Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

brauweiler.ca
agents of transformation
How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”
How to transform your
brand experience into a
sequence of “WOWs”
and “YEAHs”
Agents of transformation

brauweiler.ca
In the last article, we talked about how each touch-point between your brand and your
audience (i.e. customers, potential customers, media, etc.) should be regarded as an
opportunity to surpass expectations and create remarkable moments of engagement.
But how do you turn something mundane into something special? How do you turn a
transactional process into a transformative experience?
Turning mundane into special

brauweiler.ca
I put together a list of 4 transformative agents that will help you get started. The agents
can be used for existing touch-points though you will want to create new ones by
combining some of the agents.
These agents can be applied to any aspect of your brand experience - either alone or in
combination - whether in a retail environment, an exhibition, a tradeshow, an event or
your office space. Even your packaging can be enhanced to increase impact by using the
same principles.
Four Agents of Transformation

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
We get an emotional kick out of surprises. A recent study shows that the pleasure centers
of our brain react strongly to unexpected events, which “suggests people are designed to
crave the unexpected.”
And surprises don’t have to cost much. Sometimes a dime is all it takes to make someone’s
day, as psychologist Norbert Schwarz discovered in a different study.
He placed a 10-cent coin next to a copy machine where he knew the test subjects could find
it. A survey revealed that those who found the 10 cents had a substantially happier outlook
on life than those who did not find it.
Knowing that surprises attract the attention of your customers and increase pleasure, ask
yourself how you can surprise them to create a much deeper bond with your brand.
Agent 1
“Surprise”

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
How to apply “Surprise”
Agent 4
• Take something known and familiar and put it into a different context
or use it in a surprising way
• Give away free stuff, but be selective when and how you do it to
maximize impact
• Introduce a physical object to your brand experience that is
unexpected, i.e. oversized, displaced, upside down
• Surprise a customer for his/her birthday
• Create an event that is inspired by your brand values but is not part of
your regular product/service offering: free lemonade in the summer, a
workshop on colors and patterns for fall, a lecture by a specialist, etc.

brauweiler.ca
Customizers create a different experience for every single customer, appealing to the
desire for personal gratification in all of us.
In an ideal world you could customize your product for every single customer, but not
every product allows that level of modification. Personalized service, which falls into the
category of “cosmetic customization” is a good start, because personalization is based on
form, packaging or delivery, without modifying the product. The actual product remains
unchanged. Think custom printing or packaging, adding individual items based on the
customers preferences etc., so that each customer believes the ego gratifying experience is
“all about me”.
“Customization”
Agent 2

brauweiler.ca
“Transparent customization” is another way to create a deeper bond with your customers.
It’s especially helpful for repeat-interactions with your customers, because it shows you
not only know them, but you get them. Many hotels chose transparent customization and
collect data such as the preferences and dislikes of each customer to anticipate their every
desire. Amazon uses a similar strategy to recommend books to users.
Both customization approaches are easily implemented into any brand experience and
when well executed, guarantee improved customer satisfaction and retention.
“Customization”
Agent 2

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
How to apply “Customization”
Agent 2
• Have 5 different, inexpensive items (e.g. postcards) and give one away
with every purchase
• Personalize the gift box or shopping bag
• Get to know your top 10% customers and tailor-fit the shopping
experience for them, i.e. heads-up on new arrivals from their favorite
brands, designers, artists, authors, etc.
• Organize invitation-only, VIP events with privileged access to
sought-after items

brauweiler.ca
We all have rituals. They help us focus on the moment and the activity we’re doing. Some
have a ritual before going to bed, others before an important sports event or before a first
date. Any action or sequence of events that you habitually do can be a ritual.
I used to unwrap my Milka chocolate very carefully when I was younger so as not to tear
the aluminum wrapping. Nobody told me. I guess I was just very neat. It took much
longer to get to the chocolate but I would always do it. Somehow I must have felt it made
the chocolate more special. And I would do it only with Milka, not other kinds of
chocolate.
“Ritual”
Agent 3

brauweiler.ca
“One of the powerful things about rituals is that we often
give them a special importance: they can be almost spiritual
(and sometimes actually spiritual, depending on the ritual).
And when they become special, we are more mindful of them
— we don’t just rush through them mindlessly.”
Todd Schnick (Marketing Rituals)
“Ritual”
Agent 3

brauweiler.ca
Very common product specific rituals we all know include twisting an Oreo cookie in half
before dunking it in milk or squeezing a lime into a Corona bottle.
HOGs (Harley Owners Group) meet regularly to socialize and ride their motorcycles
together. This is a ritual that Harley Davidson facilitates and encourages with its
marketing.
Rituals work not only to differentiate your product or service from the competition.
Research shows that ritualistic behavior stimulates a higher level of affective response
than habitual behavior, and rituals tend to be more resistant to modification or extinction
than habits.
Rituals also create a tribal effect which deepens the relationship with your brand and work
to differentiate those who are part of the tribe from those who are not.
“Ritual”
Agent 3

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
How to apply “Ritual”
Agent 3
• parking
• arrival
• greeting
• changing booth
• ordering
• wrapping/packaging
• payment, etc.
Look at your overall brand experience and develop rituals in
connection with:

brauweiler.ca
Ford has developed a “new car” fragrance, even though it doesn’t exist. But when tested,
34% of European customers recognized it. Apple’s start-up sound is distinctly different
from Window’s sound. In a recent experiment, atmosphere and ambience enhanced the
appreciation of a whisky by a whopping 20% though the tested whisky was the same.
JWT (international advertising group) says physical experiences and human senses will
become even more important in the digital world as “more people feel disconnected with
the physical world” and sensorialization will play an important role in overcoming the
this trend.
“Sensorialization”
Agent 4

brauweiler.ca
Sensory marketing, comparable in nature, is defined as ”the purposeful design and
deployment of the interaction between the senses in order to stimulate a consumers
relationship with a brand; and to foster a lasting emotional connection that
optimizes purchasing and brand loyalty” (Kahn Consulting, 2007)
Sensorialization goes one step further. Its focus is less on optimizing the purchase
than on orchestrating a remarkable and talk-worthy brand experience.
“Sensorialization”
Agent 4

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
• Smell: adding the right scent can drastically increase the positive
impact of any encounter or interaction with your brand. Try adding a
scent to your packaging, your changing booth, or even certain zones to
create a scent journey.
• Sound: the wrong music or inappropriate loudness can make or break
an experience. What music do you play when a customer who calls
is on hold? Music does not always need to be music. How about
some forest sounds in your changing booth? And no more radio music
please, unless your brand or product is equally generic.
How to apply “Sensorialization”
Agent 4

brauweiler.ca
• Taste: look for ways to delight the taste buds of your audience. Not
everyone can offer free truffles and champagne, but the occasional
tasty treat will leave an impression on your audience, if done in the
right context.
• Touch: anything that your audience touches or comes in direct
physical contact with can serve to create remarkable moments:
packaging, stationary, changing rooms, furniture, clothes hangers,
price tags, counter, etc.
How to apply “Sensorialization”
Agent 4
brauweiler.ca
How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of WOWs and YEAHsHow to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

brauweiler.ca
Once you find a way to integrate one agent, don’t stop there. Look for more ways to
integrate the same agent in another way, at another moment of your brand experience.
Combining two or more agents works very well too: customization and rituals go hand in
hand, as do surprises and sensorialization. Why not customize an interaction, ritualize it
and include an element of surprise?
Increasing the number of agents you integrate will multiply the occasions to delight,
intrigue, touch and pleasantly surprise your customers. Every time you delight and
surprise your audience you create a deeper emotional connection with your brand and
increase the likelihood that they will come back again and again. You also increase the
likelihood that your brand will benefit from sustained positive word of mouth — still the
best endorsement you can get, especially in this social media world.
Repetition increases retention

brauweiler.ca
More Agents = More Positive Word Of Mouth = More Customers
BUT: Repetition increases annoyance
As much as you will want to increase the number of remarkable touch
points, don’t overdo it. You’re not Liberace so beware of “too much of a
good thing”.
A simple equation

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
Orchestrating your brand experience
The successful orchestration of your brand experience is a first step in
leveraging the full potential of your brand. Think of every intervention
and interaction with your audience as a small stone you throw into a
pond. The more stones you throw, the more ripples you will create and
the more impact your brand will have on your audience.
Your turn!

brauweiler.ca
brauweiler.ca
Orchestrating your brand experience
If you want to learn more about other agents of transformation or how
to turn your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs”, “OOHs” and
“YEAHs”, drop me a line:
achim@brauweiler.ca
More...

brauweiler.ca
How to transform your brand
experience into a sequence of
“WOWs” and “YEAHs”
Agents of transformation
Achim Brauweiler - President
achim@brauweiler.ca
website: www.brauweiler.ca
blog: www.achimbrauweiler.wordpress.com
Tumblr: www.brauweiler.tumblr.com

Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

En vedette

En vedette (6)

Similaire à Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

Similaire à Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs” (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”