We all believe in quality. We buy the best things our money can afford and ask for other people’s recommendations before buying. But we as business people misunderstand quality. Of course, we still have to build quality products and offer a high standard of service, but people don’t always see the quality, so we need to communicate it to the mind of the consumer. If the human mind believes it caught a virus, the body will get a fever; and if you believe you bought a high-quality product, you will experience high quality from that product.
Numbers prove it. (And kids, too.)
In an experiment conducted by Stanford University to find the effect of branding materials on taste, two sets of McDonald’s food were given to 63 children. One set was in its original McDonald’s packaging, while the other was in plain packaging. Children tried the food and were asked whether they liked the plain or the McDonald’s packaged food, or if they tasted the same.
Here are the results:
Hamburger: McDonald’s 48%, plain 37%, taste the same or no answer 15%.
Chicken nuggets: McDonald’s 59%, plain 18%, taste the same or no answer 23%.
French fries: McDonald’s 77%, plain 13%, taste the same or no answer 10%.
Milk or apple juice: McDonald’s 61%, plain 21%, taste the same or no answer 18%.
Carrots: McDonald’s 54%, plain 23%, taste the same or no answer 23%.
And guess what! The result of children preferring food in McDonald’s packaging increased in homes with more than one TV set.
Quality fooled the Coca-Cola Co.
In 1975, Pepsi challenged Coca-Cola. They asked people to take a blind taste test (where participants would taste both drinks without knowing the brand of each drink), and results showed that most people preferred the taste of Pepsi. The Coca-Cola Co. lost their mind when they saw the results, and decided to forever change the original recipe of Coca-Cola by replacing it with “New Coke.”
Here is the power of the brand. After replacing the original Coca-Cola, the company received more than 400,000 calls demanding its return. The company hired psychiatrists to listen to the phone calls, who described them as though they were discussing the death of a family member. An organization called “Old Cola Drinkers of America” was formed, and they filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for denying them their freedom of choice.
Finally, the company brought back Coca-Cola (with the addition of “Classic” to the name as it appears today), and New Coke was named the biggest branding failure in history! What happened? The Coca-Cola Co. was more interested in taste than how people perceived taste.
Quality is felt
In order for people to feel the quality of your products or services, you must communicate it throughout all touch points. To make it simple, start with the 4 Ps: produce, price, placement, promotions.
An example of communicating quality is Apple packaging. The detail of their packaging is meant to make us appreciate the product. Prices of products also give us an indication of quality. Think of when you’re trying to make a choice between two products of brands you’ve never seen before. Whether you buy the higher- or the cheaper-priced one, you’ll definitely feel the more expensive one was superior.
Different products have different signs, which people use as indicators to determine the quality. In reality, the signs don’t always have to mean anything regarding quality, but since this is what people believe we can’t ignore them. An example of this are reinforced steel bars (the steel bars used to build most houses and buildings). As I worked with my father in the business of construction materials in Bahrain, I know that people don’t like to buy steel bars that are discolored. Discoloration has nothing to do with the quality of steel bars, but as people believe it does, we make sure they stay shiny.
Quality is important
Although it is important to communicate quality in many ways, your products or services must follow an acceptable standard of quality in order for your business to survive.
