When it comes to brands, from major companies to smaller local producers, consumers have more options than ever before. To succeed, the most successful brands are highly tuned to their prospects values, feelings, and desires. By delivering experiences that speak directly to these, brands can build emotional capital with their audiences, turning prospects and loyal customers into followers and die-hard fans.
Brand experiences are a form of experiential marketing. As the name implies, experiential marketing involves connecting with customers directly by offering an experience that lives on in their memories. Brand experiences do this too, but with the experiences tied to a specific brand. The goal is to influence how a potential customer feels by aligning the brand with an experience they enjoy.
Think of it as a modern version of word-of-mouth. Your brand generates trust and goodwill by aligning itself with an experience that means something to the consumer.
Interesting Brand Experience Examples
The possibilities are almost limitless when it comes to creating brand experiences. However, there are many examples of major brands creating these types of experiences for consumers:
- Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign was a brand experience because it involved customers directly. By placing names on bottles of coke, the company associated its product with its customers. Coca-Cola sold 150 million bottles using this campaign in 2014 alone.
- Nike’s “Nike By You” experience allowed customers to create their variations of Nike Kicks online. Customers could choose from different styles and colors, with Nike even building a sneaker bar in its flagship store in New York City. Customers could customize their Kicks in person and even watch their shoes get created.
The Key Elements of a Brand Experience
Meaningful connection is the key to a successful brand experience. While there are many ways to create a strong experience for your audience, most campaigns must feature these essential elements:
Participation
Give your audience a chance to participate with your brand in some way. Both the “Share a Coke” and “Nike By You” campaigns did this at a high level. The former allowed people to participate by buying individualized bottles of coke, and Nike’s campaign took it a step further allowing customers to design their own kicks. Participation creates a connection because it engages the consumer emotionally.
Personalization
Again, both of the examples we’ve cited show personalization by the bucketload. If we focus on Nike’s campaign, it allowed customers to wear Kicks that were unique to them. People often care more about products when they feel a personal connection to them. That love for the product can extend into love for the brand.
Audience Understanding
A brand experience can’t always serve every person in the world. Some people would love to connect with your brand, while others may be less likely. A good brand experience recognizes this and allows the creators to design an experience that connects with the brand’s core audience. Know who you’re trying to communicate and resonate with and you’re more likely to succeed with this type of campaign.
Create a Customized Brand Experience With Cogent World
A brand experience is as much about your company as your consumers. The best brand experiences often live long in the memory, hearts and minds of your audiences, and can create permanent connections between your customers and your brand.
At Cogent World, we specialize in creating brand experiences that elevate your company in the eyes of your customers. If you’d like to learn more, our team is always available to talk and strategize for your next marketing campaign.
