformation and risk is present in all of us. We all have some appetite for risk; indeed, it’s an essential part of human nature. Unfortunately, so many of the products and services we experience on a daily basis ignore this and choose to work with a limited spectrum of our motivations.
Contrary to popular belief, conscious decisions and rational thinking do not represent the majority of human thought – in-fact according to Prof. George Lakoff cognitive scientists now believe that 95% of all human thought is actually unconscious (For example: Philosophy in the Flesh; The Embodied Mind and Its Challenges to Western Thought).
On that note, I’d like to share with you a brand that is (in my opinion) one of the best examples of building psychology into a product. It’s called Anything or Whatever:
This line of soft drinks comes in a unique style of generic packaging, so you literally don’t know what the flavor is until you taste it; it could be Anything or Whatever. Whilst the brand, packaging and communication for this product are brilliant, what I like most about it is the underlying strategic insight. People sometimes like to take risks.
So what can we learn from this innovative product?
Risk is a fundamental human motivation and one that has been fundamentally ignored by many brands. Risk doesn’t necessarily mean risky; and if businesses are serious about connecting with new customers and new generations, perhaps they should start considering some new motivations.