Seducing Visitors: A Mangrove Metaphor

The following tracks, at paint peeling volume, are strongly suggested to amplify (pun intended) your experience:

• Skeptical Phase: https://bit.ly/3eJDXsa , The Hu – Wolf Totem
• I-see-the-point-phase: https://bit.ly/2BwsgH2 BTO– Taking Care of Business

Executive Summary:

A. Mangrove Forests are spectacular and exist in very tough terrain.

B. A consequence is less Awareness, fewer Arrivals and therefore less Appreciation.

C. Jubail Mangrove Park (JMP) is a planet-class example of how this situation can be overhauled.

D. At JMP the arcane art of “Heritage Interpretation” is deployed with breath-stopping finesse, focus and elegance.

E. Any endeavor: Business, Institution, Activity, Organization that needs to reverse the death spiral of "B" above should check out "D".

F. The result: "More Appreciation, More Arrivals, More Awareness" translating into various other desirable vectors, worthy of a dashboard, which also JMP excels in.

The Unabridged Version

• Introduction
• JMP - 6 classic recipes seduce “visitors”
• Planet Class Exemplars

Introduction

A Mangrove forest is an exemplar of nature laying siege to nature! The saline water, lack of oxygen, winds, waves, changing water levels, poor nutrients and unstable soil should kill off any vegetation. The mangrove not only lives, it flourishes and creates a habitat that breeds life rivaling that of a coral reef. A Mangrove forest is an extraordinary ecosystem thriving under some of the most inhospitable conditions on earth. Can one get close to it without equipment, danger or braving inhospitable terrain?

Welcome to the Jubail Mangrove Park (JMP). Within 5 minutes and 50 Meters from the car park, you are immersed in the magic of Mangroves with every trick laid bare in a multimedia show embracing touch, sight, taste, sound and smell. With free entry as a bonus, and almost inside a big-city, JMP is arguably one of the best and most accessible natural history classes in the world. https://park.jubailisland.ae/

A small Digression: Heritage Interpretation is an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information-Freeman Tilden1956, Interpretation Virtuoso, Interpreting our Heritage, ISBN 0-8078-4016-5

Come walk through the ideas, Heritage Interpretation (HI) woos Visitors with. In the context of this article, 'Visitors' are 'Arrivals' at places of Natural, Man-made or cultural heritage like JMP. They could also be... anyone who is a recipient of communication, in any context, Guests at Retail, Service/Manuf. Factory, Digital Interfaces, Pitches, CRM …. business or otherwise, never mind the media at the interface.

Jubail Mangrove Park - Classy Seduction

1/6: Overwhelming Clarity & Provocation

JMP

Park you car, walk 50 meters, and you are on the boardwalk in the middle of the mangrove forest! The very first thing, the gentle sledgehammer blow between the eyes – The Mangrove Forest itself. This bears repetition. Overwhelmingly-first, a distraction-free catapult right into the middle of what you came for -the Mangrove forest.

And the habitat, the terrain, the smells even the clarity of the water (!) instantly lead to questions. And that provocation is taken head-on with gentle nudges towards resolution: little wayside signs, explanatory plaques, an observation tower, an interpretation center, 'immersion exhibits'...The experience, in width and depth, is paced by the visitor. Long walk/short walk? No info/max info? Want to touch? Several options! Want to taste? Want to smell? See? Hear...whatever...each sense has been catered to at a speed and intensity the visitor determines.

All the other stuff is demand-driven – and waits. No lectures on Management Structure, Vision and Mission statements,….etc.

Translation and Application

• Check all 'visitor' interfaces for overwhelming clarity and provocation. Forms, reception, website, IVRS, brochure, tone of voice, the hierarchy of information delivery, samples, packaging, language...This needs to be done with empathy and manic attention to detail.
• For instance, does your form need to be written in 6pt? Font or a more human size?
• Are instructions in impossible hieroglyphic form – like washing instruction labels on your T-shirt? Or abundantly clear. (Exemplar: Ikea assembly instructions – graphic and language free)
• Are we totally clear on what information customers want and deliver it comprehensively? Often, In the very same mall, one is guided to the exact spot where parking is available by large displays, blinking lights visible from far and individual bay lights. However, locating a shop via the map is near impossible except for a military commando with advanced map literacy, compass, sextant, war dog and navigational equipment.

2/6: Revelation based on Information

JMP

There is information. Tons of it. But it is cleverly dissipated and disseminated throughout. And someone has spent time and energy to figure out just where it may be necessary. Wherever the visitor may have a question, there will be information that satisfies, improves understanding and perhaps increases the thirst for more. It could be a wayside, a poster, or an exhibit. It is not dumped wholesale.

Translation and Application

• Check all interface elements for information that leads to understanding and action. Invoices, guarantee cards, coupons..everything.
• Check icons on digital interfaces. Does a ‘hover’ reveal function?
• Check acronyms. Everyone is not familiar with acronyms that may be familiar to industry insiders. A banking site asks you how you want to make a payment, via RTGS, NEFT nor IMPS? To figure out what these mean and what implications, charges etc your choice could have, requires solid external search. By the time you find out, yes, your login session has expired!
• Repeat information. As many times as convenience requires. Something as simple as "Use the figure I sent you in my mail yesterday". Why not attach that mail again?!!! It is understanding and hammering out tiny issues like this endlessly which leads to great HI.

3/6: A combination of Art and Science and things in between.

JMP

Woodwork, Steel fabrication, Painting, Photographs, Graphic design, safety equipment, Rope-work,...that's about it. A little science and engineering and some art. The mangrove was there all along.

That's all there is to JMP. It is unbelievable that just this elementary stuff can result in this excellence. Dig deeper and you will find the real stuff that drives all this: empathy, understanding, visitor flow, subject expertise, what people desire to know, the balance between safety and exploration and overall the burning desire to show, to tell, to share a magnificent natural resource. Some of it is certainly instinctive and intuitive. But a large part of it can be taught and ingrained amongst designers, builders and staff.

Translation and Application

• Understanding of science and technology is critical in delivering a 'visitor' experience. However, this is rarely a differentiator, and even then not for long. Ditto for even softer skills like art, aesthetics and design.
• To achieve true 'visitor' connect, empathy is critical. A real understanding of the information and resource asymmetry between provider and recipient is the next step. Augmenting this with appropriate science, technology, processes, systems and 'software' becomes easier.
• It is such delicate, elegant combinations that create the Awareness-Arrival-Appreciation combo we seek. See these examples of science and art that segue so seamlessly into each other
• Tontine pillows have an expiry date. Science says a pillow more than a year old is basically just dead skin, dead mites and dust! Talking about synthetic pillow stuffing or soft down is left to the amateurs! https://bit.ly/3gZJywC
• Festool tools have an outstanding feature. If the power goes off when using one, it will not switch on automatically when it comes back. Anyone who has had an unattended power tool run amok when the power came back understands the value of this instantly.

4/6: Unite with the personality and experience of the visitor.

JMP

Through every opportunity, JMP reminds visitors of their intimate connection to the seas, water, coasts, wildlife and the natural ecosystem. And it does this in first person issuing appeal after appeal till at some point (some, maybe not all) the visitors buy-in.

There are specific cul-de-sacs and benches built for visitors to tarry a while and enable contemplation. One of the truly mesmerizing experiences is to sit at one of these places, while the sun is setting and listen to the Mangrove Forest talk.

Translation and Application

Great engagement happens when the conversation is almost one-on-one. It is direct. See https://www.myreplenish.com/ , a b2b site but appeals directly to individuals as well. The only thing they have left out is a petition that individuals can sign requesting their favorite brands to adopt this sexy, environmentally friendly idea.

Check how www.stihl.com , chainsaws or www.cornershot.com/ innovative guns or https://bit.ly/3cr9c9W Unimog vehicles or even BITLY itself !!!!!! ( https://bitly.is/2z7GXQ4 )….unite with the personality and experience of the visitor. Many people love to have a Stihl Chainsaw buzz as their ringtone !!!

5/6: Address the whole visitor rather than the part you are interested in

JMP

HI excels at this and JMP proves it again. It can be reasonable to expect that an XYZ Park is a grubby exercise to drum up support for XYZ...like creating a constituency.

But great Heritage Interpretation is altogether different. It addresses the whole of the site and the visitor. JMP is not talking of either Jubail or Mangroves at all. It is provoking the visitor to consider the environment, wildlife, natural ecosystems, the miracle of life, habitats, worldwide with JMP being the current setting.

Simultaneously it is not talking of a slice of a day or opportunity of the visitor, it is talking to mankind as a whole: their way of life, dependence on natural resources, appreciation for nature and other critical matters. JMP in rapidly interconnecting ways, as you walk, quietly talks to each desire of the visitor: a peaceful walk, nature, aesthetics, birdsong, habitat, family outing, and being a responsible citizen. At the same time, there are washrooms, a cafeteria, a Museum/Interpretation center, kayaking, food trucks, first aid, emergency services, souvenirs….search for a facet and JMP is ready.

Translation and Application

This one is tricky. This application is NOT advocating that the business, NGO or Academic institution become a full service diversified organization offering everything from neonatal care to funeral services. It is amplifying sensitivity to the visitor being a bundle of many many many things, many of them so soft, it needs HI level of sensitivity to understand. For example, a bank can be seen as a place where some banknotes live. It can also be a place connected to the house where a person lives, how she marries, the hi-fidelity audio equipment they desire, the business they want to birth, children, education, safety, retirement, healthcare...the list is endless. A bank can be a companion, hand holder, advisor, partner, stern gatekeeper, friend..in one, many or all these roles, phases and areas of life. How many banks actually realize this?

A unicycle can be a circus prop, a toy, a means to skill, a health giver, a balance lab, an identity, a master class in physics, a job, an engineering workshop, focus and meditation enabler, a design conundrum, an aesthetic orgasm...how many Unicycle marketers realize it is not just a wheel, two pedals and a seat?

And a word of caution here. This particular 5/6 learning is tricky. It needs something suitably grand to apply to. Soap, Shampoo, Kutte ka Biscuit (dog biscuits) and Credit Cards would be difficult candidates. Unless of course, you are talking of something like – Santa Maria Novella out of Florence ( www.smnovella.com/it/page/company ). The bath products are sublime enough for Hannibal Lecter to buy them for Clarice Starling.

6/6: If it is for children, reboot and start anew

JMP

The park welcomes children if they are accompanied by their parents or caregivers.

For communicating with children there is a wholly different program. Specially designed, with activities, experiments, excursions, materials and linkages to the curriculum. It is not a watered-down version of the adult program with balloons and colouring books added. Period.

Translation and Application

Traditional rules: for women: pink it and shrink it. For children: add balloons and some color, some cartoon characters too.

Children are extremely sophisticated customers if you let them be. They extremely adept at technology, digital interfaces, destructive and non-destructive testing and have warp-speed comprehension and acton; when they want to.

Children's experience as visitors/buyers/consumers is open for innovation. They have already made eclectic choices in music, language, social media… Many sore gaps remain wherever adults are in charge.

Take a category like pencils or even online classes. Using their websites as a gauge, it is easy to see how children are perceived. Color, animation, canned cheap organ music and discounts seem to dominate. It is very instructive to see how these exact children are treated by the music, gaming, fashion and movie industries. Time to take a hint.

Planet Class EXEMPLARS

Physical Example: Singapore, Shimano Cycling World, 6, Stadium Walk Singapore. It is the business equivalent of JMP !!!

Digital Example: Bobs Red Mill...hard not to get floored! ( www.bobsredmill.com ). Also, watch https://bit.ly/2Msz9v9

Good Luck and God Speed till next week....