Seth Godin has a great bit of insight at the end of a post today about how smart companies separate pleasure and pain.
He cites Disney as a good example:
Disney charges a fortune for the theme park, but they do it a week before you get there, or at a booth far far away from the rides. By the time you get to the rides, you’re over it. The pain isn’t associated with the fun part.
And airlines as a bad example:
Airlines, on the other hand, surround the very thing they sell (getting you home) with armed guards, untrained TSA agents, long lines and sneering gate agents eager to take your money when you have absolutely no expectation or choice and when your stress is at its highest. This is a problem in the long run.
Obviously some of the security measures are out of the airlines’ control, but the insight is still a great one. It’s similar to the best advice I’ve heard on PR: Blast the bad news out quickly (to get it out of the way) and trickle the good news out slowly (to keep in the way).
Kevin
on 24 Jul 08It’s tricky for airlines, though. Unlike Disneyland/world/topia, there’s low-cost fare competition. Many flyers just pick the cheapest flight out there, so building or hiding fees in the ticket price will encourage travelers to choose another airline.
Here’s a better suggestion: http://crankyflier.com/2008/07/22/westjet-adds-fees-the-right-way/
Add fees, but make customers feel like they’re getting something more rather than a privilege taken away.
Jemaleddin S. Cole
on 24 Jul 08See, the airlines are already on to this: that’s why so many flights are late!
Also, the airlines could totally have an influence on the TSA screening stuff – they choose not to for the same reason that so many other dumb things happen with airline security: nobody wants to be the one to lighten up security in case something goes wrong.
Whitney Hess
on 24 Jul 08I’m a user experience designer and I write a blog called “Pleasure and Pain.” This is exactly what gets my juices flowing. Pain is a necessary part of life. When things are free, you get what you pay for (nothing); the best experiences often have the highest cost (like Gramercy Tavern in NYC). Like they say: no pain, no gain. But isolate the pain and you get an even more pronounced sense of pleasure.
With digital products, I don’t believe that the pain should be felt at the beginning, like at Disney World. In a virtual system, it’s often difficult to see the ecstasy that lies ahead, and it’s far too easy to disengage. I mean, it takes a lot of effort to get to Disney World: make the time in your schedule, fly, drive, get the kids to settle down. You’ve invested a lot in the trip by the time you approach, so a measly $80 per person isn’t going to turn you away.
On the other hand, you can always return the finicky camera or close the browser window on a chaotic website. Pleasure needs to be felt at the onset, and carried through the entire experience, with an extra dose just at the end (like the petits fours that come with the bill at Gramercy Tavern). The check is gonna hurt. Keep it as far away from the alcoholic drinks and exquisite platters and the orchestrated service—allow those to be pure joy. And if you can accompany the pain with a little dose of pleasure, all the better.
Michael Blix
on 24 Jul 08When Disney Land first opened you bought a set of ride tickets that were dispensed at each ride, just like a carnival. It really took the fun out of it. It didn’t last long.
Also, people who pay cash for products often feel more ‘pain’ than those who use a credit card but make correspondingly better financial decisions than those who have the pain separated from the immediate purchase.
Mark Wilden
on 24 Jul 08“Airlines, on the other hand, surround the very thing they sell (getting you home) with armed guards, untrained TSA agents”
I don’t understand how people get away with writing things like this. The airlines don’t surround anything with TSA agents, nor are they responsible for training them (pssst…it’s the government). But someone can say that they do (and blame them for it) and other people will quote that person and call his comments “insightful.”
Is it because everyone hates flying these days, so you can basically blame anyone for anything that’s related? Or am I just using a different version of the English language than everyone else?
///ark
Brooks
on 25 Jul 08Wait a minute. This is an interesting point, but it’s wrong.
Disney collects your money a week in advance. The airlines collect your money at least that far in advance.
Disney puts the ticket booths hundreds of feet from the park entrances, and maybe 1/4 mile from the rides. TSA checkpoints are at least that far from most gates.
The logic of the article just doesn’t stand up to any scrutiny at all. Yes, the airlines suck at customer service. And TSA is an embarrassment to the country and anyone with two brain cells to rub together. But the problem is not separation of pleasure and pain, at least not in the sense the article claims to illustrate.
Anonymous Coward
on 25 Jul 08This idea is a variation of Machiavelli’s writings (The Prince I believe) where he promotes taking cruel actions quickly, and kind actions slowly for the same reasons.
Damian
on 25 Jul 08The airlines do separate the pleasure/pain but only for their business/first class and frequent flyers. After all the airlines make significantly more from these people than from cattle class.
Glenn Vanderburg
on 25 Jul 08The observation about Disney is spot on. When my family went last year, we purchased a prepaid meal plan. At least once a day during our stay, someone would notice us using the meal plan and ask us if we thought it saved us money. After the second day I started answering this way: “Yes, I think so, although not very much. But who cares? This way I got to have one big heart attack a month ago when I paid for it all, instead of having three a day, each time I have to pay for a meal here. It would be worth it even if it cost a little more.”
I was completely conscious of the slight manipulation going on, and it still made me happier.
yohami
on 26 Jul 08Hey its almost like in marriage. No wait, it isnt.
J Lane
on 27 Jul 08I had that just the other day. Our family of 4 was flying out and we checked our two suitcases. One was 11 pounds over weight, the other was fine. Instead of averaging things out, I had to fork over $42.
Considering that we weren’t checking the other 6 bags we were allowed (on that airline), you’d think they would cut you some slack.
This discussion is closed.