You’ve probably heard this quote before:
“People don’t want a drill. They want a hole in the wall.”
It’s simple, but it shifts everything. It reminds us that people don’t buy products for their features — they buy them to get something done.
This is the core idea behind the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework — one of the most practical, customer-first ways to think about marketing, product development, and growth.
What Is the JTBD Framework?
The Jobs to Be Done framework is all about understanding why customers “hire” a product or service. It looks at what task — or “job” — they need help with in their life.
It moves the focus away from traditional marketing questions like:
- How old is the customer?
- What gender are they?
- What’s their income?
And instead asks:
- What is the customer trying to achieve?
- What’s the situation that leads them to seek a solution?
- What alternatives are they considering — even outside the category?
In other words, it’s about the outcome, not the person.
Real-Life Examples of JTBD Thinking
Example 1: Buying a Milkshake
Clayton Christensen, the Harvard professor who popularized JTBD, once worked with a fast-food chain to understand why people were buying milkshakes.
Demographics didn’t help much — buyers came from all walks of life.
What they found instead:
Many customers bought milkshakes early in the morning, alone, and consumed them during long commutes. The milkshake’s real job? To keep them full and entertained while driving.
So, they didn’t need a tastier milkshake — they needed a thicker one that lasted longer through the commute.
Example 2: IKEA Furniture
People don’t go to IKEA just to buy cheap furniture. Often, they go to make their first apartment feel like home, or to create a sense of independence after moving out. The job isn’t “buy a shelf” — it’s “feel grown up” or “start a new chapter.”
Why JTBD Matters for Marketers
- It unlocks deeper insights
When you understand the job behind the product, you uncover emotional, functional, and social needs. This leads to better messaging, product design, and targeting. - It helps avoid competitor tunnel vision
If you sell online courses and only study other courses, you’ll miss that your real competition might be YouTube, podcasts, or even coaching apps. - It explains switching behavior
People “fire” one solution and “hire” another when it does the job better — not necessarily because of price or features. - It sharpens your positioning
If you know the job your product is hired for, you can speak directly to that need. You stop describing what you do, and start explaining how you help.
How to Use JTBD in Your Strategy
Here are some steps to apply it:
- Interview real customers and ask:
“What were you trying to do when you started looking for [product]?”
“What made you choose us over other options?” - Map out the customer’s situation — what’s happening in their life that triggered the search?
- Identify emotional and practical outcomes — what do they want to feel or solve?
- Use the insights to build marketing campaigns that mirror their language, not your features.
Final Thought
The JTBD framework forces us to stop thinking like sellers and start thinking like problem-solvers.
Your customers don’t care about your roadmap, your features, or your mission statement — unless those things help them get something done.
So next time you’re writing copy, designing a product, or launching a campaign, ask yourself:
“What job is my product really being hired to do?”
