Evangelist User Group
How many of us (who have stayed in Europe) have owned a Moleskine book? In my short stays in Milan and London over the last 2 years I have seen Moleskine books on almost 5 out of 10 people.
I have always wondered- what is the secret behind the success of these little black books? They dont have any gloss, or have any printed artwork on the cover, nor do they have any print inside that focuses the user to use it in a certain way.
I think there are 3 factors to its success.
1. People want to move away from over-branded products. This also drives the success of Muji (along with its simplistic style).
2. People hate scribbling within printed boxes as they feel constrained. Since Moleskine books are meant for personal note-taking, it accomodates randomness with its empty layout. It fills in the space of not having any print on the sheets by using very good quality paper.
3. This I feel is one of the most powerful reasons: Moleskine targetted its books to a certain type of user which I would call an Evangelist User Group (EUG). The books are sold with a strong focus on Travellers /People on the Move.
Here, the Traveller being the EUG is interesting as note-taking might seem like a daily mundane activity but as soon as you put it in context of a traveller, it becomes more exciting - journals, travelogs, maps, jotting down experiences of people you meet, places you see. A lot get associated with note-taking than just thoughts, ideas and appointments.
The EUG has to be a group that will start using the product or service and eventually explore/experiment their own ways of using it. This will open up more possibilities and open other peoples outlook and help people see its use in their own lives.
I have always wondered- what is the secret behind the success of these little black books? They dont have any gloss, or have any printed artwork on the cover, nor do they have any print inside that focuses the user to use it in a certain way.
I think there are 3 factors to its success.
1. People want to move away from over-branded products. This also drives the success of Muji (along with its simplistic style).
2. People hate scribbling within printed boxes as they feel constrained. Since Moleskine books are meant for personal note-taking, it accomodates randomness with its empty layout. It fills in the space of not having any print on the sheets by using very good quality paper.
3. This I feel is one of the most powerful reasons: Moleskine targetted its books to a certain type of user which I would call an Evangelist User Group (EUG). The books are sold with a strong focus on Travellers /People on the Move.
Here, the Traveller being the EUG is interesting as note-taking might seem like a daily mundane activity but as soon as you put it in context of a traveller, it becomes more exciting - journals, travelogs, maps, jotting down experiences of people you meet, places you see. A lot get associated with note-taking than just thoughts, ideas and appointments.
The EUG has to be a group that will start using the product or service and eventually explore/experiment their own ways of using it. This will open up more possibilities and open other peoples outlook and help people see its use in their own lives.
