I attended South by Southwest Interactive last week, and there was a great talk on Cognitive Seduction. It asked the provocative question:

What do you want your users to think – that your product kicks ass or that your company kicks ass?

Got your answer? Think again. You want your users to think THEY Kick Ass.

Your users have things they’ve always wanted to be really, really good at. Your job is to make them feel like they Kick Ass, by being associated with you. Nobody is passionate about something they're not good at – make them feel like experts, then they will keep re-investing themselves to continue to get better.

How does this translate to your website?

• If you have testimonials (and you should), encourage people to talk about themselves, not your product. Make readers feel that people just like them have done amazing things that they can relate to and emulate.
• Make your customers feel like the heroes (experts), so they can and want to help beginners become experts. Give people tools to woo other customers and to “sell” you. Give reasons for people to feel excited to tell their friends about you.
• Passionate users “talk differently.” Utilize “insider” jargon to make people feel like they Kick Ass. Get them addicted to you.
• Include some surprises along the way. Create mystery, anticipation, curiosity about your products. The Internet has increased the value of actual, non-virtual items, so consider ways to incorporate them.
• Relate your product to solving the issues they have – reducing stress, improving their bodies, etc.

What about gaming? Any relevance here? You bet.

• First and foremost, your game needs to make people feel they Kick Ass. Make it easy for them to immediately grasp it and feel good that they “get it.”
• Add randomness, so people feel like there is serendipity to your game, like it is “reading their minds.” This is similar to the iPod Shuffle “phenomenon” where people think their shuffle often plays the song they just had in their mind.
• Add real-life physics touches to the interactive experience. Have objects act as if they would in real life. Example: The iPhone, where the trash can wobbles after you put something in it.
• Embed “insider” references and Easter eggs that allow players to feel like they are in the know.

Notice a trend here? We'll remember this time as the era of the customer. But it won't end any time soon. Make sure every single marketing effort focuses on them in a whole new way, and it will transform your company.