P&G was able to use Jan Carlzon’s “Moment of Truth” theory to help focus on the two most important times to concentrate when a consumer purchases a product.
Traditionally, the “First Moment of Truth” is the moment when the consumer is in the store and scanning the shelf for what to purchase. Within in 3 to 7 seconds the consumer makes up their mind on which item to purchase and then moves on.
The “Second Moment of Truth” is when the consumer gets home and actually uses the product. By mastering and fully understanding these two vital points, P&G has been able to continually grow their market share.
Digital media has now challenged this model and Google sums it up by adding a new moment of truth that comes before what has been mentioned above – “Zero Moment of Truth.”
Consumers now have the ability to research products online before they go to the store either at home or on their smart phones. Consumers have the ability to scan an item at the point of sale and pull up price comparisons and reviews to make a better-informed decision. Now companies will have to ensure they have a fully integrated media strategy to ensure their consumers can find out information about their products throughout the entire marketing process.
Traditional: Stimulus => First Moment of Truth => Second Moment of Truth
New: Stimulus => ZMOT => First Moment of Truth => Second Moment of Truth
Giddyup