Last update: 4/12/2024

In a nutshell

The Moments sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas focuses on identifying and understanding the critical points in the customer journey before, during, and after engaging with your value proposition. These moments capture customer actions, thoughts, and emotions, revealing their objectives and pain points. Understanding these moments helps businesses design experiences that resonate with customers, foster loyalty, and improve satisfaction.

For example, Green Clean might analyze moments such as researching eco-friendly cleaning products, comparing options, purchasing a product, and using it at home. By understanding what customers think, feel, and do at each stage, Green Clean can tailor its messaging, support, and product experience.

Introduction

The Moments sub-dimension in the Marketing Canvas is part of the Journey category, focusing on mapping the customer’s experience with your brand. Moments are the key touchpoints where customers interact with your value proposition and form impressions of your brand. By understanding these moments in detail, you can align your strategies to meet customer expectations and create memorable experiences.

Unlike other elements that focus on broad strategies, Moments zooms into the specific instances that shape customer perceptions, ensuring that your value proposition delivers value consistently.

What are moments?

Moments are the specific instances in the customer journey where they engage with your brand or value proposition. These can occur before, during, or after a purchase, encompassing everything from initial awareness to post-purchase advocacy.

For example:

Before Purchase: Researching sustainable cleaning products online.
During Purchase: Comparing Green Clean to competitors and making a buying decision.
After Purchase: Using the product and deciding whether to repurchase or recommend it.

Moments are characterized by:

Customer Observations: Based on real customer behavior and feedback.
Actions, Thoughts, and Feelings: Capturing what customers do, think, and feel at each touchpoint.
Customer Objectives: Understanding the goals customers aim to achieve during each moment.

Moments: an in-depth perspective

Mapping moments requires detailed insights into customer behavior, focusing on:

Observations and Identity: Moments must reflect real customer behaviors and identities, gathered through interviews and observations.
Comprehensive Coverage: Identifying all relevant moments before, during, and after engaging with your value proposition.
Customer Emotions and Actions: Capturing the thoughts, feelings, and actions of customers at each stage.
Customer Objectives: Understanding what customers aim to achieve during each moment and aligning your strategy accordingly.

For example:

Observations: Green Clean might discover that customers feel overwhelmed by the variety of “eco-friendly” claims during research.
Emotions: Customers may feel relief when they find a transparent and trustworthy brand.
Actions: Comparing labels or searching for certifications like “EcoCert.”
Objectives: Finding a safe and sustainable cleaning solution for their family.

Mental Models - Moments in the Marketing Canvas

Translating moments into action

To enhance the customer experience, businesses must identify and refine the moments that matter most to their audience. This involves:

Mapping the Journey: Defining moments across all stages of the customer journey.
Aligning with Objectives: Ensuring each moment supports the customer’s goals and minimizes friction.
Optimizing Touchpoints: Improving interactions to meet customer expectations and create positive experiences.

Questions to consider:

Have you based your moments on real customer observations and interviews?
Have you identified moments before, during, and after the purchase?
Do you understand what your customers think, feel, and do at each moment?
Have you clearly identified the objectives your customers aim to achieve during each moment?

Statements for self-assessment

For a comprehensive evaluation of your understanding and application of the Moments concept, rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):

Your moments have been defined based on customer observations and interviews. It reflects his/her identity.
You have identified all moments before, during, and after buying your value proposition.
For each moment, you have clearly identified what your customers think, feel, and do.
For each moment, you have clearly identified what are the customer objectives.

Marketing Canvas Method - Journey - Moments

Interpretation of the scores

Negative scores (-1 to -3): Negative scores indicate a lack of understanding or incomplete mapping of customer moments. This may result in missed opportunities to address customer needs, leading to friction in the journey and reduced satisfaction. Immediate action is needed to observe, analyze, and map customer behaviors more effectively.
A score of zero (0): A neutral score reflects partial insights or an incomplete understanding of customer moments. While you may have identified some key touchpoints, gaps remain in addressing customer thoughts, feelings, or objectives. Further research and refinement are required to create a comprehensive journey map.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores suggest that you have a thorough understanding of customer moments and have effectively mapped their actions, thoughts, feelings, and objectives. This deep insight allows you to create seamless, satisfying experiences that align with customer expectations and foster loyalty.

Case study: Green Clean’s moments

Misaligned Understanding (-3, -2, -1): Green Clean fails to map critical customer moments, focusing only on the purchase stage. The brand overlooks key interactions, such as research or post-purchase usage, resulting in a disconnected customer experience that fails to meet expectations.
Surface Understanding (0): Green Clean identifies some customer moments but does not fully capture customer thoughts, feelings, or objectives. For example, while the brand recognizes that customers compare products, it does not address the emotional stress of choosing among eco-friendly options.
Deep Understanding (+1, +2, +3): Green Clean comprehensively maps customer moments, from initial awareness to post-purchase advocacy. By identifying what customers think, feel, and do at each stage, the brand tailors its messaging, simplifies decision-making, and provides ongoing support. For instance, Green Clean offers an online guide to decoding eco-labels, addressing customer stress during the research phase and aligning with their objective of making informed choices.

Conclusion

The Moments sub-dimension is essential for understanding the key touchpoints that shape the customer journey. By observing real customer behavior, identifying actions, emotions, and objectives, and refining interactions, businesses can create seamless and satisfying experiences. A well-mapped journey fosters loyalty, trust, and advocacy, ensuring your value proposition resonates with customers at every stage.