Break Out Breakpoints by Output

Fans of the 1984 movie “This Is Spinal Tap” should easily recall the scene where Marty DiBergi, played by Rob Reiner, announces his Marshall Amps guitar amplifier blasts louder than others simply because the highest number on the dial plate is 11, not just 10.
     Placing a higher number on the dial does not, in itself, increase the actual output, of course, But as verified by a year 2020 Journal of Consumer Psychology paper, people will believe it does. Asked to judge whether a Black & Decker food blender with four speed levels or a Sunbeam food blender with seven levels had higher potential power, most study participants picked the Sunbeam. However, the Black & Decker had 440 watts of power, while the Sunbeam had 400. Parallel results were found for a body massager’s power and a printer’s image resolution.
     Having more settings does give the user greater control, so is a benefit to be featured. People enjoy customizing their experiences with a product they’re using. Changing levels, even when unnecessary from a strictly functional perspective, lends variety, and people like that spice as well.
     However, when the shopper goes on to take a greater choice of settings to indicate higher maximum output, the shopper has been misled. Even though the misdirection may often be unintentional, it’s still a problem for ethical marketers. It’s to your advantage to have consumers make informed decisions.
     The solution is straightforward: Along with announcing the number of breakpoints on the dial, break out the output corresponding to each. The research team realized this is not done frequently enough. For a sample of 100 body massagers and 100 vacuum cleaners listed on Amazon, no output-relevant information was given to explain the settings. Take inspiration from this to offer your target audiences not just the advantages of more settings, but also the justified empowerment from knowing what the settings signify.
     Having done that, also allow yourself to take inspiration from appreciation earned by Christopher Guest, a writer and actor in “This Is Spinal Tap.” He tells how, following the popularity of that movie, Marshall Amps introduced to their merchandise line an amplifier with dial settings going up to 20. Perhaps out of gratitude to Mr. Guest for his part in kicking off this marketing angle, Marshall also made a special dial plate expressively for him. The highest mark on that dial is the infinity symbol.

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