Introduction

All brands desire to be in customers’ memories, but only some know how to do it strategically. Customers who enjoy positive experiences tend to spend 140% more than customers who report negative experiences.

 

Brand experience is one of the most essential concepts in strengthening a brand. It involves tangible aspects, such as products, services, and customer service, and intangible aspects, such as sensations, perceptions, and the connection between brand and consumer.

 

What is Brand Experience?

Brand experience is a marketing concept that aims to generate value through experiences of interaction, contact and consumption between brand and consumer.

 

To this end, various areas of perception are worked on, always with the goal of ensuring that the public develops positive memories of the brand through their experiences.

How people perceive experiences

Maya Angelou used to say: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

 

Each person interprets the experience they encounter differently, and the job of the brand experience is always to make it stick in the consumer’s memory in the best possible way.

 

The perception of experiences can vary significantly, depending on whether it is a first contact with the brand, an interaction with an already well-known company, or whether the experiences are positive or negative. A first contact can be completely new and positive, generating a lasting initial impression. For those who already know the company, the experience can be reinforced by attractive actions or, on the contrary, it can be damaging, especially if the brand has a questionable reputation.

 

There are five essential pillars when it comes to this subject; let’s take a closer look at each one:

 

Senses

It is possible to create immersive experiences that stick in the consumer’s memory through the five senses.

 

Have you ever listened to pleasant music while shopping? Or have you been served that delicious coffee while waiting to be attended to?

 

A great example of using the senses is Melissa, with its unique scent.

 

The smell of tutti-frutti is a signature of the brand on all the products and throughout the store, creating affective and olfactory memories for consumers.

 

The nostalgic essence has become a perfume, incense, home spray candle and alcohol gel, bringing the experience into consumers’ homes. With a sensory journey to promote the new products, people boarding the VLT in Rio de Janeiro will encounter the scent of the sandals.

 

Feelings

The key factor in this pillar is the emotional impact your experience has on the consumer. Brands aim to create experiences that involve consumers emotionally, promoting positive feelings and engaging them effectively.

Thinking

The thinking pillar seeks to convey the brand’s central purposes, emphasizing that its mission must always be clear in all its activities, including sales, communication, and service.

 

A great example of this is Nike, which, through all its actions and experiences, such as its narrative, reinforces its proposal to deliver technology and quality in manufacturing sports products. The brand invites us to believe that everyone can practice physical activity, regardless of their level of experience, who they are or their goals; all they have to do is take action.

 

Action

Experience through action is the most common. Promotional actions, online actions, guerrilla marketing and customer service actions are just a few examples.

 

Through a good customer service experience, service actions can delight and retain consumers in the best possible way. No one likes spending hours trying to solve a problem or being answered rudely; solving issues quickly and efficiently is a determining factor for customers.

Developing actions with consumer engagement as a goal can help your brand to be remembered by consumers. Interactive and engaging actions can increase the public’s involvement with the brand, encouraging loyalty and generating memories.

 

In a world where brands are born daily, creative and innovative actions can differentiate a brand and help it stand out in the market.

 

Identification

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly looking for companies they identify with that share the same principles as them, and one way of making their values clear to the audience is through the brand experience.

 

Identification is a means of building loyalty. People want to feel part of the brand, to participate in and interact with it, and the digital medium facilitates this.

 

Netflix’s communication across all its social networks is a great example of interaction and identification. Adopting a youthful language, the brand always tries to interact with its followers and post relatable content through memes, jokes, and funny phrases.

Why your company should work on Brand Experience

All companies understand the importance of maintaining a good customer relationship, but only some really understand the value of providing a positive experience.

 

Working on the brand experience, whether in person or digitally, generates concrete results. Find out what they are:

 

Loyalty

Maintaining customer loyalty is more challenging than attracting new ones because consumers only become brand advocates when they see some meaning in their relationship with the brand.

 

However, customers who perceive the brand as a partner tend to share this experience with those they know, generating “word-of-mouth marketing”. It’s important to remember that people trust people, which means that your brand can attract potential customers who already have a dose of trust.

 

It’s also important to consider that attracting a new customer can cost up to five times more than retaining an existing one, so maintaining a loyal customer base is crucial to the company’s success.

Value

Brands seek prominence, recognition and a place in the minds of their audience, and one way to achieve this is by generating value for the consumer.

 

Brand experience can achieve this through actions designed to arouse emotions and create associations that consumers can naturally recognize.

 

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is a metric that measures how much consumers recognize a brand.

 

Investing in a good brand experience is essential to achieve this level, helping consumers recognize its main characteristics and qualities and associating it with positive sensations and feelings.

 

Getting close to your audience

Being close to your audience can bring several benefits, such as knowing their needs and desires. This makes developing increasingly personalized and closer interactions possible, resulting in greater customer loyalty and satisfaction.

 

Through physical purchases or online services, the brand can better understand how to satisfy them in the best possible way. The brand can meet their expectations more effectively with an established relationship and a deeper understanding of the customer.

 

Consistency

Consistency in brand experiences is fundamental to establishing and maintaining a brand’s identity and reputation. It refers to the consistency of the brand’s messages, values, actions and visuals at all consumer contact points, be they physical, digital or personal interactions. A lack of coherence can confuse consumers, weaken brand perception and compromise public trust.

 

The synergy at all points of encounter with the brand generates identification and recognition on the part of the public because when they come across elements of your brand, they end up identifying your “signature”, thus creating a solid, recognisable brand and strengthening your position in the market.

 

In addition, consistency in brand experiences contributes to building lasting relationships with customers, generating value, being close to the public, and promoting loyalty and brand awareness, as it conveys trust, credibility, and commitment to the brand’s values over time.

 

Conclusion

Different people perceive experiences differently, and brand experience seeks to exploit these nuances to create meaningful connections with your brand. By making every moment of the customer journey memorable, whether through catchy music or an immersive experience like the nostalgic smell of the subway, brands can establish lasting emotional bonds.

 

A practical brand experience creates a relationship with customers and makes them feel connected, understood and emotionally invested in the brand. This mutual bond drives customer loyalty and the brand’s lasting success in the market.