The new Chevy Volt electric car is now in the hands of owners, since the first deliveries happened in mid-December. This is arguably one of the most exciting vehicles to be released recently in terms of game-changing applications of technology.
A few weeks earlier than that (mid- November), a couple of us had the opportunity to drive a Volt on the street (needless to say, one of us deviated from the prescribed route and went exploring in the precious pre-production vehicle, which is a story for another time).
Afterward, when asked about how the vehicle drove, the honest reply was,"like a normal car." Aside from the video game-like sound and light show when started, and the video-game display to help the driver maximize the range provided by the batteries, the experience was...well...disappointingly banal. While I was hoping for a driving encounter that was different, new and...um...improved, the experience was not, which the engineers and designers took great pains to make so for purposes of wide acceptance and safety.
I'll admit that when I was first presented with the Volt concept as an "electric car," my gator-brain took hold of the wheel and I declared it hype, since it was "just another hybrid." And as people -- including experts -- continued to explain the differences to me, I remained firmly in the camp of "nothing new here." Eventually, the executive functions of the cortex helped me recognize that this really is an electric car, just one with an onboard gasoline-powered generator that was a truly unique offering that can help signifantly reduce reliance on gasoline at the pump (and transfer it to whatever fuel powers the local electric plant to which the car is plugged in). My previous experience with GM had led me to believe that they were trying to over-promote the same old thing.
The gator brain was also in full control when the actual production vehicle was revealed, as opposed to the very cool, macho, and aggressively-styled concept vehicle (top photo) introduced in 2007 with long hood, flared wheel arches and broad shoulders that was described as "an electric car that even a go-fast enthusiast can embrace." As the pictures reveal, the muscle-car-esque styling was replaced by a stylized hatchback, very Prius-like in profile (lower photo), that is lightweight and aerodynamic in the quest for efficiency. And the acceleration is not exactly at Corvette level, since it was optimized for efficiency and range, by which measure it blows away the 'Vette. Nevertheless, my disappoinment was profound because of the expectations that were created by the concept (and yes, I should know that auto-show concepts are always over-hyped!). 
The moral of this tale is that disppointment is caused by expectations that are not met. Too frequently, when trying to create excitement and buy-in for an innovation, the champions over-hype the capabilities of the solution and fail in the management of the target's expectations. While hyperbolic descriptions are an effective strategy for creating excitement, it also increases the opportunity for failure. As our friend A. Nony Mous once said, "if you lower expectations enough, success is inevitable." We don't mean to suggest that you should promote your offering as "practically garbage," but rather to set realistic expectations that you know you can exceed. Delighting the user/purchaser of the innovation is the key to success, not excessive hype.
What are your strategies for managing expectations?
