There’s no such thing as a “rational benefit.”
There, I said it.
The rational benefit is a myth.
An abstraction serving as a convenient crutch for creative & strategic decisions.
All the pyramids, yin-yang’s, ladders diagramming the balance, hierarchy or ‘whole-ness” of rational & emotional benefit don’t matter. Yet, the intricate it looks, the more logic it seems to ooze. The more confidence it (falsely) inspires.
There is only one kind of benefit that matters.
That actually motivates human beings to do something: emotional benefit.
Humans are governed by their feelings.
I like that feeling.
I hate that feeling.
I wonder what that feeling feels like.
The emotional benefit rules.
The creation of the rational benefit is nothing more than creative-industrial complex affirmation. Strategic sleight-of-hand.
What’s the old saying? Logic drives decision, but emotion drives action.
Consider the most rational of “rational” decisions: buying toilet paper.
An entire history of communicating the functional differences between 2-ply vs. 3-ply, soft vs ultra-soft, big rolls vs mega-rolls. Bears, babies, puppies — all creatively weaponized to drive preference.
But there’s really only one criterion: which one of these toilet papers will makes me feel least gross after I go #2?
Disgust, last I checked, is a rather motivating emotion.
Try this with anything.
Tires. Traction. Feel safe.
Sneakers. Cushion. Feel empowered.
Credit cards. Points. Feel valued.
Cameras. Megapixels. Feel creative.
Mortgage. Interest Rate. Feel smart.
I’m not saying it’s easy it define the right emotional benefit. (In fact, it’s typically the most difficult task.)
I am asking why we go through the delusion of thinking anything else is more important.
Find all the rational benefits, reasons to believe, product edges, data points, over-indexes, you want — but they are (and will only ever be) ingredients to defining an emotional offer to living, breathing, busy, decent, distracted humans.
Emotions aren’t stupid. Or “soft.” Or intangible.
They’re ruthlessly efficient.
Arguably, they’re the only tool creativity has.
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