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A branding agency's guide to ‘Experience’

20 June 2013

Read what CEO UK and Ireland of Branding Agency, The Brand Union, Toby Southgate has to say about 'Experience' and how a holistic marketing approach could fix your brand-consumer comms.

Marketing lingo

Marketing speak...

Non-stop buzzwords and 'bullshit bingo', right?

We've all heard the jokes. But as the industry and marketing strategies constantly morph and evolve, language needs to be invented and created all the time.

Sometimes meanings get diluted beyond the point of all recognition: ‘integrated’, ‘digital’, ‘engagement’, ‘social’, ‘content’ - these are now umbrella terms that serve generic purposes. They tick a box rather than offer definition.

Experience’ is one of the more recent additions to marketing vocabulary and it's the frame through which we now talk about brands.

Relationships between brands and consumers have changed exponentially, and the way in which brands interact with people is crucial to sustainability and profitability in the 21st century. But what do we mean by experience? And why do we think it is the best way to evaluate brands from here on out?

Here’s the big secret that a branding agency will know...

Experiences form the basis of all types of human relationships. Our view on the world is entirely shaped by the personal positive and negatives experiences we encounter throughout our life. The more experiences we have, the broader, stronger and better informed our opinions.

Brand consumer choice

But at this level, it’s still a little too obvious to be deemed a fundamental truth of marketing. If we dive into the relationships between people and brands that engage them, we can build a view on defining those specific experiences that drive brand recognition and loyalty. What would we specifically define as an experience with a brand?

See 'experience' in action everywhere

A visit to a retail store; a transaction at your bank, a lengthy phone call to customer service - these are the interactions that determine customer satisfaction, but don't individually create the experience of the brand. Customer satisfaction is short-term sentiment directly linked to specific, individual interactions. The overarching experience of the brand is a collation of each moment of interaction between the brand and the consumer, every single touchpoint.  

Take it from a branding agency...

So you can begin to see where the definition has become diluted. Ad agencies would tell you that an experience is a thirty second TVC or a bus side; experiential agencies that it's an event; social media specialists that it's your Twitter feed. But speaking from a leading branding agency, I can tell you that real experiences cross genre and channel and defy blinkered assessments. Strong brands are aware that every single moment of interaction is a chance to build and to influence the way people feel.

An interesting consideration borrows from a neuro-psychological approach, that it’s in fact a consumer’s peripheral vision that is the most significant in brand perception. Overt messaging and experiences will resonate, but it’s the more subtle, seemingly inconsequential touchpoints that contribute to lasting perception. Whether it’s an overheard conversation or a billboard seen at a football match on TV, it doesn’t need to contain a particular tactical message. Rather it’s a signal that contributes to the formed opinion. It’s one puzzle piece added to another, all contributing to the experience of the brand.

How to make the experience work for you too

The most successful brands make a lasting imprint on a person as a result of continual, positive moments of interaction, regardless of size or context. It is these micro experiences that drive satisfaction, loyalty and emotional attachment.  

Brands of all colours are now being constantly challenged, scrutinised and held to account. Expectations are higher, news flows faster, and the demand for transparency, authenticity and loyalty is ever more precious. To succeed in the future brands have to re-evaluate the way they see themselves. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer, and a brand can start to truly understand and define its own experience.

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Danielle Stagg

Written by Danielle Stagg