11 May Creating the Ultimate Brand Experience

In our 2016 blog entitled “The Big Shift”, we reported that brand development was embarking on a fundamental shift toward a more personal, connective state in business – and becoming more “humanized”…

Today’s customers expect to be able to interact with brands directly by demanding new products/services and by becoming a more active part of the conversation. Brands and branding techniques are changing to reflect this, as it’s now common to see a brand directly communicating with customers over social media. As a result, branding will no longer focus on simply projecting a particular image or lifestyle, but will start to offer more immersive customer experiences, creating a shift from “THE BRAND” to “THE BRAND EXPERIENCE.”

 

Over the past 2 years, brands took the time to really get to know their customers and connect with them in a movement toward their most valued expectation of truly understanding the customer. With this knowledge, brands are able to provide more profound experiences in which the experience itself becomes the product.

However, this notion is not all that new.

Welcome to The Experience Economy

The term “Experience Economy” was first used in a 1998 article by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore describing the experience economy as the next economy following the agrarian economy, the industrial economy, and the most recent service economy.

Wikipedia goes on to say… Pine and Gilmore argue that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product: the “experience”. More advanced experience businesses can begin charging for the value of the “transformation” that an experience offers, e.g., as education offerings might do if they were able to participate in the value that is created by the educated individual. This, they argue, is a natural progression in the value added by the business over and above its inputs.
source: Wikipedia

In order to create the ultimate experience, a brand needs to utilize marketing strategies that achieve and strengthen the emotional connection with the customer… known as Experiential Marketing.

Experiential Marketing

In a recent survey, 65% of consumers said live event experiences helped them have a better understanding of a product or service, vastly surpassing digital efforts and TV advertising as methods of recognizing and learning about a brand.
source: EventTrack

Experiential marketing focuses on helping customers truly experience a brand. These methods incorporate the brand’s values into an experience that targets the senses of the customer in a deep and meaningful way… making it all-the-more personal.

Creating the Ultimate Brand Experience

So how can a brand create the ultimate experience for their customer? Here are some of our favorite tips:

1. Whether it’s a pop-up store, a virtual reality experience, free products or an event providing new-found knowledge, make sure that there is actual value for the customer.
2. Be sure to leave an impression by pushing the boundaries and thinking creatively. Example: Stratos Red Bull Campaign
3. You don’t have to restrict yourself to one channel of interaction with the customer during an experiential marketing campaign. Try to use multiple forms of engagement for more memorable experiences that engage all senses.
4. Connecting with current events/larger issues will boost brand awareness as well as incorporate your brand’s values.
5. Be authentic, intentional, and sometimes empathetic in your campaign to leave a lasting impression. Example: Chevy Traverse Family Reunion Campaign