Our New Super Tool: Superheroes!

Do you sometimes get tired when you think about the good old strength and weaknesses discussion? Let’s spice things up a little by introducing superheroes.

Whether you use well-known characters like Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman or create your own set of fictive characters, superheroes are an excellent and fun way to stimulate discussion around the superpowers of a product as well as its kryptonite.

First participants choose the superhero who best represents the product. Let them describe their decision and learn how they perceive the product. Do they choose Batman because even though he is strong there’s also a dark side to him? Or will they pick Cyborg because he looks a little bit more technical and complicated? Maybe they’ll choose the green, little, muscular guy because he looks down to earth and reliable?

Then discuss which superpowers make the superhero special. By focusing the discussion on superpowers instead of simple strengths you are able to distinguish random product benefits from the ones that really make the product (a.k.a. the hero) stand out.

If your study also aims at finding the hidden barriers for product usage you can discuss the kryptonite of the superhero. What are things that are not so obvious but that our superhero might struggle with?

After that you have multiple paths to continue on your superhero journey: Do you want to explore the products benefits further? Discuss what the superhero could do for the customer by using its superpowers. Do you want to create a storyline that incorporates the superpowers? Why not create a comic strip where the superhero enters a dialogue with the customer? Do you want to differentiate and position the product? Let two competing superheroes enter a fight using the superpowers. Who’ll win and why? Which powers would your product superhero need to succeed?