How to help consumers and buyers categorize products

One of the challenges of introducing a unique new product is just that; it is unique and new. In other words, people may have difficulty understanding what it is because they don’t know how to categorize it.

It seems that it is part of the human condition to categorize things. At least that is according to an interesting article in the October 4, 2009 New York Times entitled “It’s Brand New, but Make It Sound Familiar.” According to the author:

Humans instinctively sort and classify things. It’s how we make sense of a complex world. So when companies develop innovative products and services that don’t obviously fit into established categories, managers need to help people understand what comparison to make. Without that step, potential customers might just walk away wondering, “’What is it?’”

The author suggests that the best way to circumvent the challenge is to associate it with something familiar. One way to do this is the choice of words. He points out that the early term for a car, “horseless carriage,” was actually pretty brilliant as it immediately described what the product was by connecting what was unfamiliar (a car) with that which was familiar (a carriage). 

Manufacturers can also make associations through familiar packaging formats, colors and shapes.   As an example, the author describes an early digital photography company’s success in making its memory cards gold, the same color as Kodak film.

How might this work for toys. Let’s give it a try. What’s a Zhu Zhu pet?  It’s a hamster that doesn’t litter. What’s a Webkinz? It’s Beanie Babies with a virtual component. What’s a Moxie Girl? Bratz with less attitude.

So, the next time you show that new product to a buyer and she frowns and asks, where does it fit, make sure that you connect it to a product or concept with which she is already familiar. It might mean the difference between success and failure.