GOTTA HAVE IT: The Experiential Brand
by Debbie Millman
One way to think of a brand is as an extension of who we are or
what we hope to become. Our involvement with brands is much more
than one-dimensional; rather, our favorite brands can be thought
of as a full sensory experience that shapes how we act and react
to the world in which we live.
At my company, we were so interested in the “experiential
brand” that we conducted our own global study to help us better
understand the drivers that create the intimate relationship between
consumers and their favorite brands. The study discovered five key
elements that every brand must understand to leverage and deepen
the connection with their customers:
• Involvement: Consumers do not have a passive
relationship with brands they use on a regular basis; rather, they
are actively involved with them.
• Optimism: Consumers look forward to their
favorite brand because they are provided a good feeling that remains
after the interaction. Just as one looks forward to seeing a friend,
a company must understand what brand attributes generate emotions
of well-being and satisfaction.
• Transformation: Linked closely with optimism
but not entirely, a consumer is “transformed” after
a brand interaction. Whether it is a new level of hipness, productiveness,
efficiency, enlightenment, or any other range of emotions, consumers
have a closely linked utilitarian and emotional need for their favorite
brands.
• Individuality: Strong brands speak to consumers
on an individual level. The most successful brands have figured
out how to tell a consumer directly how their lives will be better
and speak directly to each individual’s lifestyle.
• Adventure: At some level, every consumer
lives with the natural desire for adventure. The challenge is to
understand how your brand feeds this component of their psyche and
how to leverage the subtleties that speak to this real human desire.
The Process
The key, of course, to leveraging these drivers is uncovering the
unique elements that comprise your brand’s strengths to differentiate
it from its mundane category of simply being a “brand.”
We have successfully applied the experiential screen for clients
such as MTV, Burger King, Xbox, Hewlett-Packard, Levi’s, and
Coach. While this is only one way to look at your brand, it is an
application we find yields compelling insights and implications
for refining your brand’s marketplace appeal.
|
