For example, our new lingerie collection is the most beautiful, most seductive range we‘ve ever created. Our award-winning new store concept, which we‘re in the process of rolling out across our retail estate, is wonderful. Every time I walk in, it feels as if I‘m entering an intimate, sexy and very girly boudoir. I just love it.
These elements of the brand experience are all well and good when you can control or coach them. However, research has indicated that the brand experience goes far deeper and much wider than even many of us might expect and with some worrying consequences.
I can see a time when product placement and celebrity endorsement strategies
could take on a negative twist, with rival companies paying money for dreadful
people to wear their competitors‘ brands
One key part of the brand experience is the type of customers who use, wear and hence endorse the brands we see on the high street. The best and worst example of this is perhaps Burberry, which went from boring and very old fashioned into dynamic, modern and highly fashionable, only to see it ripped off on the market stall and then installed as the uniform of the 'chav‘. In the UK at least, chavs have all but killed the kudos of this once great brand.
We‘ve always known that word of mouth is the best way for our brands or products to gain a wider audience. It is no longer enough to simply satisfy our customers, we must now also select customers based on whether or not they will be good brand ambassadors. I can see the business theorists planning their speaking tours now: 'customers‘ are yesterday, 'clientele brand partners‘ are all our tomorrows! I can also see a time when product placement and celebrity endorsement strategies could take on a negative twist, with rival companies paying money for dreadful people to wear their competitors‘ brands and make them less attractive.
The other thing that has become apparent is that customers have all become so media and business-savvy that many of them buy products not just because they like them but because the advertising and other brand communication has engaged them in some way. They are now also buying products partly because they appreciate a decent visual merchandising solution when they see one, are a sucker for some shop-fitting excellence or they love to point out to their friends a well thought out marketing strategy when they spot it manifested in some great PR.
I recently heard of a company that had made a number of errors with some customer orders. This could have been the easiest way to gain a negative brand advocate but this company dealt with these errors so well and received such positive feedback that they are considering making an error on every delivery, just so they can do what they apparently do much better than anyone else.
It sounds crazy but you can see the logic: to deliver an order right, first time, and on time doesn‘t distinguish you. But give the customer a good experience that they can share with their friends means that you can outperform some of the finest businesses which have invested years and considerable resources in their reputation.
See. Just when you thought you‘d cracked the brand experience conundrum by finally getting customer services to follow marketing‘s script, customers have gone and moved the bar even higher.
