My boys are lucky enough to have eaten pasta in Rome, croissants in Paris and hamburgers in New York. Yet, when the conversation turns to food memories, the one they treasure most is eating potatoes next to the Aga in a friend’s kitchen in Scotland.

They remember the story of the potatoes freshly dug from the garden, slow baked in the oven, served with fresh local butter and blue cloth napkins. In truth, the potatoes didn’t taste all that different from the ones we bought at the local market, but the story and experience made Barbara’s potatoes taste better.

All the resources in the world invested in features and benefits don’t matter a jot unless we can change how the customer feels about the story they are being asked to believe.

The way we do things—the intention behind how we make our products, design our customer experiences and craft our responses matters more than we realise.

Image by Susy Morris.