Emotions are running high in Auckland with the shed debate on the Queens Wharf as is evident by the copious articles and correspondence on should or should they not stay.

Reading ‘Are the Sheds on Queens Wharf worth Saving?’ in The New Zealand Herald, published on 6th May, there were 87 comments posted when I looked today, the most recent being a couple of days ago.  The vast majority were against the sheds being retained because in their view they look ugly, an eyesore, a blot on the landscape etc.  There is a pervading sense of distrust of the council and architects, sometimes expressed in quite vitriolic terms and in particular concerning architects: -

• “…Our mindset is hopeless.  Or rather the smarmy self satisfied trendy Auckland city councillors or architects suggesting this nonsense.”
• “…Absolutely ridiculous.  Sell them on Trademe (sic) and let these “architects” buy them.”
• “…The architects who are in love with these gems should be imprisoned in them until they reconsider their foolish notions.”

These same people would rather have a new structure built to replace the existing sheds which would be designed presumably by the very same profession they profess to distrust namely architects.  To paraphrase a more well known phrase; never let logic get in the way of a good emotional vent!

Councillors are also getting in on the act.  On 1^st July, The New Zealand Herald published an article Strike the tent, let’s keep the sheds by Mark Donnelly, an independent Auckland City Councillor asking the Prime Minister  “…to reconsider the headlong rush into demolishing the Queens Wharf sheds to ‘host’ party central.” Going on to say later “…Mike Lee’s tent won’t cut it.  Where’s the wow factor?  It will just look like a cheap Band Aid - is that the message we want to send?

The New Zealand Herald published on same day the article ‘Noble’ sheds must stay, says architects who had written “…no convincing case has been made for demolishing the Queens Wharf cargo sheds.” They stated emotively “There are noble structures beneath the battered tin sheathing of these sheds…”

Everyone seems to be striving for the emotional high ground.  There are no winners in this game, emotions won’t allow it!  Both view points are right or wrong depending on your point of view i.e. the values you live by that you hold to be true.  So let’s stick to the facts.  The two cargo sheds are two storeys tall; they are 98 year old and are clad in corrugated iron.  I could continue to describe their building specification as indisputable facts, because that’s all they are – different bits of materials joined together creating a space within to store cargo when they were first built.

However it is the value people have placed on the facts that has generated the emotions in this case.  The facts are not that interesting in themselves.  People’s interpretation relative to their values is the interesting thing to observe.

So when considering the facts about your own business, remember it is the ‘values’ people will associate with the facts that needs to be managed if an emotional connection is to be achieved between your business and your customer.  Never more so when put in the context of your business’s target market and their values.  Look at Cadbury’s and the circumstances around their foray into using palm oil as a substitute in their chocolate here in New Zealand.  Where did the facts end and emotional reasoning take over both for the customer and for the New Zealand arm of Cadbury’s?  The result for Cadbury in this saga is they have been bumped off the number one spot as being the most trustworthy brand in New Zealand in a recent survey.  How is this affecting their sales?

Humans are emotional and when your business doesn’t share the same views as your customer, be very careful.  And in the case of the Queens Wharf Cargo Sheds, the ARC and the Government seemed to have got themselves into an insidious position where they dammed if they knock the sheds down and dammed if they don’t.

One thing is certain the New Zealand Herald will be stirring up the emotional pot – it makes for good reading.

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