This analyzes the marketing success of Panasonic’s Coricoalan Wide high-frequency treatment device, highlighting the critical importance of profound customer understanding.

Initially challenging to sell due to its lack of the stimulating sensations expected from massagers, researchers conducted extensive interviews to uncover true customer concerns. They discovered that the main frustration was not the physical pain itself, but the resulting inability to execute desired actions and maintain performance at work or home. This realization prompted the company to redefine the product’s value, shifting from a basic "minus to zero" benefit (removing discomfort) to the aspirational goal of "zero to plus" (enabling the ideal self). By focusing messaging on sustaining high performance throughout the day,

Panasonic successfully turned the device’s initial drawback—its lack of stimulation—into a unique "while-you-work treatment" advantage, expanding the competitive landscape beyond traditional therapeutic devices.