Years ago, Henry Ford questioned the value of consumer feedback: “They’ll say they want faster horses.” More recently, Steve Jobs observed, “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
Jobs was a visionary who always kept Apple customers in mind. He thought it was naive to rely on them entirely but was keenly interested in what they thought about the Apple products they purchased.
I recently read a book that reminded me again of what I characterize as the “Field of Dreams Syndrome.” More about that book in a moment.
The battlefield of innovation is littered with the carcasses of Edsels, New Coke, Life Savers soda, Microsoft Zune, Colgate Kitchen Entrées, Apple (yes Apple) QuickTake camera, Cosmopolitan yogurt, CrystalPepsi, Thirsty Dog bottled water, McDonald’s Arch Deluxe sandwich, and Harley Davidson perfume. Why not Preparation H mouthwash?
All of these and other products were introduced on the assumption “If we build it, they will come.”
In Content Inc. Joe Polizzi introduces a six-step process by which to use content marketing to build massive audiences and create a radically successful business.
Briefly, “By concentrating on building an audience first and defining products and services second, an entrepreneur can change the rules of the game and significantly increase the odds of financial and personal success…Once a loyal audience is built, one that loves you and the information you send, you can, most likely, sell your audience anything you want. This model is called Content Inc.”
The baseball diamond on the Lansing Farm (near Dyersville, Iowa) was built to serve as a set for the film Field of Dreams (1989), not for the millions of tourists it has since attracted.
No so Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Another visionary, Walt Disney, knew that if he built it (in 1955), millions of people would come and they continue to do so.
Beware of the “Field of Dreams Syndrome.” With rare exception such as the Disney amusement parks, it results in frustration and failure.