Going Beyond the Product to Create Unique Experiences
In today’s crowded advertising and technologically advanced world, consumers are constantly bombarded by sensory experiences. Whether it is the bus stop advertisements or the variety of aromas in shopping centre’s perfume section, it is pivotal for businesses to go beyond their core product or service to create unique experiences. No longer is it about whose product has better features or whose service is more value for money—it is the non-core products/services which set apart an effective brand from the majority. Through successful experiential marketing, consumers are able to connect to the product/service emotionally and rationally, leading to purchase and brand advocacy subsequently.
Beyond Flying: Experiencing Luxury on Ground and Air
To understand what going beyond the core product means, one simply needs to look at the airline industry. The core product of airlines is to transport travellers from one point to another safely and comfortably—the aircraft seat. However, aircraft seats are almost the same, differing by inches in seat pitch from the other airline. Such marginal benefits hardly set an airline apart from one another; most travellers do not even know the difference between seats across different airlines.
Yet what puts airlines such as Singapore Airlines at the forefront of the aviation industry is the entire experience of flying, right from the moment a traveller steps into an airport. From carpeted check-in counters to luxury lounges, leading airlines create a distinctive and pleasurable experience for their travellers on ground and in the air, even before the flight commences. Whilst we hardly see airline advertisements featuring their carpeted check-in counters or luxury lounges, the proof is in the pudding for anyone who has flown in Singapore Airlines or other similar airlines. Having experienced comfort starting from the airport, travellers create a positive emotional connection with the airline and flying experience, and more importantly, feel special about themselves.
Subsequently, travellers will be keen to share with others how special their flying experience had been or they desire to relive the experience in future travel, resulting in brand advocacy and loyalty. Recent news of Singapore Airlines spending $100 million, 5 times more than the initially-intended amount, to revamp their airport lounges worldwide, together with other airlines such as Turkish Airlines and American Airlines revamping their lounges bear testament to the utmost importance of looking beyond the core product to deliver a memorable customer experience.
Beyond Shopping: Taking Care of Kids so Parents can Focus
Back at home, in Singapore, shoppers also realize that in recent months, more family-friendly shopping centres have emerged. What used to be limited to a handful has rapidly spread across the heartlands, resulting in new family-friendly malls such as Nex (Serangoon), Ang Mo Kio Hub, 112 Katong, to name a few. These family-friendly shopping centres include playgrounds for the kids to have fun, diaper changing rooms for infants and parking reserved for families. What appears to be tangential features for shoppers is in fact, an important consideration especially for parents (who are the shoppers).
These family-friendly shopping centres create meaningful experiences as they expand their focus from shoppers to shoppers and their families. Marketing strategies such as complimentary parking and shopping rebates are too commonplace and provide benefits only to the shopper himself/herself. In order to differentiate between the dozens of malls which until recently, have been competing primarily based on location, these shopping centres need to value add and enhance the shopper’s experience through innovative experiential marketing.
Through playgrounds and children activity spaces in these shopping centres, the benefits of shopping now extend to the young, creating an enjoyable shopping experience for the entire family. In addition, with their children left in good hands, parents can focus and enjoy on their shopping better, significantly increasing their spending potential.
Creating a Relevant Experience for Customers
From airline lounges to shopping centres, it is evident that experiential marketing has to transcend beyond the core product/service in order to attract new customers and build brand loyalty. Marketers and businesses need to have an in-depth understanding of the consumer’s mindset and his/her environment in order to create a strong, positive connection.
Because experiential marketing creates connections on multiple levels, from rational connections on pricing points to emotional connections on using the product/service, marketers need to figure which strategies are most relevant for their target audience demographic. The possibilities to add value to the consumer’s experience are infinite, and there will always be more options to pursue than resources available. Should a footwear business offer quick foot massages or different coloured shoelaces or complimentary drinks? All these elements improve the experience, but which would deliver the highest return on investment?
Hence, the question of “What matters most to my customer?” needs to be answered first and foremost when crafting marketing strategies. Look beyond product features and pricing. Ask yourself how you can make the customer more comfortable (as with airline lounges) or how you can make the people who matter to the customer more comfortable (as with family friendly shopping centers). Ultimately, therein lies the difference between a forgettable experience versus an unforgettable experience; a one-off customer versus a loyal brand advocate; a successful product versus an unsuccessful one.
This article was first published on The Singapore Marketer in April 2014.
Qin En is a branding and marketing strategist who enjoys brand positioning for the up-and-coming generation because he understand his peers and what makes them tick. Complementing this passion for brands with his new-found enthusiasm in search marketing, he is keen to work together with branding and search marketing gurus who are willing to mentor a young and hungry dude who hasn't went to college but started 2 businesses.