Opinion Applying emotional surplus

A repeatedly admired subject in society can be measured in the Emotional Surplus frame as I’d explained last week. That’s the high blend of three attributes: quality (non-visible,rational factor),functionality (experience that is relevant) and the emotive factor (looks good). Bringing a gift when invited to an evening party at home is a French social ritual. Bouquets are common as elsewhere in the world,but thirty years ago,Francis,a florist near Vincenne’s beautiful forest east of Paris,presented me a small Ficus plant in a pot and explained how to nurture it. Ten years on,visiting my home again,the plant’s growth delighted him. Hugging me he declared,“Our friendship is solid now.” Landing in Hong Kong for a global conference in 1993,I lost my baggage that contained OHP slides of my presentation on Emotional Surplus. How could I tell the organisers who invited me that I have no material? That’s when Francis’ Ficus tree gift came to my rescue. I bought a bouquet of roses and a rose plant in a flower pot. I explained to the audience that gifting a bouquet is beautiful but the flowers will soon wither away. That is fragile emotion. But if you present a potted rose plant,the flower will die,but new flowers will bloom in its place. I explained that as bouquet flowers are cut from the root,their stems become dysfunctional. But the potted plant’s roots comprise the non-visible foundation that nurtures the plant. This rational factor helps the stem circulate sap internally to bring alive the plant’s functionality. So the stem is the functional element. The sustaining root and stem link together empower the cyclical blossoming of flowers. This repetitive flowering that’s sustainable is Emotional Surplus. Let me now narrate a few examples with this thinking of Emotional Surplus. History as Emotional Surplus in contemporary cricket: A cricketer’s Test batting average of 99.94 is statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. He used to practice alone with a golf ball and cricket stump against the wall—that’s the rational factor. Scoring with almost every ball is the functional factor. Being shy,he’d never show-off in glittering after-game parties. This made him rare and sincere,his emotive factor. He consistently sustained these three elements,scoring and drawing record spectators in a 20-year career. After retirement,he was a writer,selector and administrator for 30 years. Today,he’s acknowledged as the greatest batsman. This was Don Bradman. A manufacturer’s self surrender of quality defects sustains Emotional Surplus: A car manufacturer recalled millions of sold cars when defects were detected in them. This high sensitivity to addressing rational engineering factors not visible to buyers,proves the company’s proactiveness and extreme quality consciousness. Competitors predicted its downfall,but consumers did not walk out. When you are sincere to your consumer,your mistake is considered as learning. So people have never forsaken Toyota. If you address the three attributes in higher ground,a sudden fall can revive Emotional Surplus delivery: A thoughtful inventor quit from the company he created after a power struggle with his Board of Directors. He founded NeXT,which his previous company bought in 1996. So he returned to become CEO of his parent company. A few years ago,this company’s balance sheet was in the red. He injected high-quality functionality beyond expectation,and outstandingly sober looks into their new generation products. The company became synonymous with how commoditised digital technology products can acquire value. It entered the arena of entertainment that Sony had dominated for two decades. Earlier this week,Sony declared its Walkman could no longer keep up with the digital market. You’ve guessed it,that’s Steve Jobs and his sinful Apple.Dazzling advertising cannot sell high-priced,branded daily products that lack Emotional Surplus attributes: Consumers have often told me that they don’t see any quality difference between big brands and lower priced products. After watching TV advertising they may buy the brand once or twice,but easily shift to local or pirated products as they find them cheaper and of similar quality. When a big brand pays scant attention to higher performance in blind tests through product engineering,it falls into the growth and profit saturation trap. Glittery TV commercials with film stars cannot compensate product deficiency. You may spend huge amounts for market research to get some report. But if the managers don’t go to experience consumers from their bedroom to the toilet,kitchen to the living room,they will never be able to admire the real deficiency consumers feel. It’s important to differentiate with a high,scientific blend of rational quality,perceivable functionality and adequate emotive factors. That’s why Emotional Surplus has the tedious job of bringing the elevated balance of quality,functionality and likeability. Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management.

Reach him at http://www.shiningconsulting.com