What is brand experience, and how does it affect you?

Brand experience encompasses every point of contact between the brand and the customer. The size of the experience doesn't matter; what matters are the contacts and how they occur. Understanding and recognizing its impact helps us become aware of this aspect of the business, which can provide a significant edge through small actions.

Every customer interaction with the brand is a brand experience, whether it's using the product, hearing an advertisement on the radio, or visiting our business location.

These interactions shape people's judgments, attitudes, and preferences about the brand as they are exposed to these events.

Key points about brand experience include:

• It doesn't require consumer interest to create an experience.
• Customers don't form a general judgment about the brand; instead, they experience specific sensations, feelings, and behaviors. While it could lead to a general judgment about our brand, creating this judgment isn't part of the design.
• It's not solely an emotional connection, as in 'Brand Attachment.'
• It happens with every contact, not just during product usage.

How is brand experience constructed?

It is built in three different yet complementary ways:

1. Product
2. Purchase and service
3. Consumption

PRODUCT

When interacting with the product, either directly or indirectly (such as when it's showcased or when customers see it in an advertisement, to provide two examples).

In each interaction, the person forms an idea of the product and subsequently associates it with our brand. A car like BMW might portray the brand as youthful and sporty. Conversely, a Mercedes-Benz could give the brand an image of elegance and classicism.

PURCHASE AND SERVICE

It is created while being in the store, interacting with the staff, and experiencing their policies.

An example of this occurs in restaurants where they offer a complimentary item while waiting for the table, the place is neat, and everything appears well-organized.

In an industry where our product can be a commodity, such as a grocery store, this point can be the most important in creating an experience that brings the customer back.

CONSUMPTION

When the product is used, hedonic experiences are gained that help form an overall brand experience.

Does the product fail shortly after being purchased? Does it emit an unpleasant odor? Is its texture not what we expected?

How does the brand experience affect us? In the study cited at the end of the article, a hypothesis is generated that a positive experience will positively affect customer satisfaction. This consequently leads to customer satisfaction having a positive effect on brand loyalty. It also positively affects the 'brand personality' (human attributes that customers assign to a brand, such as reliable, secure, carefree, etc.)

Being aware that every touchpoint counts allows us to think about them. Then, I to figure out how I seek to generate these points and in what way to create the sensations, attitudes, and behaviors that allow me to increase loyalty towards me.

Putting the customer at the center stage and trying to be objective and critical about their experience is a starting point to get clues on how these touchpoints can be adjusted for greater satisfaction.

Source: Brakus, J., Schmitt, B., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand Experience: What Is It? How Is It Measured? Does It Affect Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52-68.

Chang, P., & Chieng, M. (2006). Building consumer–brand relationship: A cross‐cultural experiential view. Psychology and Marketing, 23(11), 950-951

Image Credits:

Cover: Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke on Pixabay

Coffee with sparkling water: Image by Pexels on Pixabay

Modern bar: Image by stokpic on Pixabay

Cluttered bar: Image by David Mark on Pixabay"