2019.12.04 / Viewpoint

Better Brand Experience

What is brand experience

The development of modern society has brought us from the era of product economy and service economy to the era of experience economy. The era of experience economy has given brand a new content and value. Today when we talk about brands, products, services, marketing, and innovation, we are actually talking about "experience"

When consumers search, buy, and consume brands, the brand experience appears in various scenario. In a paper published in the Journal of Marketing by Brakus, Schmitt & Zarantonello (2009), "brand experience" is defined as: "the consumer's subjective response", which is stimulated by specific brand-related stimuli, such as brand design , identification, packaging, communication and environment, etc., caused by the feeling, cognition and behavioral response.

The dimension of brand experience

Brakus, Schmitt & Zarantonello (2009), studied a large number of interdisciplinary works such as philosophy, cognitive science, experience marketing and management, and proposed four dimensions of brand experience through empirical evidence:

Sensory experience dimension

The sensory experience dimension focuses on the sensory perception brought by consumers' stimuli related to the brand, such as colors, shapes, fonts, patterns, slogans, mascots, characters, etc., which produce memories and impressions to the brand as a result.

Affective dimension

Focus on the feelings and emotions involved in the connection between the brand and the consumer. If the consumer's feelings when interacting with the brand are positive, the perception of the brand will be positive.

Intellectural Experience Dimension

The level of intellectural experience involves the intellecture of consumers. Many brands strive to arouse user curiosity and problem-solving ability. Because thinking takes time and occupies the time of consumers, then the experience is more than half successful.

Behavioral experience dimension

The behavior experience dimension refers to actual experience of the brand by allowing consumers to participate in activities to inspire consumers to change their original lifestyles, and also includes the experience of interacting with the brand.

How to create a good brand experience

Product features are not enough to create a long-lasting brand and obtain as many loyal consumers as possible. In addition, the brand image can no longer satisfy discerning consumers. Modern consumers prefer to have something that arouse their feelings, emotions, thoughts and actions through some stimulation.

Step 1: Optimize the brand logo system

According to a Harvard Business study, 64% of respondents believe that having values consistent with the brand is an important factor in their willingness to connect with the brand. Therefore, the brand logo system should be meaningful and clear enough for consumers to establish contact with the brand. This means that a brand system has to be established in all works to define the brand's values and purpose, a consistent visual plan and dissemination, and then implement the message and information communicated to consumers on all channels.

Step 2: Establish emotional connections

Research by economist George Loewenstein (2001) pointed out that 90% of people ’s purchase results are not made by conscious, rational decisions, but by unconscious emotional impulses. The quality of the consumer’s brand experience depends largely on the emotional response to the brand ’s stimulus. Therefore, brand experience design needs to maximize the emotional needs and expectations of consumers on the basis of the "user experience journey" system, actively establish positive emotional connections with consumers, and eliminate emotional friction.

Step 3: Implement the brand from the inside out

Before starting marketing message externally and making promises to users, companies must allow the entire organization's personnel, processes, products, and services to make changes and synergies in accordance with the new brand promise, so that users can really feel that the brand is actually fulfilling its promise. Many studies have shown that internal employees' actual perception of the brand strongly indicates how external consumers view the brand. Therefore, launching the brand from the inside out, and activating the internal understanding and loyalty of the employees within the organization is crucial to shaping the differentiated external brand experience. Only when you are really proud of the brand can employees ignite confidence, take responsibility actively, and contribute to the brand with practical actions.

Brand experience creates a systemic and brand-new stimulus for users. Through a variety of experience building methods, a refreshing brand identity, a distinctive brand personality, a rich brand association, and a passionate brand activity, the brand and the message it conveys is transformed into a specific promise, so that consumers can establish a strong relationship with the brand and achieve a certain degree of brand loyalty.

To successfully occupy the minds of the users, it is necessary to continuously strengthen the brand personality and interact with users on the basis of consistency through diversified brand contacts, so that users can establish a multi-dimensional and positive overall experience with the brand.