ON BRANDED EXPERIENCES.

Home > On Customers > ON BRANDED EXPERIENCES.

December 17th, 2007

Each day, we may have dozens or even hundreds of transactional experiences with products or companies. And it’s a pretty safe guess that 80-90% of these experiences are “unbranded.” By “unbranded,” we mean there was nothing within the experience that made it unusual or special in the view of the customer. That doesn’t mean the transaction didn’t go well or that the customer was not satisfied, it just means that any of several different suppliers could have provided that same experience.

Branded experiences, on the other hand, are those that are associated with only one provider in the customer’s eyes. Starbucks and Ikea come to mind, as does Harley Davidson and Method cleaning products. The experience these companies give is unlike what anyone else in the category can deliver.

How can you create a branded experience for your customers? Generally, by transcending the functional side of what you do and focusing on the customers’ emotional needs. By knowing the values you wish to impart (your Brand Vision) and reconciling that with how your products or services fit in to your customers’ lives, you should be able to find ways to add a wrinkle to your customers’ experiences that will surprise and delight them, and give them a story they will enthusiastically share with others.