Marketing: from complexity to simplification

As a young person, and throughout the different jobs I’ve held, I’ve always had a tendency to complicate things. My goal was not to complicate things, but I always wanted to enrich myself, to seek the best.

Whether it’s graphic design, web design, editorial and ideas that I could bring into the business world, let’s just say it… I had a tendency to add more.

The images I was creating at the time were too rich, the information was drowned in a series of cool and trendy effects… and unreadable.

And then I realized, later, that the average human mind doesn’t handle complexity very well. What’s worse, it creates confusion and makes the message less clear.

Simplify to convince

When you create a new product, find its key feature, the one that differentiates you from the competition, and highlight it.

I am convinced that people can manage complex thoughts, do multiple things at the same time, take the time to learn.

However, in music, for example, if they are able to hear complicated chords, minor or major seventh chords, minor ninth or minor thirteenth chords, there is a lot to ask of them.

This is why Maitre Gims is more successful than any jazz classic. Yet much better written and mastered.

You can see it in the cultural products that most people consume, in the homes they live in, in the food they eat, in the cars they drive, in the clothes they wear.

In fact, you can observe it all around you, if you look closely enough. There are proven formulas and structures, and while there are sometimes slight variations, most people want the same things as others, see the same things they already have.

This is why France 2, France 3 and Arte are the channels that enjoy the best esteem among the French. But this is also why TF1 has the best audience.

It’s fashionable to say we love Art but it’s easier to watch TF1.

This is why in restaurants we often use entrecôte and french fries rather than a recipe that is less familiar to us. Relief.

Stay in the frame

So, as a creative, you have structure. The framework is the field in which people feel comfortable, it is what they can understand without having to invest too much. It is also the amount of effort they are able to put in to understand or acquire your product.

This frame will need to be colorful and made attractive so that your product does not lose its interest.

You may criticize me for simplifying and making fun of people.

However, my point is not to decry general stupidity, but simply to make clear that people are extremely busy today. All the media, social and advertising noise tends to reduce their attention.

Our ability to concentrate is limited. We cannot extend it infinitely. In fact, if you take into account the little attention that will be paid to your message, you will work to make it more accessible and more impactful.

Furthermore, we tend to go towards simplicity. By instinct. For reasons of economy and efficiency. This varies depending on the industry and financial commitment.

Obviously I will think about it more if my decision involves a significant financial investment.

Keep it simple while remaining creative

That’s not to say there isn’t room for sophistication. Even inside the frame. Of course there are complex things. The company that wins in this area is the one that knows how to simplify unclear processes or products.

The smartphone was not born with the iPhone as many think today. I had owned smartphones for several years at the time. They could connect to the Internet, take photos, send emails, write documents with the Office suite, chat online with MSN, guide you using the built-in GPS and entertain you with games.

The only problem? The interface was Windows on a screen of a few centimeters and with a ridiculous resolution. You needed a stylus to click the Start button. And even with the stylus it was sometimes difficult to correctly point to the different menu items.

Apple was able to design an interface adapted to a phone screen, then offer a unique system of applications that makes it easier to find and install. The modern and finally usable smartphone was born.

Stop thinking that you are developing your product for experts or specialists. It’s not about offering a new product, but about asking yourself the following question:

How to overcome the difficulties, how to make it accessible to all?

If you can do that, you will be successful, whatever your definition of success is.

Thinking outside the box… really?

But too often, especially when we’re young and passionate, we make things complicated simply… for complexity’s sake.

We know the picture well but we want to do things differently, better, we want to go further. Much further away. So let’s build outside the picture. Or worse yet, we build a completely new structure.

And sometimes it works, but very rarely.

However, you will tell me, we are constantly invited to reflect outside the boxout of frame. In reality it is a different picture. Think outside the boxit’s breaking the mold of what has always been done. Think differently from your competitors, from your predecessors. For example, define a new way of thinking about your business sector. This is good and keep it up.

The framework I talk about in this article is that of people’s understanding, or rather the amount of investment they will be willing to make in your product.

If we take the example of the iPhone again, its interface has made things simpler, while adding important innovations. Android came later and differentiated itself with a more complex interface while still respecting the framework of what the average user is capable of supporting.

Another example, in the digital communication sector, we use a number of online tools for SEO, content marketing, social media, etc. These are often unclear about their actual functionality.

The offers are unclear, the features table is non-existent and the comparison between the different competitors on the market is sometimes complicated.

Never think that sowing confusion about your offer, what is offered or not, will allow you to attract more customers. The clearer your offering, the less friction in the customer journey. I hate spending 10 minutes on a site to understand what it’s about and what the benefits of a product are.

In another area, Sony got to work with the PS3 console. “When Sony developed the PlayStation 3, the company focused everything on power, explains Nicolas Nova. It was a mistake. The machine was complicated to use, both for consumers and video game programmers. In the end, only 15% of players purchased it.»

Nintendo pursued another approach with the Wii, a console that was unsophisticated but easy to use thanks to its motion sensing system.

«It was a smart side stepanalyzes Nicolas Nova. Nintendo sold its product to people who had never played video games, not just teenagers or geeks. A sort of step backwards that allowed it to conquer a new market.»

The human mind is not really ready for complexity. He expects to get what he wants. In fact, we wait for the frame. Sometimes he likes to break out of it to feel free, but he keeps coming back to the same pattern.

The more effort you put into making things complex, the more time you will waste. Instead, work to simplify everything you can simplify. And when you’ve done that, think about what you can simplify further.

The challenge is to make everything simple and interesting, accessible and relevant.

Make sure people don’t turn away from your product/message because it seems too complex to immediately understand. Make your life more complex to make the lives of your users and customers easier.