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Melissa Godar

MKTG 531

User Narrative Analysis

9/13/15

User Narrative 1

Capture

See Appendix 1 for full capture.

Identification

The focal product in the captured review is the Kindle Voyage and how it compares to other

versions of the Kindle.

Source

The captured review originates from the Amazon website

(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOY8XWQ/ref=ods_fs_kv). The review is one of many

product-specific reviews that appear directly on the product purchase page.

Author

The author’s name is Sam. He made a verified purchase of the Kindle Voyage and is a self-

described Kindle enthusiast and early adopter owning multiple past versions of the Kindle. This

post was helpful to 3,636 of 3,753 people and there were 160 comments in response to the

post. Overall, Sam has posted 58 reviews on Amazon.com mostly for electronics and gadgets,

but also some outdoor gear. His reviewer ranking is #5,046, which “is determined by the overall

helpfulness of all their reviews, factoring in the number of reviews they have written.”

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/guidelines/top-reviewers.html) Sam’s reviews

have been helpful to 4,808 out of 5,018 people who voted on his review, which means his

reviews were 96% helpful. Sam has a total of 122 activities on Amazon, but has chosen to keep

some private.

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2JCLEDQTNXMPT/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp)

Narrative

See Appendix 2 for full narrative. Sam bought his Kindle Voyage (KV) from Amazon.com and

uses it to read. He uses his KV with and without the official origami cover, which is sold

separately. He is able to carry the KV in his coat pocket. Sam mentions that the origami cover

allows him to read in various places and positions. Because of the cover, he can comfortably

read while laying down. He also reads in settings with various levels of light. The KV is a bit of a

disappointment for Sam. He expected perfection based on the price and on how many previous

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versions of the Kindle there are. Uneven lighting seems to be the most prominent issue as well

as a two-tone screen, which are not new problems to the previous backlit versions of the

Kindle. While not specifically mentioned by Sam, it seems he may use the KV mostly for

personal use. Sam’s detailed description of the features of the KV as well as his comparison to

previous versions make him appear to be an avid, sophisticated Kindle user.

Marketing Implications

Sam gives a neutral review of the KV explaining both the superior qualities as well as those that

are inferior. Highlighting the positive attributes that Sam mentions could persuade undecided

consumers or those that value the superior attributes and would be convinced to buy even with

the knowledge of some of the inferior attributes. Describing Sam as a book lover and Kindle

enthusiast who appreciates the comfortability of the new KV as well as the outstanding

contrast and picture quality could resonate with other book lovers who like to read for

extended periods of time. It seems that there are other similar Kindle users who gave an

honest, detailed review about what was good and bad about the new KV. Those that have

owned several Kindles have the background experience to compare that which is better than

previous versions and that which is unimpressive. Several previous Kindle owners only bought

the KV because their old version was lost or broken or they received the KV as a gift. Sam may

be differentiated from other brand users in that he is still a fan of the product, but willing to be

critical about shortcomings. He is different from nonusers because those with no previous

experience may be impressed with the experience of a new product and not have a critical eye

toward features that could be improved. Knowing Sam’s narrative will help the marketing team

understand that Sam and others like him pay attention to details and expect perfection. They

notice when features are added, taken away, or unimproved. This knowledge will help the

marketing team craft an honest message that doesn’t insult the sophisticated knowledge that

Sam and others like him have about their products.

User Narrative 2

Capture

See Appendix 3 for full capture.

Identification

The focal product in the captured review is the Kindle Voyage.

Source

The captured review originates from the Best Buy website

(http://www.bestbuy.com/site/amazon-kindle-voyage-6-

4gb/9302088.p?id=1219405798574&skuId=9302088). The review is one of many product-

specific reviews that appear directly on the product purchase page.

Author

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The author goes by the name Newmusicplayer (NMP). He made a verified purchase of the

Kindle Voyage. This is his/her first Kindle. He/she is a manager with an unidentified number of

employees. This post was helpful to 1 out of 1 people and there were no comments in response

to the post. Overall, NMP has posted 6 reviews on BestBuy.com mostly for Apple accessories,

but also for the Kindle origami case. NMP’s 6 reviews have given an average product rating of

4.2. NMP is a relatively new reviewer with his/her first review in January 2015. None of his/her

other reviews have been voted to be helpful.

(http://reviews.bestbuy.com/profiles/3545w/d0a975d375a57d42e7ce8514c9f8504566bc86cc3

c4f35fea8d96cfd5c96de98c78f2cad9c90a0851c4de0d9430358794ced41aab50a4355aeaf25bb3

92f5e48818893434db532b9209d811f8c06a16d/profile.htm)

Narrative

See Appendix 4 for full narrative. NMP bought the KV for work to keep up on business journals

and improve management skills, but found it useful for personal entertainment as well. It could

be inferred from NMP’s statement, “I have made stupendous use of this since buying it.” that

he/she is using the KV quite often. NMP is very impressed with the KV’s performance and the

intended uses for work and entertainment. It could be implied that the KV is helping him/her

become a better manager. The KV is helping NMP stay up-to-date on work-related information

and improved professional skills. As a newcomer to the Kindle product line, NMP’s excitement

conveys a useful, impressive product at least for those with no prior experience.

Marketing Implications

This review could be used to target business professionals who are busy, but interested in

growing their professional skills and/or managers or supervisors who are interested in practical

and impressive gifts for their employees. New Kindle users that jump hard copies of books and

magazines to the latest version will likely be impressed with the new experience and the variety

of attributes that the KV offers as NMP was. Business professionals may similarly find it to be a

useful gadget for reading business reports, journals, and professional development books. NMP

would be set apart from other brand users who use the Kindle more for personal entertainment

rather than business. Nonusers may not be interested in reading for personal pleasure or

professional development. This narrative could be incredibly useful to potentially target a

previously untapped audience-business managers and supervisors. Not only does NMP give an

energetic testimonial about how the KV has been great for his professional use and how it has

made it easier for him/her to read for pleasure, but he/she talks about buying a certain quantity

of KV’s for his/her employees as a Christmas gift. Leveraging NMP as a brand advocate to share

the idea that not only will the KV make a business professional better at their job, but that they

should buy multiple and share with employees. It could be a convincing message that will

spread awareness to new customers that are outside any of Kindle’s target audiences.

User Narrative 3

Capture

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See Appendix 5 for full capture.

Identification

The focal product in the captured review is the Kindle Voyage.

Source

The captured comment originates from the PC Magazine website

(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2c2817%2c2470437%2c00.asp). The comment is one of

many product-specific comments in response to PC Magazine’s Managing Editor for Consumer

Electronics’ review of the Kindle Voyage.

Author

The author goes by the name dinsy1 (D). He/she has not purchased the Kindle Voyage, but is

considering doing so for his/her elderly mother who is moving into a senior living community.

This is D’s only comment on PCMag.com. The comment was not rated or responded to. D

doesn’t have a Kindle, but seems somewhat tech savvy in discussing the features he/she thinks

his/her mother would appreciate. (https://disqus.com/by/dinsy1/)

Narrative

See Appendix 6 for full narrative. D plans to buy it for his/her mother, described as a voracious

reader, in order to save space in his/her mother’s new home in a senior living community. D’s

mother reads a lot, so presumably the KV will be used often. The mother has a lot of books,

which is why the KV will be a space saver. D took his/her mother to the store to try out a Nook

in order to make sure his/her mother would be satisfied with the transition to an e-reader. The

KV means that D’s mother can continue to feed her reading appetite without taking up her

smaller place with books. Moving to a senior living community means downsizing and possibly

becoming less mobile as far as taking trips to and from a library or bookstore, so an e-reader

that can hold 200 books with the ability to purchase more directly from the device seems like a

great solution. D’s mother’s use of the KV communicates that the KV can be a great space

saver, can satisfy the needs of voracious readers, and can be a good option for those that may

be less mobile.

Marketing Implications

This user narrative could be used to target middle-aged children with parents who love to read.

D thought that the KV would be great for his/her mother’s declining eyesight and the KV will

reduce the need to store books. This user narrative can resonate with the practical needs of

middle-aged children having to make decisions for their parents’ care such as downsizing and

moving, which can be stressful. It is often difficult to choose gifts for older people because they

typically have most of what they want or needs, so the KV could be a solution for those trying

to get a parent or grandparent who has everything a thoughtful and practical gift. There are

likely many middle-aged children who can relate to D’s situation. The children may be hesitant

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to buy a new tech gadget for an elderly parent, but following up on D’s narrative to find out

his/her mother’s user experience with the KV could resonate with others like D and plant the

idea to purchase. Other brand users are buying Kindles for themselves or for a spouse. D’s

purchase is different because older people have different needs and will be most interested in

the ease of use attributes rather than any extras as tech savvy readers may be seeking. This

narrative explains the specific attributes such as the auto light, PagePress, and screen clarity

that meet the specific needs of an older woman. This can be very useful in helping the

marketing team decide which attributes to highlight when targeting this audience.

Online and Offline Influence Comparison

The online user narratives in this paper are more detailed and attribute specific than those I

received from the offline recommendations that I sought. As described in my offline influence

analysis, larger purchase decisions such as a car, phone, and higher education compel me to

seek more advice especially from those I believe have my best interest in mind. Because I have

already built trust with those from whom I sought recommendations offline, they did not have

to give as much information for me to be influenced. Online narratives are more influential to

me when there is not someone that I trust from whom I can get an offline recommendation or

when I want an attribute-by-attribute review of products or services. This is true for the

situation of deciding whether the newest version of the Kindle is worth the significant price

jump from the previous version. For smaller purchases (restaurants, sandals, makeup, etc.), I

typically quickly look online to see how many reviews the product received, the overall rating,

and what a good and bad review had to say about the product, which is enough for me to make

a decision. However, as we learned in week 1, millennials are equally likely to be influenced by

online recommendations as offline whereas Baby Boomers are more likely to trust offline

recommendations, so the user narratives listed above may not be as influential for older

people. There may be specific people for whom either online or offline is always more

influential, but for the majority of people it depends on the product they are considering and

who is in their trusted circle to give recommendations offline. The conclusion of this

comparison as it related to a marketing team is that there isn’t one way that is always better

than the other, so both offline and online influence should be considered when developing a

marketing strategy.

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Appendix 1

Full product capture from Amazon.com.

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Appendix 2

User Narrative 1 from Amazon.com.

3,636 of 3,753 people found the following review helpful

Almost like Paperwhite v1 all over again

By sam on October 22, 2014

Configuration: With Special Offers Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi Only Verified Purchase

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I've got mixed feelings on this one, unfortunately. This review is coming from a kindle

enthusiast who has owned or used nearly every variation of the device since the 1st generation.

Size & Weight

---

It's noticeably smaller and lighter than the Paperwhite. When I saw the specs it didn't really

strike me as something that would make much difference to me, but in real life it's actually

great. The Voyage fits into a few of my coat pockets that the Paperwhite was just a little too big

to fit into.

Origami Cover

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I know there's a separate product page for the origami cover, but it's worth mentioning here as

it is the "official" cover. The origami cover is ugly and I was skeptical, but I actually love it. It's

weird because it opens by flipping over the top like a notepad. This actually makes it more

comfortable to hold when the cover is open, in my opinion. It's hard to describe, but there are a

lot more ways to hold the Voyage when it's attached to this cover, and just generally is more

comfortable to use. The origami part of the case works great as well... it stands vertically or

horizontally (if you're laying down and reading, this is amazing).

The other great new thing about this case is that the Voyage attaches to it magnetically. It

attaches and detaches very easily, unlike the Paperwhite which seemed to be nearly

permanently attached to the standard case. This is great because if you decide you want to

read the device and appreciate how light/thin it is without a case attached, it's super easy to

take it out.

It's pricey but worth it.

PagePress

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One of the new features is PagePress, which has sensors on the outer edge of the device that

you can squeeze to turn pages. The device lets you adjust the sensitivity between

low/med/high -- by default it's set to medium. I found medium to require squeezing way too

hard, what felt unnatural and more than any button would or should require to advance to the

next page. I adjusted it to "low" and it works perfectly now. Thumb rests on the sensor, and a

gentle squeeze advances the page, and haptic feedback (a tiny vibration/buzz) is there to give

you a tactile response that the so-called button was pressed. The haptic feedback can be

adjusted (low/med/high)or disabled as well. It doesn't trigger accidentally like I feared it might,

and I actually really like it.

Auto Brightness

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The device now has a light sensor in the top left corner that is supposed to detect ambient light

levels and adjust the brightness of the Kindle accordingly. I've had very mixed results with this.

First, auto brightness is disabled on the device by default -- which seems odd given that it's one

of the key new features of the device. The auto brightness worked very briefly when I first got

the device, but it always seemed to be a little off from how I would like the screen to look. In lit

rooms, it tended to be a little on the darker side, and in dark rooms it was too bright.

Well, shortly after using the Voyage the auto brightness quit working altogether. I restarted the

device a few times with no luck. After contacting support, they asked me to proceed with a

factory reset. It's worked again since then, but doesn't leave me with a ton of confidence since

it started acting up so quickly after getting the device.

Screen

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I've seen the reports online of users who have a "two toned" screen -- blueish on the bottom,

yellowish on the top. I'm afraid to say that I have experienced this as well. Spending upwards of

$200 for a luxury ereader, it's really surprising and disappointing that they haven't got this

figured out by now -- this is supposed to be a premium device and it's the 3rd generation

frontlit reader for amazon. This is reminiscent of the Paperwhite V1 launch with all of the

splotchy lighting -- while it was a huge leap over the prior generation, you expect something

like this to work perfectly. It doesn't.

The Paperwhite V1 had splotchy lighting, Paperwhite V2 was supposed to have "improved"

lighting -- which it did, but still wasn't perfect (mine still had some bright spots)... but to be

honest, the lighting on my Paperwhite V2 looks better and more consistent than the Voyage.

It's unfortunate that this is a step back. I hope this isn't a widespread issue, but I fear that it is

after seeing numerous users on other forums posting about it and sharing pictures of their

device. It'll be a shame if the only upgrade next year will be a Voyage V2 with "improved

lighting", just like what happened with the Paperwhite. I'll be more skeptical about being an

early adopter next time.

Aside from the uneven lighting, which I can't decide how distracting it is, the contrast and

picture quality of the screen is outstanding. When I compare the text from my Paperwhite V2 to

the Voyage side-by-side, the text on the Paperwhite almost looks blurry -- which I wouldn't

have believed until I saw it myself.

In conclusion, my favorite things about the Voyage are how much more comfortable it is to use

(the origami cover offering more ways to hold/use the device, the pagepress sensor working

great), the quality of the screen is outstanding, but the uneven lighting and flakey auto

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brightness are leaving me disappointed. I'm not sure if these were rushed out too quickly or if

Amazon has poor quality control, but either way it's unacceptable.

160 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Appendix 3

Full product capture from BestBuy.com.

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Appendix 4

User narrative 2 from BestBuy.com.

Appendix 5

Full product capture from PCMag.com.

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Appendix 6

User narrative 3 from PCMag.com.

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