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Customer Experience and Experiential Marketing, a match made in Heaven? (part 1)

On February 8th, 2011, posted in: CSM Articles by Oakleigh

Tags: Bristol, Customer Experience, Experiential Marketing, Research Agency

In a world where competitive intelligence is just a click away, it has become increasingly important for organisations to use alternative bases of differentiation to set themselves apart from the crowd and create sustainable streams of revenue.

We’re all still feeling the after effects of the financial recession and some say that the worst it still yet to come… but how can we, as business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and professionals steer our way out of these turbulent times and into a phase of growth, stability and profit generation?

Well… although there are several answers on how this dilemma could be answered, in today’s article, I hope to cut through some of the noise surrounding the all things “experience” and lay out some of the key insights I have learnt so far on my journey.

So does your organisation have the X-periential factor? No matter where your organisation is on its journey, the keys to creating the ultimate experience for your customers has to start with a customer centric culture and its fit between its people, processes, technology and awareness of what the customer really thinks of your organisation. Moreover, it is the alignment or convergence between the customers expectations and organisation internal perceptions of service delivery that really create fruitful and profitable relationships.

Experiential Marketing

So what exactly is Experiential Marketing anyway?? In a recent conversation with Sally Durcan from Hot Cow Experiential Marketing, she explains that…

Experience-led Marketing influences customers decisions and actions by using powerful engagement tactics that bring the brand message to life.

There are many different tactics that can be used to create this engagement depending upon the brands required outcome.

These include; Live Brand Experiences, Publicity Stunts, Guerrilla Marketing, Event Staff, Roadshow and Sampling Promotions.

These tactics can then be used to create online content and wider online conversations plus be intertwined with other mass media channels to amplify the message.

Sally Durcan – Managing Director of Hot Cow

So how can I use this in my organisation?

Creating a branded experience for your customers is a great way to engage them into your organisation and show them that you are there to really serve their needs and make them happy.

So how can you use this in your organisation? Well… it’s almost impossible to give a “one size fits all” blueprint as every organisation is configured differently and stand for different things but here are some top examples from some brand names you may recognise to inspire you.

Experiential Characteristic

Explanation

Example

Brand Heritage

Brand heritage is all about telling your customer groups of where your organisation has been in the past and bringing it back to life by designing branded experiences so the customer can both interact and engage with the brand and organisation.

Famous examples of these include guided tours around Cadbury’s old chocolate factory and the guided tour around the first Guinness brewery.

Differentiation

Sometimes, when competition is fierce and there isn’t much that separates you from your competitors, experiential differentiation may be a good route to remind your customers that your organisation does have a human side which is fun, welcoming and engaging

Great examples of these include the Red Bull Air Race (which also uses emotional appeal) to differentiate its brand from its competing products by highlighting how full of energy their organisation really is!

Mercedes also use this technique by sponsoring formula 1 race championships conveying the high level of engineering and quality that goes into every component of the end product… a truly premium product.

Mercedes

Red Bull Air Race

Emotional Appeal

Using emotional hooks to appeal to your target audiences is one of the key factors to consider when using experiential marketing as it helps reinforce a brand image through the experience being staged.

They usually rely on demographic and psychographic data to understand the customers lifestyle profile and design engagements to resonate and bring our positive feelings and aspirations toward the brand

For example, Nike’s “Run London” event plays on lifestyle orientated characteristics of young people in London creating an night time urban marathon which ends in an arena where some of the most famous music acts play, celebrate and make an all evening experience to enjoy. It helps leverage their brand above others by using elements of the customer groups lifestyle and amplifying it onto a bigger scale. More broadly speaking, it also helps promote Nike brand by elevating its “active” credentials.

The experiential marketing element of the Apple Store plays on the aesthetic qualities of sleek and minimalist design to resonate with their target audience. Moreover, the store experience and “hands on” approach helps create an emotional bond between the customer and the product before they have even bought influencing buying behaviour.

Nike Run London

Apple Store

Stay Tuned for my blog on Thursday where I’ll tie in where customer experience sits, why it’s different from experiential marketing and how they can both work together to generate revenue for your organisation…

Experiential Characteristic	Explanation	Example
Brand Heritage	Brand heritage is all about telling your customer groups of where your organisation has been in the past and bringing it back to life by designing branded experiences so the customer can both interact and engage with the brand and organisation. Famous examples of these include guided tours around Cadbury’s old chocolate factory and the guided tour around the first Guinness brewery.	Cadbury’s Guiness Disney Longleat Animal Park
Differentiation	Sometimes, when competition is fierce and there isn’t much that separates you from your competitors, experiential differentiation may be a good route to remind your customers that your organisation does have a human side which is fun, welcoming and engaging Great examples of these include the Red Bull Air Race (which also uses emotional appeal) to differentiate its brand from its competing products by highlighting how full of energy their organisation really is! Mercedes also use this technique by sponsoring formula 1 race championships conveying the high level of engineering and quality that goes into every component of the end product… a truly premium product.	Mercedes Red Bull Air Race
Emotional Appeal	Using emotional hooks to appeal to your target audiences is one of the key factors to consider when using experiential marketing as it helps reinforce a brand image through the experience being staged. They usually rely on demographic and psychographic data to understand the customers lifestyle profile and design engagements to resonate and bring our positive feelings and aspirations toward the brand For example, Nike’s “Run London” event plays on lifestyle orientated characteristics of young people in London creating an night time urban marathon which ends in an arena where some of the most famous music acts play, celebrate and make an all evening experience to enjoy. It helps leverage their brand above others by using elements of the customer groups lifestyle and amplifying it onto a bigger scale. More broadly speaking, it also helps promote Nike brand by elevating its “active” credentials. The experiential marketing element of the Apple Store plays on the aesthetic qualities of sleek and minimalist design to resonate with their target audience. Moreover, the store experience and “hands on” approach helps create an emotional bond between the customer and the product before they have even bought influencing buying behaviour.	Nike Run London Apple Store

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Customer Experience and Experiential Marketing, a match made in Heaven? (part 1)

Experiential Marketing

So how can I use this in my organisation?

Stay Tuned for my blog on Thursday where I’ll tie in where customer experience sits, why it’s different from experiential marketing and how they can both work together to generate revenue for your organisation…