In marketing and account planning, sometimes you just need to stop and ask consumers “Where are you coming from?” and “Where are you going?” Answers to these simple questions help construct the continuum of life. The continuum of shopping. It helps fit a particular purchase into a life scheme. It helps planners connect.
If I’m at Dunkin Donuts in the morning I’m likely to find someone coming from home or daycare and heading to work. Perhaps they are heading to another store before work. Well-informed planners can provide customers more help — and I’m not talking about help in the form of a message, I’m talking about help in the form of product and delivery. That’s where it all starts — the message can then follow.
Back to Dunkin Donuts: If the “to” is to the newspaper stand because Dunkin doesn’t have the Wall Street Journal, that’s worth knowing. Or if the “to” is to the bagel store because Dunkin’s bagels taste like they’re from the freezer, that’s worth knowing. Everything is worth knowing if it gets you closer to your customer. Consumers are going places, you need to find out where.
