Somewhere between Florida and TexasI’m sitting on the airplane, tired from traveling, but very happy because I got upgraded to first class. The gentleman sitting next to me seems to be completely engrossed in what he is doing. He hardly even notices me as when I sit down next to him. I look over at him and he has a flat digital screen on his lap. I interrupt him and ask him what that mysterious, hi-tech contraption is. It turns out he is reading!
“I got this digital book a few months ago. You can upload just about any book to it and read it. It’s pretty light and easy and it comes with a case. I travel a lot, so its more convenient than carrying a lot of books.”
The man shows
me how to use the book and I tell him how cool it is. “Yeah… but I’m still getting used it.” But by the look on his face, he doesn’t seem too excited about it. I ask him if it’s hard to read?“No its not that, its very easy, practical… but it just doesn’t feel the same… not like a real book. Maybe it’s a tactile thing but, just that feeling of turning the page….its not the same.”
This man, in all his digital, high-tech glory, simply missed the feeling of reading a real book.
Companies value accuracy when it comes to usages, rtb’s and ‘what’s in it for the consumer’ but for real people, the feeling is just as important.
Implication: As brands and products catch up to each other, and technology becomes a commodity, the one thing that will remain unique and invaluable, is the feeling that we deliver.
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