Latest news with #emotionalbond
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Product Love Can Help Protect Companies Against Market Disruption
Bharat Kapoor is a partner at Kearney and Global Managing Director of the PERLab. getty Competitive actions, economic downturns, technological disruptions and other challenges can pose significant threats to product companies. However, the concept of "product love" offers a powerful defense against these disruptive forces. Product love is more than customer satisfaction; it's a deep emotional bond between consumer and product. This bond acts as a protective barrier against external pressures. When consumers love a product, they are more likely to remain loyal to the brand, even in the face of price increases or disruptions. The first time I fell in love with a product was with a Korean original equipment manufacturer's black and white TVs back in 1988, while working for my dad's electronics business. They just looked so nice—I did not have the language of industrial design and engineering reliability at that time, but that is why I fell in love with that product. Since then, I've fallen in love with many other products. I've noticed a common connection for products with strong product love is that often they are good for the company (making a lot of money), good for the customers (people love them), and good for the planet (well designed with the least amount of waste—material, process and maintenance). Typical Challenges That Product Companies Face Product companies often face a variety of challenges, including: • Competitive actions: Competitors may introduce new products, lower prices or launch aggressive marketing campaigns to capture market share. • Tariffs and trade barriers: Changes in trade policies, such as tariff imposition, can increase costs. • Economic downturns: Economic recessions can lead to reduced consumer spending. • Technological disruptions: New technology developments can render existing products obsolete. • Regulatory changes: New regulations can affect product design, manufacturing processes or market access. • Supply chain issues: Material shortages, logistical challenges and other disruptions can impact product availability. • Consumer reviews: Negative press and consumer reviews can harm via sales drops and share price declines. Long-term brand damage includes eroded trust, diminished brand equity and higher customer acquisition costs. Companies with strong product love can often withstand these pressures as their loyal customers are less likely to switch to competing brands. Additionally, when consumers have a strong emotional attachment to a product, they may be willing to pay higher prices or be more patient and understanding during disruptions. Building Emotional Connections Through Design Successful product design transcends basic functionality to understand what customers deeply care about—not just their needs and wants. This requires going beyond traditional market research to develop genuine empathy with users' aspirations and values. This emotional connection transforms customers into brand ambassadors, creating a ripple effect that traditional marketing cannot achieve. A lesson I've learned from some of the best product leaders on the planet is that often products fail because nobody wants the product being built. Just because something can be done doesn't mean there will be demand for it. So how we do figure out what customers care about? 1. Be honest: Put yourself in the consumer's shoes. Do they really care, want or need what you are trying to sell? Sometimes I find executives don't even understand what their companies make‚ and that's also a recipe for disaster. 2. Look for unwavering conviction: This is not something that everyone can do. Defining a product that people will care for is an art and science. To identify unwavering conviction at companies, look for those people who are willing to put their careers on the line for a product or a solution. 3. Stay grounded: I've noticed people who create home runs every time stay grounded and pay attention to where consumers may go—they predict the future, but it is not easy. Often products are mediocre because there are no pioneers behind them; they are simply built as part of someone's job. I've found that pioneers focus on great products rather than the speed and quantity of products launched. Hence the "go slow to go fast" philosophy emphasizes thoughtful, intentional design over rapid product launches. I think Apple's success can be largely attributed to the company's focus on innovation and design. The emotional connection many consumers have with Apple products creates a loyal customer base willing to pay premium prices. Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Corporation's management approach, known as the Toyota Production System, is built "on the premise of making work easier for workers" and quickly meeting customer requirements. Trends To Amplify Product Love AI-Driven Personalization AI analyzes consumer datasets to predict needs and preferences, allowing companies to offer tailored products and services. AI can help enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty by making consumers feel understood and valued. Like with any new technology, many early adopters are jumping in head first, meanwhile some lagging companies have closed their eyes. Both could be in for a rude shock. One could waste a lot of time and money, and other could miss out and become irrelevant. My advice to anyone jumping into AI is to think of AI as an assistant (or lots of assistants) who can answer questions you may have in minutes at nearly no cost. Then you, as the product pioneer, have to think about what to do with that info. AI is not magic that will solve all your problems. Sustainability And Circularity Your focus here should be on designing products that minimize environmental impact, promote recycling and reuse, and align with governance standards. Emphasizing sustainability can help the planet and resonate with consumers who prioritize eco-friendly practices. This can extend to even rethinking business models. Minimalist Design This approach emphasizes clean, simple and functional designs, reducing unnecessary features and calls to action. By focusing on what is truly useful or what customers care for, minimalist design can enhance user experience and satisfaction, making products more intuitive and enjoyable. Synergetic Partnerships Collaborations leverage each company's strengths, driving innovation and expanding market reach. Examples include Louis Vuitton and Supreme, Nike and Apple and GoPro and Red Bull. Such collaborations can enhance emotional connections with consumers and drive sustained acceptance by combining the best of both brands. The ultimate goal of a product company is to build lasting emotional connections that transform customers into loyal brand advocates. When consumers love a product, price sensitivity often decreases, word-of-mouth marketing increases and brands can build sustainable competitive advantages. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
06-06-2025
- General
- Forbes
Are Pets Replacing Children In Today's Families? A Psychologist Explains
As birth rates drop, more and more people are choosing pet parenting over child rearing. Here's why ... More it feels just as rewarding to them. Birth and fertility rates are falling in nearly every country. In the 1950s, women had an average of 4.9 children in their lifetime. But since 2023, statistics indicate that this number has dropped, by more than half, to a mere 2.3. For many, traditional parenthood is no longer a mandatory milestone. It's now a choice that is often deferred or declined altogether. Meanwhile, as more people move away from having children, many are turning instead to pet ownership to fill that space. Dogs, cats and other companion animals are increasingly being regarded as central members of the household. They are loved, cared for and deeply integrated into familial routines; they are no longer considered as 'just pets.' A May 2025 study published in European Psychologist sought to examine this novel norm, as well as what makes it so compelling to today's child-free couples. Led by researchers Laura Gillet and Enikő Kubinyi, the study uncovered various reasons why many couples find raising pets — particularly dogs — just as meaningful as raising children. Here's a breakdown of their three key findings. Gillet and Kubinyi suggest that the emotional bond between a human and their dog may mirror the attachment between a parent and child in many ways — beyond the extent of mere resemblance. Perhaps the most influential tool for studying attachment is Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). It involves placing an infant in a room with their primary caregiver, and then bringing a stranger into the room. The caregiver then leaves, only to return after around 10–15 minutes. The way the child responds in this brief period of time (by crying, clinging, exploring or calming down quickly) offers observers invaluable insights into the security of the child's attachment style. Remarkably, dogs have shown similar patterns when placed in an adapted version of the SSP. Gillet and Kubinyi highlight that dogs, too, tend to become more playful, explorative and relaxed in the presence of their owners. They also tend to grow more anxious or withdrawn when separated from them. As the authors note, dogs often perceive their humans as a 'safe haven' in the same way children do — a term lifted straight from attachment theory to describe the emotional security provided by a trusted figure. Beyond comforting the dog, this kind of bonding also triggers the caregiving system embedded intrinsically within humans. For many, their attachment to their pet (and feeling as though that attachment is reciprocal) can be incredibly rewarding. In many ways, the sense of being needed, trusted and appreciated scratches the same psychological itch as traditional parent–child relationships. The 2025 study also notes that attachment doesn't operate in a vacuum. Every strong bond, be it between a parent and child or a person and their dog, activates an underlying caregiving system. That system, Gillet and Kubinyi argue, is shaped by the consistent behavioral patterns we know as 'parenting styles.' In fact, their literature review suggests that many dog owners naturally fall into parenting patterns that largely mirror those of actual parents: permissive, authoritarian or authoritative. They develop routines. They establish boundaries. They adapt their responses to fit the temperament of their dog. They even learn to interpret their dogs' whining, barking or subtle shifts in behavior. In other words, they come to know their pet in much the same way a parent comes to know their baby. At the same time, pet parenting is likely also perceived as lower-stakes. As psychological researcher Małgorzata Szcześniak explained to me in a recent interview, 'We live in a world where an increase in the standard of living does not mean a linear increase in its perceived quality.' As such, she argues, 'These factors may translate into more people postponing parenthood.' In her research on the role of future anxiety in delayed parenthood, Szcześniak points to growing economic uncertainty, political instability, climate change and global conflict as key drivers of anxiety in potential parents. Many people today feel unsure whether simply being a good parent is enough to protect a child from the challenges that lie ahead. Pets, in contrast, can be sheltered far more easily from those threats. They don't need to go out and navigate the world alone. They don't need college funds, social media accounts or protection from the existential weight of adulthood. For many couples, this reduced risk — coupled with the many emotional rewards of caregiving — makes pet parenting a valid way to fulfill our deep, evolutionary drives without the immense responsibility of raising a child in an increasingly uncertain world. Beyond emotional bonding and caregiving behavior, Gillet and Kubinyi highlight the fact that dogs are remarkably intelligent — in ways that are strikingly similar to young children. Their review suggests that adult dogs possess cognitive abilities comparable to those of a 2- to 2.5-year-old child. Dogs consistently pass visible displacement tasks (where they watch an object being hidden and can successfully retrieve it). They demonstrate a firm grasp of object permanence. They can distinguish between similar shapes, colors and sizes. They're even capable of forming complex multi-sensory representations of both social beings and inanimate objects. These are some of the very same early cognitive milestones that human children reach within the first few months of life. Beyond the fact that dogs possess these cognitive abilities, they actually use them to interact with us on a daily basis. Dogs aren't smart in an abstract sense; they're emotionally intelligent, socially attuned and remarkably responsive to human behavior. Gillet and Kubinyi note that dogs often mirror our moods, respond to our tone of voice, maintain eye contact and even imitate our modelled behaviors. Many dogs can even understand up to dozens of spoken words and gestures. Their ability to integrate into human social environments so seamlessly and exceptionally well is part of what makes them such beloved companions. Watching a dog develop and become more attuned to your presence — much like children do — can be an invaluable source of pride and joy. But, in all likelihood, dogs' emotional resonance may be what makes pet parenting feel most meaningful of all. They're fiercely loyal. They're uncommonly devoted. And, most sacredly, they love us unconditionally. Do you find pet parenting a fulfilling part of your daily life? Take this science-backed test, and find out how connected you are to your (furry) little one: Pet Owner Connectedness Scale
