Introduction
"New"… seems to be something that we "marketers" like to incorporate the word "new" to refer to the latest "trends" in marketing, right? Certainly, I allow myself to deny all that "new", to cause us to rethink and work from the very essence of marketing, according to which, whether it is products, services or experiences, what should always be pursued is satisfaction of our consumer-clients.
However, I also think it is important to explain why there is so much talk about "experience marketing" and how it can be applied in different businesses.
What do you mean by "experience marketing"?
For some time now, different authors have appeared referring to this "new phenomenon" of experience marketing. To be honest, what I have had the opportunity to read has been very well focused and of interest to observe some changes that certain businesses can afford, in certain markets, in relation to certain moments or occasions of consumption. Without going any further, the appearance of the Internet, in addition to the well-known «new economy» (something new again!) Also brought the expression «experience economy», also very well treated and exposed, although I think that it has been interpreted incompletely, according to my point of view.
The repetition of the word "determined" in the previous paragraph was not due to a lack of linguistic richness, but rather to my intention to point out the limitations of previous explanations where referring to the recreation of "experiences" mention is made of cases such as EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), the brandlands ("countries" of the brand) of VW or Coca-Cola, the theme parks (for example: Tierra Santa in Buenos Aires) or restaurants, also themed, which although not named to none, María Félix (Mexican), Mikonos (Greek), Haiku (Japanese) and many others could register. All cases where the experience is built through the creation of certain fictitious scenarios that accompany the purchase, consumption or use of services.
In any case, this experience does not end here, since, as we said, there is also much talk about the user-navigator experience of a website, and we can also observe the different "experiences" that they try to show us through the TV commercials, for example, soaps for laundry and Ace Ala.
So I wonder: is experience marketing only for those companies / businesses that respond to some of the above stereotypes?
Let's see a little more what it is about…
So?
I honestly don't think we should limit this "experience marketing" to certain products, services, markets, or occasions of use or consumption. On the contrary, I believe that its possibilities go much further and to understand it I invite you to review a little of what is talked about when it comes to marketing or, rather, what should be talked about:
As I said once in a previous article, marketing works to improve people's quality of life, providing companies with the tools and concepts necessary to identify unmet needs and desires, as well as intelligence and processes for construction. of offers that satisfy those wants and needs, through a differential value proposition (and generator of economic value for the company, as Alberto Levy would say). Well now that I reread this, I hadn't exactly said it like that, but that's the concept. You understand me.
So, if the previous paragraph helps us remember what this question of marketing as a discipline is about, experience marketing can only be a concept that follows from the previous one and that is how I understand it.
A little history (yes, again Toffler)
Alvin Toffler, famous "futurologist", from his work "The Third Wave" helped us to understand a little the evolution of man and the economic systems that circumscribed him, also risking the next evolution that would somehow take place later (for something is futuristic after all).
But the interesting thing here is also to observe how marketing knew how to be forced not only to assume its role as a discipline, but also to adapt and reinvent itself, accompanying said evolution.
This is how in the time of Henry Ford and his famous phrase "you can buy all the cars you want, as long as they are Ford T and black", a marketing of offer predominated, where the "directives" were given by the producers and the industrialists, being they who set the course of what could be bought, the subsequent appearance of new industries and new companies, with more and innovative consumption alternatives, made that initially insufficient supply, was balanced with demand until causing the appearance of a new scenario, unknown or underestimated so far, product of the competition.
In this way, different approaches to marketing were given, all aimed at helping to generate business, even when this new scenario was even fully understood. The emphasis was on production, on the product (higher quality), on sales ("pushing" the consumer to buy), but always looking from the inside of the companies, without paying due attention to those who are "there", outside, and they are (or should be) the true leaders of the companies' offers: the consumers-customers.
With the emergence of what became known as "segmentation marketing", the theorists of that time began to explain, from a new paradigm, "demand marketing": the need to differentiate from the competition in order to offer more satisfactory value, in order to gain market preference.
After this disruptive change of focus in the way of thinking about the business, it began to be understood that, in reality, it is the outside that must govern what is produced and what is offered. Only those companies that understood this new scenario and were willing to fight with these new conditions would be able to survive. They began to respect that consumer-client who, thanks to his increasing possibility of choice, was able to decide the fate of a product, service, brand or company.
In the end nothing has changed...
Indeed, no matter how hard we try to find new names or "new solutions" to the usual problems, we will always be talking about the same thing: satisfying an increasingly demanding, informed, over-informed consumer and, at the same time, a little confused and overwhelmed about so much product / service that claims to be the best to satisfy your search and solve your problems.
In this scenario, the possibility of having a sustainable competitive advantage is increasingly complicated and, consequently, it is increasingly difficult to achieve loyal and satisfied customers for long periods of time. The speed of copying and our well-known benchmarking make this competitive game a terrain where it is almost impossible to believe that you are on your feet, before the competition is already trying to move the board or even change the rules.
Thus, the experience...
Let us remember then that only by clearly identifying the needs and desires of our target audience and differentiating our proposal through the offer (and communication) of a unique value will we be able to satisfy our consumer-clients and make them more and more loyal.
It is in this context where it makes sense to speak of "experiences", because you no longer compete with products, you no longer compete with services, but you compete by generating and offering unique and unrepeatable consumer experiences for our consumer-customers. The experience that each of your customers achieves thanks to your company's proposal, your satisfaction, must necessarily be better than what you could achieve by "experiencing" the competition.
Now, is it possible that some companies, products or services offer greater possibilities or alternatives for the construction of unique and unrepeatable experiences? If possible. Could there be nothing you can do to offer your customers a better experience than your competition? I don't think so…
A case to better understand
Don't think I don't know what you're thinking… You might be asking yourself '… but what is experience marketing in practice?' Let me share a case that I was personally able to experience (at this point, forgive the redundancy).
It turns out that my wife and I really like to enjoy good sushi. Yes, those pieces of raw fish (or not) and rice, that many people do not understand how they can be ingested that way, well…
I told him, we really like sushi, but we like to eat it at home more, where we settle down quietly, open a bottle of good wine (we prefer chardonnay), music and dim light, that is, we like to enjoy not only the intake of raw fish and rice, but from the "experience" of eating sushi. In addition, it is a kind of ritual that we "repeat" on each special date for us. But how, unfortunately, neither she nor I have learned (yet) the art of sushimen, knowing our limitations, and the different good sushi restaurants in this city (I already told you it was Buenos Aires).
Surely neither of us will be able to forget, at least for a while, that occasion in which, having waited for about 45 minutes (minimum wait, I'll tell you if you are interested) for the arrival of our order at "Sushi Club", we went more than pleasantly surprised when they rang the bell for us and our order was accompanied by two sushi plates (with the restaurant's logo, of course), a container to serve the soy sauce (it is accompanied by it), sticks, of course, sticks (at first it costs, but then one takes their hand), two cloth placemats, a candle and a shade to cover it… Are you surprised? Imagine us at that moment… and that I did not tell him that they also explained through a brochure that the attention was due to the fact that the company wanted its customers to be able to enjoy themselves in their homes in the same way that they do in their restaurants… in case someone had not understood. (If I repeated the word "enjoy" a lot, here it is not accidental either)
It is a good example of what I mean when I refer to the marketing of "experiences" and not just products or services. However, you have to be careful, because then they will always ask you to offer experiences… and if the subsequent experience is not good, it is possible that the previous effort no longer has an effect or has been forgotten and then the punishment will come : the failure -buy. But it is also important to highlight the good: if the experience continues to be positive, the reward for your company will be the loyalty of your customers. Nothing more and nothing less.
(By the way, in Sushi Club although we have bought again, I confess that we have not been absolutely faithful… despite its excellent sushi…)
Speaking of everything a little, let's go back to your case: have you already thought about how to build the unique and unrepeatable experience that only you can offer to your consumer-clients?
Recommended bibliography
1- Mayonnaise Alberto Levy
2- La Tercera Ola - Alvin Toffler
3- The Experience Economy - Joseph Pine James H. Gilmore
4- Is marketing advertising and sales? Paper Gustavo Alonso
