The Physics of Marketing - Snell’s Law

Willebrord Snellius saw the light.  Well actually he saw the light do funny things, and then went on to describe why it was so.  The output was Snell’s Law, which describes how light travels at different speeds through different substances.  Ever wonder why that drinking straw looks different in the glass of water than it does above the glass -   Snell’s Law.  How about why on hot summer day there appear to be puddles of water on the road off in the distance, yet when you get to where they seemingly were you find nothing but blazing hot asphalt - again Snell.  It is all about refraction, or how light bends.

Different materials have different refractive indices, meaning that light travels at different speeds through everything.  A high refractive index indicates that light bends a lot as it passes through.  Conversely a low index means that light moves more quickly.

So how does this idea apply to Marketing?  Well there are about 50 ways to go with this one.  I am choosing to go with the following, but encourage you to choose one of the others and leave a comment.  So here goes my take.

In marketing, there is often the concept of the great idea.  You know what I mean… “How about we try __”  or “What if we make ____”  Internally a few people discuss the idea, and quickly it turns into a product.  Note that for this example we are going to assume that this idea makes its way through the process of becoming an actual product or service - most never get that far.

Okay, so the idea hits the market in the form of a product and it is a huge disaster.  What happened?  We thought it would be great.  It did everything we wanted.  Everyone will love it.  We knew it would work. One problem.  The consumer, or at least the one’s whom you approached, did not want it.  Things are received differently by different people just as light moves differently through different substances.  So making the right thing for the right people matters.

Successful marketers realize this principal and attempt to use this to their advantage.  For a product to become successful, marketers must find the innovators and early adopters for their idea.  Target them.  Talk to them.  Find out if they are influential with others.  Satisfy their needs.  Dazzle them.

Again, these ideas spread at different speeds.  Successfully getting through the innovators and early adopters moves you into the early majority of people.  This group is slower to respond, but just might come around with some coaxing from the other two groups.  This process might then continue onward through the late majority of buyers and into the laggards before your idea is replaced by another.  As the pool of people spreads, your idea becomes more commonplace, and the impression it makes distorts from the original image.

Again, the key is to realize who you are trying to target, how their response may be different from others in the market, and what the implications of those differences might be.  Making something for everyone from the start is a surefire way to fail.  Making something remarkable for a few people, who might decide to share their passion for your idea with the world is a much better choice.

How would you use Snell’s Law in the context of Marketing?  There is certainly something out there along the “Things are not always what they seem / All Marketers Are Liars” angle.  (Seth Godin, if you read this, please share a thought with us.)  There could be something along the lines of the Pete Blackshaw “An Angry Customer Tells 3,000 People” angle of what happens when you buy that water puddle and actually get hot air. (Pete, if you read this,  please share a thought with us.)   Or maybe you have a completely fresh take to add.  Give it a shot and leave a comment. (Please share a thought with us.)

The Physics of Marketing - Huygens’ Principle

You would think that if you did something like discover the rings of Saturn, discover Saturn’s largest moon - Titan - and then go on to invent and patent the first pendulum clock, that you would be a household name.  Now assume you not only did all those things, AND also collaborated with Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, and Rene Descartes during your career.  Pretty impressive resume to say the least.

The person I am describing is 17th century Dutch Physicist Christiaan Huygens.  To say this guy was smart and influential is like saying Jimmy Hendrix was a pretty good guitar player who had a few good songs.   Huygens was a thought leader of his time, with a very impressive body of work.  One of his primary discoveries was that of Huygens’ Principle which predicts the progression of waves.

Huygens stated that “every point on a wavefront acts like a new source of wave energy, with matching frequency and phase.”  Thus when you drop a pebble in water, the wave front each of the ripples that spreads out in a circular expanding fashion represents a new set of waves.  Another example of this is observed when you hear someone in an adjacent room shouting, the sound actually enters the room you are in through the doorway.  So to you the sound, the vibration of air via soundwaves, originates at the doorway.

In Marketing terms this seem to equate nicely to the concept of word of mouth marketing.  Suppose you were to have an awful service encounter with a business, the initial wave would then be created.  If for example, this were in a restaurant where the food was bad, the service poor, and the experience was very disappointing, the initial wave might begin with those seated at your table and others within the restaurant.  If the experience were bad enough, this wave would quickly spread as you left the restaurant and told your friends “Don’t Eat At That Place!  Listen is what happened to us!”

Now all of those friends you told about your experience represent a new source of wave energy, spreading the message outward yet again. God forbid this is not an isolated incident.  In this case, as waves continue to spread and touch consumers, the results to a business are devistating.  Imagine when you told your friends about the bad experience if they responded “you are the 10th person I have heard from who had a bad experience at that restaurant.”   Now think about what happens when you get on the web and voice your complaint to the world.  Your experience is viewed by others, Google picks up on a new trend, and the wave continues onward…

Pete Blackshaw articulates this scenario brilliantly in his book, Satisfied Customers Tell 3 Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000.  He brilliantly describes the importance of word of mouth in a digital age, how to monitor and participate in what is being said, and ultimately why companies need to realize the fact that angry customers can make Tsunami sized waves that can literally destroy a business.

Returning to Huygens, it is imperative to realize that the transaction transcends the immediate and present set of circumstances.  It radiates outward.  No, losing one sale due to poor service might not cripple a business, but the resulting wave that this dissatisfaction generates might - especially if the event is systemic as opposed to an isolated incident.  The interconnected world in which we live makes it nearly impossible to do people wrong and live very long.

Conversely, the little extras that make a customer experience great might not immediately translate into huge profits, but over time, as the waves spread, these differences can create a ripple effect that builds deep customer loyalty and lasting success.

How would you apply Huygens’ Principle to Marketing?  Please share your thougths by leaving a comment.