How to Manage Consumers' Expectations by Jordan Berkowitz, Executive Director, Creative Technology O&M

FA C E B O O K . C O M / O G I LV Y
MANAGE
HOWTO
CONSUMERS’
EXPECTATIONS
J O R D A N B E R K O W I T Z
E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ,
C R E AT I V E T E C H N O L O G Y
O G I LV Y & M AT H E R

T
HE FIRST THING TO KNOW ABOUT expectations
is that there are biological reasons we behave
the way we do. One force at work is something
called negativity bias—the tendency for humans
to overstress the negative even in predominantly
positive circumstances. Ever get a report card with
four As and one C? Which mark did you dwell on?
That links back to prehistoric times, when people had
to assume every time they went out to the watering
hole that they could be attacked by a saber-toothed
tiger, and thus habitually came to expect the worst.

EXPECTATIONS EVOLVE. Think about flying; 20 years ago,
waiting in line for a ticket was the accepted norm. Now you take
care of that on your mobile phone before arriving at the airport,
and the idea of having to stand in a queue is unthinkable.
Therefore, you have three choices:
RAISING EXPECTATIONS If there’s a chance you won’t
meet or exceed them, this might not be a great idea.
MAINTAINING EXPECTATIONS In some cases this presents
an opportunity, especially if customer expectations can be
used to highlight a contrast. For example: What would happen
if a new feature were released with little or no fanfare?
If the quality of the product experience increases while
expectations remain the same, you should see an impact.
LOWERING EXPECTATIONS This feels counterintuitive, but
dampening expectations can be a very effective tool, assuming
it’s used strategically and with a smart, creative approach.
Whichever route you choose, here is our formula:
EXPERIENCE – EXPECTATION = IMPACT

MODEL CUSTOMER
EXPECTATIONS
YOU MAY HAVE QUALITATIVE data that helps form a picture
of what your customers expect. Or you may need to evolve
the questions you’re asking your customers to better
gauge what they expect. In either case, the closer you can
get to the actual moment—that is, right in the thick of the
customer journey—the more accurate the response will be.
On the quantitative side, it’s equally interesting and
challenging. We know that people express their expectations
in the decisions they make and their subsequent levels of
satisfaction. Can this be identified in raw data? When people
abandon an online shopping cart, is there a link between their
expectations and the experience? We have some interesting
hypotheses, and the quest for answers is already beginning
to reflect that there may be ways of quantifying expectations.

MAP THE EXPERIENCE
ONCE YOU HAVE SOME MEASURE of customer expectations, mapping
them against the customer journey is relatively straightforward. Much
can be gleaned from this exercise. What frequently becomes apparent is
that marketing efforts are misaligned with opportunities relative to our
customers’ expectations. Frequently we see marketers failing to focus
on areas with extremely low customer expectations. Our model suggests
that these points have the largest potential to drive a measurable impact.
BE DYNAMIC
HAVING A FULLER VIEW of expectations across the customer journey
allows us to decide what to do, and when to do it—understanding that the
by-product of a lowered expectation at one stage is that we might need to
over-deliver on experience at another. In the same way that expectations
change over time, so must our strategies. Expectation dynamics are
just that: dynamic. This is meant to be an ongoing and iterative process
that informs and helps drive the final two stages of this plan.

COMMUNICATE ACCORDINGLY
WE SEE COMMUNICATIONS as an expectations-
management tool. When used wisely, you should be
able to actively shift customer expectations to drive
business impact. But this isn’t solely a communications
job. Expectations don’t respect silos, so every
aspect of the business—especially the product and
services arms—has to be on board with this.
BE HOLISTIC ABOUT IT
EXPECTATIONS SHOULD ALSO INFORM the
products, services, and innovations you produce. Yes,
communications can be used to manage expectations
in the near-term. But when our businesses react
to expectations in the same way communications
do, marketers have significantly more leverage and
tools to increase the effectiveness of their work.

DON’T EXPECT ALL OF THIS TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
Some of this you can take action on immediately,
while other steps require more time and investment.
Data needs to be curated. Processes need to
evolve. Teams need to learn to leverage new tools.
Take the time to dial it in, and it will pay off.

How to Manage Consumers' Expectations by Jordan Berkowitz, Executive Director, Creative Technology O&M

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How to Manage Consumers' Expectations by Jordan Berkowitz, Executive Director, Creative Technology O&M