The power of testimony

As any parent can tell you, you never know what exactly your kids are going to end up playing with.  Usually it's the box that the $30 toy comes in.  And no matter how long a particular toy has sat dormant, if one of my kids pick it up, it is suddenly an object of interest to the other.

Here's an example.  My kids are crazy about this mini ketchup bottle that we have.  All it is is a small red bottle whose cap you can take off to put water inside.  They pretend to drink out of it, put ketchup on hot dogs, carry blueberries inside it, and so on.  And if Madeleine picks it up and William sees her, suddenly he drops whatever he is doing to go after it.  They end up fighting over it and I have to break it up (William, wait your turn, Madeleine, be sure to give William a turn, that sort of thing).

I realized that the bottle doesn't get much attention until one of the kids randomly picks it up.  Once Madeleine starts drinking or preparing salad dressing with it, William is all over her because he sees how much fun she is having, and he imagines himself having the same good time.  She is testifying to the value of the toy, and suddenly he is paying attention and he wants it.

It seems the same way with adults. Evaluating a new product? Hear from someone who has been there, used it, and been improved by it. The more authentic and enthusiastic the testifier, the better. It's one of many ways to communicate the value of something you are selling.

But the key is to be authentic. The power of a "paid actor" is on the wane. Spontaneous, authentic excitement from real customers is becoming the predominantly effective way to do this.