A Moonshot is not the same as an innovation; it is something much more ambitious, more like a silver bullet. Instead of pursuing change by increments, a moon shot aims to change something by a factor of 10 (Roman numeral X). Alphabet, the parent company of Google, runs a division that is now simply called X with the single aim of developing what the company calls moonshots. Mr. Sutherland believes that despite funding and best efforts, engineers will find their work increasingly difficult. However, psychological moonshots are comparatively easy.
Apple was one of the first companies in the world to ask, ‘how does my product make people feel while they are using it? Most companies ask the question ‘How will our product help our customers”? It’s a small nuance, with potentially dramatic effects. If profoundly increasing the psychological experience of a customer increases their overall satisfaction with your brand, a company should pursue that avenue before trying to improve the overall scope of the service being offered because it is a simpler solution. Mr. Sutherland believes “the biggest scope for progress in the next 50 years is not improvements in technology but improvements in psychology and design thinking.
For what it's worth, I disagree with this idea and his sentiment because it puts emotion before function. Understandably, he is the marketer, if there is no shiny new product to bring to market, he is out of a job. Innovative function comes before emotion. Granted, if your product is cumbersome, difficult to use, and leaves people thinking of what a pain they had to go through to make it functional, changes to the experience are clearly in order. However, giving someone a warm cookie to make them feel good about themselves is not going to fundamentally change a customer’s overall experience and will certainly not create the ‘wow’ ‘mind blown’ experience of a revolutionary technological development we have yet to see.
All that being said, it is worth asking the question, how do the customers of Conductor feel while using their platform? Even if the platform generates the greatest ideas for reaching new customers, if it leaves users feeling irked or bothered after using it, the platform will not see sustained success. However, profoundly increasing the customer experience and psychological satisfaction a company will create a far more durable product solution for their customer. Offering a product that feels 10 times better (more cookies!) is much easier than developing something that is 10 times faster (high-speed rail).
Sources:
Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of Ogilvy & Mather UK and the author of Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
Marketwatch Article: Opinion: Moonshot? This master marketer says don't forget the psychological ones by Rory Sutherland
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