It feels like people around the world have been through a lot in the last few years. A global pandemic, political unrest, international conflict and an energy crisis have dominated the headlines in the media, and it has made consumers and businesses alike face up to how bleak the future might be.
Bleak times can cause people to become reflective and to wonder what it is, exactly, that they are longing for. The answer is simple: bright, blue skies.
The truth is, that customers do not want to listen to their suppliers grumbling about their problems. Steve Jobs put it perfectly: “Your customers don’t care about you. They don’t care about your product or service. They care about themselves, their dreams, their goals. Now, they will care much more if you help them reach their goals, and to do that, you must understand their goals, as well as their needs and deepest desires.”
This is not to suggest that customers are not sorry that their baker’s energy prices are rising. But the reason they are sorry is mainly because they are afraid prices will rise yet again for themselves.
When you are dining in a restaurant, you do not want to listen to the chef complaining that it is hard to find good staff. You are there to enjoy good food and have a good time. Customers are mainly interested in their own challenges. A company’s job is to help the customer with those challenges and provide value. In the current social and financial environment, we need positivity and a positive impact on our businesses more than ever.
The ‘Top Gun Effect’
In the summer of 2022, our family went to the cinema to enjoy Top Gun Maverick. For those who have not yet seen it, there are some spoilers coming up.
The great thing about the film is the pure feel-good vibe that it exudes. From the moment you hear the soundtrack and see Tom Cruise in his leather jacket, you know the film will be great.
Now, the film is set in a military context and features US Air Force fighter jets, yet no one dies in the film, and there are no bad guys. The story is totally predictable; the impossible mission is a success, and of course, Tom Cruise is the big hero.
Customers want feel-good stories and positive vibes.
The question is: are people really looking for this kind of feel-good story at present? The answer is emphatically, YES! Top Gun Maverick was one of the best-reviewed films of 2022 and finished as the highest-grossing film of the year. So why not add some ‘Top Gun Effect’ to your customer experience?
The ‘Top Gun Effect’ in practice
When we think about how we can improve the feel-good factor of your collaboration with customers, the ‘Top Gun Effect’ magic is often found in small things.
The Magic Castle Hotel in Los Angeles is a very simple and somewhat strange-looking hotel. It is painted pink and has castle-like features, but the rooms are nothing special, and the pool is very small.
Yet, in spite of this, it is the tenth best-rated hotel in Los Angeles on Trip Advisor. Most reviewers rate the hotel highly because of ‘The Popsicle Hotline’: a red telephone by the pool that you can use twenty-four hours a day to order free ice cream. Can you imagine how crazy children are about that phone?
Other examples are the initiatives of JetBlue’s CEO. Everyone knows how annoying it can be to wait around in an airport. But JetBlue passengers are sometimes surprised by occasional visits from the CEO, who hands out drinks and doughnuts to his customers while they wait to board.
Sometimes, there are surprises on the flights: one example was a quiz where the winner received a free JetBlue flight.
Another time, in response to a major delay in one of their flights, all affected passengers were given free flights.
What little surprises can you make for your customers to spread positive vibes?
The ‘Top Gun Effect’ on social media: GAS
Why are TikTok and Snapchat so popular? Because they are more positive and entertaining than other social networks. Anyone who has ever seen kids playing with the many Snapchat filters or collaborating on a (supposedly) funny TikTok video knows exactly what I mean.
The objective of creating videos is no longer about the number of views or likes but about having fun while making the video. Fun and positive social media are on the rise. The new GAS social network, for instance, is enjoying tremendous growth.
The name GAS comes from the phrase ‘gassing someone up’, which translates as ‘boosting their self-confidence’. The concept is very simple: the app invites teenagers to complement each other.
The founder of GAS is Nikita Bier, who is also the founder of a forerunner app with a similar mission: tbh or ‘to be honest’. Facebook bought tbh in 2017 but did nothing with it, and the concept died a quiet death.