New Study: Tell customers less

I read about an interesting new study over at brand expert Guy Kawasaki's blog. Researchers found that the more product information a potential customer has, the less likely they are to engage in "wishful thinking" about your offering and the less likely they are to be satisfied. Happy customers, it appears, are blissfully ignorant.

The study was based on consumer perceptions of hand lotion and chocolate. The more people learned about these products, the less they happy they became.

But is this really a endorsement of keeping your customers in the dark, or is it really about having a good story to tell them in the first place. I know lots of folks who get all excited about organic foods and vegetarian dishes because they've heard all the great health benefits and how no animals or plants were harmed in the making of the dishes. But most of it tastes pretty crappy, IMHO. Doesn't make them less happy though.

If you have a good product and you don't have to be ashamed of the way its made or what it contains or what the production does to your workers, then you're probably going to do better by sharing your story with your prospects.

BTW, I'm not disagreeing with Guy. He didn't specifically endorse the study's findings in his blog either.