Cheat Code: Why claiming new cues is crucial for challenger brands
Forget Google, TikTok and ChatGPT. The most important search engine is still the one in your mind, according to Hardhat’s CEO, Dan Monheit.
Life is abundant with new customer journeys. Next weekend is Mum’s 70th birthday, so I’d better put some thought into her present. Apparently, Tokyo is an incredible place to visit in spring. After a big weekend on the tiles, where’s good for a healthy lunch near work? I wonder if I could run a marathon this year… and on it goes.
It may surprise you to know that even in 2024, most customer journeys, and the searches they inspire, don’t start with a search engine at all; they start in our minds, within our memories.
Prompted by a thought, or in this case, a cue, we dig deep into the recesses of our grey matter, hunting for clues, experiences, or ideas from the past to help solve our current conundrum: lists of things you know your mum adores, airlines that fly to Japan, that salad Sophia was eating at her desk last week, and those new running shoes that just got banned from international events.
