Originally, I was going to post a video of a scene from Louis CK’s old TV show.
But then I chose not to.
Not because he was rightfully cancelled for his behaviour – but because the subject matter is too heavy for this early in the week.
But I probably will post it later in the week because it’s a brilliant piece of work.
Not in terms of ‘comedy’, but truth.
Not played for laughs, but for emotional connection … ensuring you feel the pain of what is being said either because it relates to situations you have experienced or actively avoided.
I won’t say any more … both to ensure I don’t ruin the post if I end up doing it plus the fact, I’ve got to actually find it.
Not to mention the fact I am convinced I may have posted about it before but for the life of me, can’t find it … haha.
So instead, have a look at this …
That’s the window of a cake shop near where I live.
As you can see, it was a sunny afternoon – despite being Autumn – so the blind is down.
And that’s where I saw the words, “we’re open, it’s just sunny”.
Those words were printed ON THE BLIND which means a few things.
1. They understand how perception can influence the retail environment.
2. They pay attention to the details across all aspects of their business.
3. They invest in how their business presents itself to their audience.
4. By printing it on the blind – so the writing disappears when it’s up – they are showing that they have an attitude of ‘if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’.
Now I appreciate it seems like it’s a small thing.
But I noticed it.
While driving in my car.
On a busy road.
On a Sunday.
But I tell you something else. I must have driven past a ton of shops on that road and not one of the others made any impression on me. Certainly not enough for me to photograph it then go in and buy something from it.
And here’s the thing … the reason I noticed it is because frankly, you don’t see much of this these days.
Instead, we’re drowning in functionality efficiency.
Removing anything other than what is deemed ‘achieves the specific and immediate need’.
The optimisation of operational interaction. Or in UX language, ‘the systematic removal of any possible friction point in the purchase process’.
But there’s a problem with that thinking, because that approach makes you literally the same as everyone else.
The blandification of who you are. The commodotisation of what you do.
But GoodFor – the name of the shop – chose not to do that.
They understood that done right, ‘friction is valuable’, which is why they decided to deal with this problem in a way that enhanced the brand reputation and experience for their customers. In essence, rather than removing friction … they made a statement out of it.
What some would deem ‘unnecessary and costly’, they saw as an investment in their individuality and personality.
Now I appreciate it’s a small thing, but many of the biggest impact stuff is small.
Think Virgin Atlantic’s salt and pepper shakers or even the classic Argos pen … stuff most would not give a second thought to, and yet reveal more about what the brand values than $10 million quids worth of TV advertising.
In this world of ‘optimise everything’ marketing, it blows my mind how few companies appreciate the big impact of small gestures … because to a society who is finely attuned to marketing bullshit, nothing tells them who you really are than doing stuff most companies wouldn’t even think about.