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• The Brand Experience

The Brand Experience

written on January 11, 2011 by Rachel Downey

 

Look at my resumé and you’ll see that I am a self-proclaimed “experience junkie.” I love trying new things, going to new places, assigning myself new challenges. I am not alone. There is big economy in everything experiential — entertainment, travel and tourism, even volunteerism. So, it’s no surprise that the foundational principle of Studio Graphique is to design positive and connective experiences for our clients’ brands and places. But what does that mean?

Developing a cohesive brand and message for any organization helps it compete — for customers, for visitors and for attention. This article discusses why addressing the brand experience as a strategic planning tool can help you engage your audience with your brand.
At Studio Graphique, our definition of Brand is “a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a product, company or place, that serves to create associations and expectations around it.” A Brand Identity is not a logo alone, but the collective look and feel of your organization’s communications materials. In a similar vein, there is the Brand Experience: the sum of experiential moments, aspects and contacts with your Brand including the visual, environmental expressions.

The Experience Economy

“The Experience Economy” first stirred the waters in economic circles with the 1999 release of B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore’s book of the same name. They described the Experience Economy as the next step in economic expansion following the previous foundational economies of agriculture, industry and most recently, the exchange of services rather than hard goods.

Last year, I saw Mr. Gilmore deliver a keynote on the subject. He asked us to consider the evolution of the American economy and what we, as a culture, place value on. With today’s technology — translating to ease of access and instant gratification — there are increased expectations on the part of consumers. We want more. More for our money; more value. Our brands have to answer to that.

Moving beyond a strictly product-based economy into services and now, experiences, is a natural progression. We still need the basics, but the guy who delivers it with more panache gets our attention... and our dollars.

Experience Mapping

Consultants have several means of determining what makes up a branded experience. Visitor/customer interviews and surveys are tried and true when you need to unearth opinions and insight. However, one tool, the Experience Map, is an effective exercise to help you visualize how your brand supports the experience of using your product, service, environment, or even your virtual space.

An Experience Map is a model, often a graphical or photographical depiction, that traces the step-by-step journey of a customer or visitor. By following a visitor’s beginning-to-end experience through their eyes, you can identify the “touchpoints” that they experience along the way: each of those little moments that provide an opportunity to create a positive connection to your brand, your Place.

Maintaining the point of view of the visitor, customer or user is critical in developing an Experience Map. Responding to the experience with value-added services or enhanced touchpoints comes after you’ve mapped the journey and identified the areas where you can make the most impact.

Consider the process of contemplating a visit to a new city, entertainment destination or other place. When we talk about “touchpoints” we refer to the key moments along the physical journey a visitor takes to get to that place.

1. A potential visitor sees an advertisement, television commercial or billboard which drives them to a website.
2. They explore the website, to determine the possibility of a visit or other engagement.
3. They choose to visit and begin planning, including a search for clear directions on how to get to that place.
4. They drive to the place, looking for signs along their path of travel that direct and announce their arrival.

While this ‘experience’ has been simplified, it easily demonstrates a few areas that should be analyzed in terms of how your brand is experienced at each step.

Consider a possible first touchpoint with your brand — advertising. What is the initial message that is found in the advertising media?  Does it support your brand? Does it intrigue? Does it encourage a deeper look?

When users visit your website, is the messaging consistent? Can the information to plan a visit or make contact be easily found? Are the right things featured? Do users feel confident or lost?

If they call your place of business, how is the phone answered and how are they treated? Are their questions answered or can they easily be directed to the right person?

If you send marketing communications materials, are the look and messages consistent, so that the recipient immediately recognizes the package?

There are a vast array of touchpoints to any experience which might be visual, communicative or human — the more you can control them and embody them as a part of your branded experience, the more cohesive the overall impression. This doesn’t mean “logo-izing” every available surface. It means creating a series of seamless, bumpless moments where users feel confident and engaged.

The Experience Map exercise is a great way to identify the issues and mine out the opportunities. Just imagine the steps and moments of interaction and find little ways to make them better; make them authentic to you and your brand. 

Why It’s Important

There is a lot of emphasis in marketing strategies on how to attract new customers, visitors and users. But the truth is, the real benefit is in gaining repeat customers, visitors and users. When someone interacts with your business, you want it to have been authentic to your brand and to your values. You want them to have understood you — your unique attributes, amenities and culture; to have had an experience where they felt welcome. And you want to have demonstrated that you appreciate them — that they Matter. The idea is to create positive and connective experiences so that they come back, they tell their friends, they become your advocate. Walk in their shoes, see what they see, and make sure it is great! Your brand will thank you, and your customers will too.