The power of the ‘Think, Feel, Do’ tool
In marketing, we often think we know our customers, their demographics, interests and needs – but to really understand what drives the way they perceive a brand, their attitude towards it and most importantly, their actual behaviour, it’s worth going a step further.
‘Think, Feel, Do’ is our go-to tool for this and we’ve used it countless times with our clients to ensure a strong customer-led approach. It’s great in brand strategy development and we used it when we developed a new brand for world-leading education provider Cambridge International Education (part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment). It’s also great to use when creating new customer propositions – we introduced it at Primark as part of their customer proposition development process and used it to help create a refreshed health insurance proposition for the leading UK insurer Aviva.
Every time we use ‘Think, Feel, Do’, we feel the difference it brings to how we and our clients think about the target customer we’re getting to know, and we see the positive impact on the strategy or proposition we’re developing.
What is the ‘Think, Feel, Do’ tool?
‘Think, Feel, Do’ is a marketing tool that helps marketers understand customer behaviour and decision-making. It’s based on the idea that customers tap into their thoughts and feelings – whether conscious or sub-conscious – before taking action. This is represented by the three components of the model: Think, Feel and Do:
- Think: Here we’re considering a customer’s beliefs: what’s in their head and why? Our focus in ‘Think’ is largely on rational, functional, objective factors.
- Feel: In contrast, ‘Feel’ is about is more about perception; why do customers want to engage (or not) with you? The focus here is on emotional, more subjective factors.
- Do: And lastly ‘Do’ summarises the behaviour your target customers display as a result of what they think and feel.
Start with today, then describe the future
When developing a new brand strategy or customer proposition, we first need to be clear on our target customer.
Once the target customers are defined, we look at what they think, feel and do TODAY in relation to our brand or opportunity.
Then we describe what we want the target customers to think, feel and do in the FUTURE, as a result of the new brand strategy or proposition that we’re developing.
The gap between what customers think, feel and do today vs in the future shows us the change our new strategy or proposition needs to drive.
Putting theory into practice
We recommend writing your ‘Think, Feel, Do’ from your customer’s perspective, using their words and language to make it as realistic as you can. Try and get as broad a range of insight as possible to help you, for example by watching focus groups, looking at what customers are saying on social media, reading research reports, watching customers as they shop, or gaining feedback from sales staff.
Here’s an example:
Imagine you’re about to launch a new mobile fitness app called FitX, offering personalised training programmes.
TODAY:
Think: I want to increase my fitness, but I don’t have much time and I don’t want to spend a lot of money on expensive gyms or classes.
Feel: I want to have fun while I get fitter, and I don’t want to add more stress into my life.
Do: I go for a run now and then, but I don’t keep track of how this impacts my fitness.
FUTURE:
Think: FitX is cheaper than a gym membership, and it’s easier because I don’t have to drive anywhere – I can work out from home. It offers extra value with personalised training programmes, free webinars, and evidence-based fitness information for me.
Feel: I feel motivated to use FitX as I’ve seen how people like me have improved their fitness in a short amount of time. It’s fun to be able to track my fitness goals so easily.
Do: I’ve signed up for the 1-week free trial with FitX and added my details to get personalised fitness advice.
Summary
We love the ‘Think, Feel, Do’ tool because it encourages a truly customer-centric approach.
By understanding a customer’s thought processes, emotions and behaviours – from both a rational and emotional perspective – brand strategy and messaging can be tailored to meet their specific needs and desires, and overcome their pain points.
This customer-centric approach helps to create a more compelling and relevant brand positioning, product or service that not only drives sales, but also creates an emotional connection. This in turn leads to increased customer engagement, brand loyalty and differentiation in market, ultimately contributing to the success and growth of the brand.
