Teeth whitening and the usual error
by Pace on October 29th, 2008 @ 8:40 am in
Usual Error Project
Tags: marketing, the usual error
Kyeli in front of a teeth whitening kiosk at the mall
Teeth whitening, I thought to myself. Isn’t that something usually done in a clean, sterile dentist’s office, not a kiosk in the middle of a crowded mall?
I don’t care how much it costs. I don’t care how white these smiling people’s teeth are. I want to hear from the trustworthy dentist who says this is safe, clean, sterile, and professional. I want to see a picture of a dentist saying that this setup is just as good, just as safe, and just as professional as her setup at the office. Then I want to look up and see that same dentist on site, taking care of her patients.
When Havi was looking for an acupuncturist, none of their websites answered one of her big questions: “Will I have to take my clothes off?”
I don’t care if it’s fast, effective, and affordable. I want to know if it’s safe.
The marketing folks likely made the usual error. The question “Is it safe?” didn’t enter their minds, so they didn’t address it in the marketing for their teeth whitening kiosk. Heck, I may be making the usual error too. I may be the only one who would think about that, and so it’s not worth it for the marketers to cater to me if I’m just one person. To me, it feels like you’d be doing a medical procedure in the middle of a mall, which seems like a bad idea. Maybe most people think of it more like a teeth cleaning or brushing than a medical procedure.
My point is that it’s important to know your audience. This applies to everyone, not just marketers. If you’re having a conversation with your partner, if you’re in a meeting with your boss, if you’re talking with a friend — they have different concerns than you do. They’re coming from a different place. They care about different things. They’ll react differently than you would in the same situation.
Put yourself in their shoes. It will go a long way toward avoiding the usual error and fostering clear and effective communication.
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- Podcast 001: the usual error
- The Usual Error book review roundup, part 2
- Green’s Story - The usual fight; the usual error
- Help us choose a subtitle for the Usual Error book!
- Miscommunication, the usual error, and assuming love
7 Comments!
#2 Posted by 
Sheila on October 30th, 2008 6:34 am | link
Well, except that given that you can get at-home teeth-whitening kits at the drugstore, which aren’t quite as effective, one presumes, but are nevertheless available, I wouldn’t necessarily associate “teeth whitening” with “must be performed in dentist’s office by professionals”.
#3 Posted by 
Pace on October 30th, 2008 8:59 am | link
@Sheila: Right! Of course you wouldn’t! And my attitude may even seem ridiculous to you given your perspective. But that’s because you’re in your shoes, not mine.
#4 Posted by 
Hayden Tompkins on October 30th, 2008 9:47 am | link
Yeah, I thought those in-mall ‘dentists’ were pretty amusing too. I saw one for the first time two weeks ago and Chris and I laughed at the faux walls they had erected.
#5 Posted by 
Timothy Coote on November 6th, 2008 3:55 am | link
Is that place called “Glitzz”? I wouldn’t let anyone from a business ending with two “z”s into my mouth.
#6 Posted by 
Pace on November 6th, 2008 5:56 pm | link
Timothy,
I think it was called “Teeth Whitening.” Whether that’s more or less confidence-inspiring than “Glitzz” I’ll leave up to you. (;
#7 Posted by 
Mantic-Angel on November 13th, 2008 1:51 pm | link
A very nice, concrete example! I would have thought of it more as a cleaning/brushing, not a medical procedure - I’ve never even thought about the safety of that sort of thing!
I’ve really found that understanding someone’s priorities helps a lot in communication; it lets me give the information they need and leave off extraneous information :)
I’d also expect safety-conscious people just wouldn’t be interested in a product like this; it’d cost a lot to convince them that yes, it really is safe. The things they’re advertising are much cheaper to demonstrate!
#1 Posted by
Green on October 29th, 2008 5:56 pm | link
Yes, but as someone who thinks that getting your teeth whitened in a mall is icky… you’re not part of their target audience, right? Not that I disagree.. there should be some kind of safety reassurance.. and the overall ppint is a good one. But it seems to me that the target auience of this place is people who aren’t bothered by the idea of a mall dentist in the first place.
<3