Why do some "unnecessary" companies succeed? Consider the difference between vitamins and painkillers first.

Have you noticed that all the startups that have been raising money recently are extremely large?

Maybe you're scratching your head. Companies such as BuzzFeed, which are known for their web sites filled with animated GIFs and quizzes, recently raised 50 million of dollars, which are reported to have reached $850 million trillion. Snapchat, which uses a wide range of communications software among young people, is said to have received a 10 billion dollar valuation from investors. Is the world crazy?

Some industry watchers say these seemingly popular apps or websites are predicting the advent of the technology Bubble 2.0. But we have more to tell you.

Vitamins and painkillers

Most people, including many professional investors, tend to divide new products into two categories: vitamins or painkillers.

Painkillers can solve important problems. They address a clear need to alleviate customer-specific pain and address a quantifiable market. Think about the sales of Tylenol in the market, which is actually acetaminophen, and the drug does provide a reliable analgesic effect. This is a ready-made solution that people are willing to pay for.

Whether in big companies or small companies, innovators are constantly proving that their ideas are important enough and worth investing time and money in developing them.

In contrast, vitamins do not necessarily solve an obvious pain point. They are motivated by the emotional need to attract users, rather than functional requirements. When we take a multivitamin every morning, we don't know if the vitamin actually makes us healthier.

Efficacy is not the reason why we take vitamins. Taking vitamins is something akin to removing it from your to-do list, a psychological need rather than a physical need. We are satisfied that taking it is something we are doing that is good for our health, even if we can't tell you how much it benefits.

Similarly, people tend to treat innovations such as BuzzFeed as vitamins, thinking that BuzzFeed is a good product, but not a necessity.

But what we are often unaware of is that over time vitamins can become pain killers.

Become a Habit

Let's consider some of today's hottest consumer technology products such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. What are they selling-vitamins or painkillers?

Most people would guess vitamins, because users would think they didn't do much important things, except to seek some social identity. Before making a decision to choose vitamins or painkillers, you can think about the idea that habits are awkward when you don't.

Recall that the first time you started using these services. No one ever wakes up in the middle of the night, "I need to write something to help me update my status!" "Like many innovations, people don't know that they need Facebook until it becomes part of their daily life--becoming a habit," he said.

It is important to explain the term "pain point", which is frequently found in business schools and marketing books. In reality, according to our experience, this is more akin to "itching", which reflects the mind and causes discomfort until we are satisfied.

The use of technology or products to "tickle" compared to ignore it, provides a higher degree of satisfaction. Once we start relying on a tool, nothing can stop it.

The pursuit of happiness and the avoidance of pain are two key motivators for all species. When we feel uncomfortable, we seek to escape from uncomfortable feelings. Over time, how to solve the user's pain will be found in the use of the product.

First, to provide good vitamins, once the habit is established, they should provide a remedial measure of persistent pain.