Customer Development Example: Birds Aren't Real

By now you probably know that Birds Aren't Real ... the Government killed all birds and replaced them with surveillance drones.

When you purchase merchandise form Birds Aren't Real, you are given a surprise in your package.

See what you get in the package?

You get a sticker ... that's probably something you'll attach to the Subaru Forrester across the street. You get a Drone Field Guide ... a bit of levity to brighten your order. And you get your Official Membership Card, something you'll proudly share with a fellow citizen the next time a pigeon harasses your in a park. You'll know "why" the pigeon is harassing you.

Does this work? Who the heck knows? I don't have access to their numbers.

But it doesn't hurt in all likelihood.

I've been harping on Welcome Programs for years ... and when I do that somebody says "give me an example." Well, here's an example. And I know you're going to say "that won't work at our brand, we're unique and we're special, what else do you have?" That's what I always hear. It's what people say when they don't want to experiment, when they don't want to take risks, and when they don't want to change.

It costs almost nothing to have a "point of view". Use your unique point of view and combine it with a package to a first-time buyer and just like that you have the seeds of a Welcome Program. Now you are focusing on Customer Development instead of letting it happen organically.