Experience as a Tool for Brands

Experiential. Interactive. Customizable. These are the just a few of the buzzwords thrown around on every zoom call and at the top of all of our minds when it comes to customers in the Experience Economy. First coined by Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore’s book from 1999, “The Experience Economy” was the establishing of a new kind of economic offering. It was different from a commodity, good, or service based around the idea that:

“a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event.”

Seems obvious now? Well, Pine and Gilmore were not the first to propose experience as an economic offering. Both Disney and Universal Studios were doing it decades earlier but that was their brand and guests paid hand over fist to see when entertainment and experiences was done correctly. One to the first times the idea of an experience was really used as a brand marketing strategy was actually by the Hershey company in 1973. Part museum walkthrough and part theme park, their factory featured a riding tour full of set work and media, interactive exhibits where guests could learn about making chocolate to deepen the connection to their product, and of course a gift shop. They created a destination to expand the brand within customers heads that their brand was about more than just chocolate, it was about memories, and they leaned into this idea of using their product as a basis for an immersive brand experience in an extremely successful way that paved the way for variations of the pop-up brand experiences we know well today.

Today, there are countless brands that provide comparable products, services, and goods. So how can a brand differentiate themselves from their competitors using experiences to command the short attention spans and quick typing fingers of their markets? Through memorable and engaging experiences that utilize digital technologies and spatial strategies.

Experiential? Sure. Interactive? Obviously. But the hardest of all is a word we throw around loosely, is it immersive. Immersive experiences are those that use active [technology as an example] or passive [set design as an example] strategies to place you within a narrative. These can be heavily themed rides, immersive theater with well-trained actors where you become a part of the show, or even just a VR headset that takes you on a journey through the clouds or to the ocean floor from the comfort of your living room. Hershey broke the mold for brands all over the world when they opened up a benchmark experience to consumers who had no idea what to expect, but we know this would never live up to the standards and expectations of a consumer who is well aware of what else is on the fiercely competitive market today. Aside from theme parks in their original sprawling forms, the success of experiences like Meow Wolf, Evermore, Sleep no More, and even the Netflix/Secret Cinema “Drive-Into Experience” require brands looking to deliver on the expectation of immersive experiences for their customers to look to the themed entertainment industry for inspiration.

Entertainment Design has been ahead of the curve for the better part of a century when it comes to creating memorable experiences for guests. So how can brands recreate the success of themed entertainment in their own customer experiences?

Here are just a couple of the ingredients in the secret sauce that allow you to differentiate your brand experience:

1) Social dynamics 

Understanding these is key to controlling any experience, either individual experiences, group experiences, or a combination of the two. Prior to beginning any work on the experience, establish the intent based on the product and the brand before deciding on the level of social dynamic in the guest participation.

2) The “wow” factor 

In this fast paced, attention-deficit world, using technology and special effects knowledge to deliver the “I’ve never seen that before” moment is not always necessary but is a key differentiator in what sticks — or is shared on social media.

3) Elicit an emotion

Whether jovial, depressing, or maddening the ability to cause catharsis with your audience will connect with them on an emotional level.

4) Anchor the experience in a narrative and a call to action

This is a big one. Every experience needs a logical progression to take guests on a rollercoaster, allow them to relate, and keep them wanting more every step of the way. Answer who guests are and why are they here. Lastly, powerful experiences end with a call to action, a moment where everything guests have just been through compels them through words, visuals, or performance to go out and achieve a goal. This includes buying your product.

5) Interactivity

Buzzword or not, guests need to feel as though they are not just spectators, but participants in your brand’s narrative. Whether we even know it or not, we expect our favorite brands to hear our story, understand our plight, and cater to our needs with an experience that feels tailored to us.

As society steps into a post-covid reality, experiences will also need to take into consideration new dimensions of physical experience like hygiene and safety. Using data to monitor the status of surfaces and spaces in real-time will be crucial to comfort. Everything has gone digital and many people are clamoring for their first taste of an experience outside of their couch in over a year. The immense opportunity for brands to capitalize on this consumer market is ready to bubble over and I’m happy to help so get in touch!