"Are You
Experienced?" asked guitar player Jimi Hendrix 35 years ago. Jimi wasn?t
talking about e-commerce ? but his question is appropriate to today?s
economic climate. These days many retailers, including online retailers,
are discovering that their business suffers if they do not implement an
"Experience Branding" strategy. What is that?"Experience
Branding" is a way to describe a method of linking an identity to a
business or product that involves customer interaction. In the long run,
this method leaves a longer, and in most cases, LASTING impression on
the consumer.
Here's an example:
100 years ago, a person
would purchase coffee beans and grind them himself. Then came along
pre-ground coffee. Eventually, you could go to a vendor and purchase a
nice hot pre-made cup of coffee. Today, companies like Starbucks not
only give you the hot coffee, but they provide you with a nice
comfortable soft chair to sit in, a paper to read, music to listen to,
and an eclectic setting to enjoy these things in. They provide an
EXPERIENCE. This is why people are willing to fork over $4.00 for a cup
of coffee!
An early case of this branding method put into
practice was the Macy's Department Store Leisurama homes of 1963. Back
then you could actually go to the 7th floor of the Herald Square store
in New York City and see a full-blown house - completely furnished. You
could purchase the house there - then 3 months later move in (these were
built in Montauk, New York). The finished house was furnished right
down to the toothbrush and everything was included in one single price.
This method of experience branding was so successful that, down to this
day, the owners of many of these houses still own the towels, dishes,
etc. that came with the house. They enjoyed the experience and wanted to
preserve it.
Today, this method can be applied to anything -
including web based businesses. An online vendor can give an experience
to the viewer that will make a lasting impression. Some provide games
for their viewers to enjoy. Most find that providing special information
- an article giving the background of a given product presented with a
human-interest slant ? is sufficient. Viewers can be invited to
"register" - giving them access to an area of the site that the general
public does not, where special information can be presented. This gives
the viewer the feeling that they are part of something special - a
private club.
One example of this method of online "Experience
Branding" is WeightWatchers.com. A registered user has access to message
boards and a special catalog of diet recipes. A registered viewer
becomes part of a community. It's an experience that will keep them
coming back!
"Experience Branding" is also helpful to non-profit
organizations. JohnTaylorGatto.com, an alternative education resource,
provides an online discussion forum that attracts teachers and parents,
encouraging them to debate educational topics and share war stories. The
Odysseus Group, the organization that owns JohnTaylorGatto.com, reports
that interest in their web site skyrocketed when the forum was
launched.
So what do we learn from this? Gone are the days of
impersonal service. If you want to survive ? offer your customers an
experience!
About the Author
Jake Gorst is a writer, film maker, and president of Exploded
View (http://www.explodedview.tv), a new media advertising and design
company. He also is a frequent contributor to various trade publications
on topics related to Web site and architectural design psychology and
trends. Previously, Gorst served as Vice President and Chief Creative
Officer for E-Media Publishing, Ltd. and as an Internet content
developer for Citibank and other Long Island based corporations. |
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