When the typewriter arrived, it wasn’t more efficient.
Quite the opposite – it created double work.
Someone would write down their thoughts by hand. Then someone else would sit and type them again – on the typewriter. Not exactly an efficiency gain, if you look at it narrowly.
Yet, companies wanted to use typewriters. Why?
It wasn’t just about clearer text. It was about signaling value.
Behavioral scientist Rory Sutherland has a theory that I believe is absolutely correct: The typewriter sent a silent message.
“We have resources.”
“We can afford both the technology and the staff to use it.”
“We are modern, organized, and a step ahead.”
The typewritten letter became a symbol of professionalism. An artifact of success.
And this is precisely the core of so much of what we do – still.
We don’t just buy products or services for what they do. We buy them for what they say. About ourselves. About our company. About our position.
Think about today’s premium products.
Is the higher price tag always about superior function?
Or is it also about signaling something? To show – to others and to ourselves – that we’ve reached a certain level? The typewriter teaches us something important:
What appears to be a step towards efficiency, can in fact be a step towards communicating something deeper.
A message about ambition, resources, and faith in the future.
So next time you invest in something “efficient,” ask yourself: What is it really signaling?
And is that the message you want to send?
Here you can read how you can get your customers to take a purchase decision.
#signaling #innovation #history #marketing #shifthappens
