What Sherlock Holmes taught me about finding clues that reveal what customers really want

My 11-year-old brought home the complete Sherlock Holmes collection.

She’s been devouring novels almost since she could read, and by age 7 had finished the entire Harry Potter series (all million words of it). It’s even more fun to watch her discover the classics.

I hadn’t dug into Conan Doyle in decades, and soon found myself deep in the collection.

Something significant stood out to me in this reading:

Every product launch is a fresh mystery waiting to be solved.

You’ve got scattered clues about what motivates buyers, cryptic feedback that doesn’t quite add up, and red herrings that lead you down expensive dead ends.

Just like Holmes entering a trance-like state to examine a crime scene, smart product marketers learn to zone in on the subtlest evidence.

Subtle wording choices that attract tire-kickers instead of serious buyers.

The demographic data that reveals your best audience is NOT who you thought.

The engagement patterns that show people want your product for completely different reasons than you built it.

In Victorian London, Holmes would notice tobacco ash, mud patterns, and ink stains that revealed mind-blowing things about a suspect’s habits and motivations.

Today’s product detectives analyze click-through rates, cart abandonment patterns, and customer support questions for similar insights.

When we launched BzzzzKill, early ad comments revealed something curious: older guitarists were excited about the vintage tone preservation, while younger players focused on the recording and looping benefits. Tech nerds only wanted to know exactly how the thing worked.

Same product, entirely different emotional triggers.

A less observant marketer might have missed this and created generic messaging that resonated with nobody.

But like Holmes spotting that a suspect’s left sleeve was worn differently than his right, small details reveal really big truths about buyer psychology.

In I Need That, I write about how our dog brain leaves digital fingerprints everywhere — in the words people use, the objections they raise, and the questions they ask before buying.

The best media buyers think like Victorian detectives.

They test ad variations not only for conversion rates, but for who converts and why.

They study snide comments for insights about messaging that attracts the wrong crowd.

They follow the evidence wherever it leads, even when it contradicts their initial theories.

Especially when it does.

Your next move: Channel YOUR inner Holmes this week.

Pick one customer touchpoint and examine it forensically. What clues are hidden in your support emails, social media comments, or cart abandonment data?

Look for patterns others might dismiss as irrelevant. The smallest details often crack the biggest cases.

Elementary, my dear product maker. 🧐

What’s the most surprising clue you’ve discovered about your customers’ real motivations?

Put a fingerprint on that reply arrow and share your best marketing detective story.

Or reach out to my team of product marketing strategists at Graphos Product.