ss_blog_claim=5f03e3e7fa6ca8c951b6fbd30fa71c10 iWant. | beyondmadisonavenue

iWant.

I guess it’s just human nature to want more right? In what has become an endlessly consumption-driven world, do we never find something that accomplishes what we want it to? Can we never simply be happy with what we have rather than continually wanting something more or something better?

Core77 has an excellent assessment of the iWant syndrome:

Our theory is that when you give people what they want, they actually
complain more than they did when they were simply putting up with
whatever was doled out to them.

They’ve laid it out with Apple as the prime example. Apple creates the iPhone, and people immediately criticize it for what it doesn’t do. Apple releases Leopard, and the immediate reaction is "it’s great, BUT…"  My question is why

Is it just an issue of semantics?  Do we really have an underlying love for these products which prompts us to immediately offer ideas on how to make them better still?  Or do we view Apple as the closest point to perfection in the technology world and therefore expect them to think of everything before we do? 

This also opens up the opportunity for conversation. A brand that’s willing to listen to the people who are talking stands to make exactly the changes that people want - granted, you’ll never satisfy everyone. Even better, a brand that’s willing take a speaking role in the conversation, in addition to listening, (something that Apple has never been very good at) has the opportunity to create true advocates for themselves.

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2 Responses to “iWant.”

  1. Interesting. Maybe the reason for the iWant conundrum is a difference between positive vs. negative reactions and the scale of the reaction.People tend to list pros and cons in equal measure; that is our nature. I think that if you asked people to give a 1-10 scale to each pro and con of how passionately they feel, you would find a bigger difference between the aggregate scores. That would tell you more about how the person really felt.Or we’re just in love with imagining things being better.

  2. I’m late to join this convo… but looking at what Dell has done to turn things around by participating in the conversation, I wonder if this impact the iWant idea for them.Course, they’ve tended to be a low cost player so it may not… 

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