There’s been a lot of debate recently about ‘experience brands’ and ‘brand experiences’.
To some people, it seems nothing more than semantics.
But there’s actually an important distinction between the two.
Pick a bank, any bank.
It doesn’t matter because it’s imaginary.
Now let’s walk through the branch.
You can only go in there at lunchtime
Just like everyone else.
So the first thing you notice is the huge queue snaking out of the door.
When you’re finally inside you notice that two of the tellers aren’t working.
Guess what, they’re on their lunch break too.
While you’re queuing you decide to fill in a paying-in slip.
But none of the pens work
You’ll have to do it at the counter.
Finally, a teller becomes free and you get tutted at for not having filled in the paying-in slip beforehand.
You ask to withdraw some money but get told that you need two forms of ID for that transaction.
Storming out of your branch, vowing to change banks at the soonest opportunity.
You’ve just had a brand experience.
A terrible one.
But a brand experience nonetheless.
An experience brand, on the other hand, is a brand that knows how it feels to be in a frustrating queue.
And does something about it.
An experience brand focuses on the behaviours it exhibits at every single touchpoint with anybody and everybody.
An experience brand makes every interaction a differentiator that people will remember for all the right reasons.
Now, can anyone lend me a tenner – I just can’t face going to the bank.
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