Grammarly's core value was alleviating the deep-seated anxiety of writing. This emotional connection, which gave users confidence, was key to its initial success and proved more powerful than a purely functional benefit of correcting grammar.
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Not all reviews are created equal. Marketers should differentiate between emotional feedback and functional feedback. This allows for more precise messaging, using functional proof for practical-minded B2B buyers and emotional proof for industries where feeling is paramount.
Your website's headline should evoke a feeling, specifically the relief from a customer's core pain point. Instead of describing your product's function (e.g., 'AI tax assistant'), describe the emotional state it eliminates (e.g., 'Taking the terror out of tax season'). This connects with the user immediately.
True differentiation comes from "deep delight," where emotional needs are addressed within the core functional solution. This is distinct from "surface delight" like animations or confetti, which are nice but fail to build the strong emotional connections that drive loyalty.
After years of study, Grammarly's leadership concluded that the definition of "better writing" is entirely situational. The most critical first step is not grammar, but clarifying the communication's goal—whether it's to inspire action, change an opinion, or simply inform—before writing a single word.
In a domain dominated by fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), Wiz intentionally avoids it. They believe customers connect better with empowerment and humor. Instead of scaring clients about potential breaches, they frame their product as a tool that enables teams to build securely and confidently, fostering a healthier partnership.
Grammarly's free version only showed spelling fixes, hiding its advanced AI capabilities. By interspersing paid suggestions (like tone and clarity) into the free experience, they demonstrated the product's full power and dramatically increased conversions.
Frame your product's value not around the underlying AI, but around the premium insight it unlocks. The key is to instantly provide an answer—like a valuation or diagnosis—that previously required significant time, money, or human expertise.
Grammarly's co-founders discovered their plagiarism detection tool was flagging users who struggled to express thoughts in writing. Instead of building a better plagiarism cop, they built a tool to make writing easier, thereby addressing the core problem that led to plagiarism in the first place.
Grammarly's rebrand to Superhuman represents a strategic shift from a single-feature product to an ambitious platform. Elevating the "Superhuman" sub-brand to the parent signals a broader mission of empowering human potential across various tasks, not just correcting grammar. The key is focusing on "human" empowerment.
Move beyond listing features and benefits. The most powerful brands connect with customers by selling the emotional result of using the product. For example, Swishables sells 'confidence' for a meeting after coffee, not just 'liquid mouthwash.' This emotional connection is the ultimate brand moat.
