Marketing used to be about messaging, promoting, and advertising. Messages were drafted, refined, tested, honed, and pushed out to consumers in the brand's target market and location. Print, radio, television, billboards...
Now, we have a global marketplace. People are connected though the World Wide Web, and buy and sell with each other across time zones and borders.
At the same time, people are becoming overwhelmed with and hardened to advertising. Estimates vary about the number, but, each and every one of us probably sees thousands of brand messages each day. People start to block them out.
So, what do people still pay attention to? Their friends and family. So, a newer goal of marketing is to get people to tell their friends and share information about your brand. There are lots of ways to entice people to share messages about your brand online - discounts and perks, appeal to their emotions, or just ask. But, that tends to lead to them posting a lot of generic, cookie cutter messages. These are of the "I did this you should too" variety. Not very engaging and it does not get people talking about your brand. You want a more organic conversation.
How can you get people talking about your brand? How do you spark that organic conversation? Give them something to talk about. Give them an experience. A brand experience.
While the idea of brand experience marketing seems simple, making it really work is difficult.
Recently, I was in New York City with my husband and my son to visit a friend. After lunch, we went to the Nespresso Cafe for coffee and pastries.
Nespresso creates a very tangible brand experience for their guests. At Nespresso cafés the coffee brand is expressed both subtly (through environment and atmosphere) and openly (through logos, products, and design elements). The atmosphere evokes luxury, calm, and comfort, reminding customers that their coffee is an approachable luxury. The design and products continuously remind customers about the brand, and that products can be conveniently purchased upstairs. The message is simple: this is the perfect cup of coffee and you can bring it home.
Did I buy any products? No, but obviously, I remember the experience. And, my husband took photos and posted them on Facebook. Smiles, espresso, and the brand. That's a win for Nespresso.
So, what's the lesson? Don't just give people an experience, give them a share-worthy experience.
