Ladies do you remember that odd “gentleman before his speaking moment”? Gentleman, I know you have encountered your fair share of beauty without brains and regardless of how many times it happens, an anti-climax experience never gets better with experience.
Clients or customers at large have experienced these sorts of anti-climax experiences at the hands of some brands. A few weeks ago we highlighted how many brands prefer keeping a perfect turn on brand image, than lifting up on their rock bottom brand experience standards.
One killer definition of brand experience is “integrating brands into people’s lifestyles, adding value to the consumer’s experience of the brand – engaging rather than interrupting”. Now based on this definition, it’s safe to conclude that brands need to positively impact the lives of those they interact with and not add to the misery of already hard pressed consumers. At any rate, great brands should be looking at adding real value to consumers not just bloating their eyes with their corporate image. Hopefully this article will set you on a higher goal to create a superior brand experience for your clients.
The Apple Brand Experience: Be customer centric and consistent whilst you’re at it.
Great brands have a reputation of un-diverted attention to the customer. Apple Inc has set a great example by creating a whole ecosystem around its product and such that, once you use an apple product, you won’t need any other product. More than half the time, someone using an iPhone also has a Macbook, gets their apps from the Apple App Store and gets music from iTunes. Linking with our killer definition of brand experience, Apple has successfully bulldozed (in a nice way) it’s brand into people’s lives by engaging consumers with integrated solutions (you have your business, personal and social tools on one platform, on one network).
The key here is to focus on how your customers apply your brand into their lives. Are you a source for solutions to problems or a cause of disgruntlement?
Still on Apple: take care of the point of interaction.
Apple changed the game by delivering exceptional experience through superb user interfaces. The company’s product strategy is based around this, with iTunes, the iPhone with its touch screen “gestures” that are re-used on the iPad, and the Apple App Store all playing key roles. Tech savvy it may sound but the simple point here is Apple knew the immediate point of contact between them and the consumer was on their phones or gadgets. They had to kill it here to make the impact they wanted hence they had revolutionary ways in which the user interacted with the gadget and ultimately the brand.
Now your brand may not exactly be experienced in the customers’ hands the “user interface” is still there. It can be in the form of long winding queues in a poorly ventilated rooms or neat waiting area with air conditioned rooms. No prizes for guessing which of the two provides the better customer experience.
Final point on Apple: Put some personality into it.
The Apple brand personality is about lifestyle; imagination; liberty regained; innovation; passion; hopes, dreams and aspirations; and power-to-the-people through technology. What’s more interesting is that they always take up every opportunity to let their personality flourish. Imagine walking into an Apple store and seeing a banner with the words, “picking up from where amazing left off”. To some it may signal arrogance but to Apple it’s just expressing liberty regained.
The Apple brand personality is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people’s lives; people-driven product design; and about being a really humanistic company with a heartfelt connection with its customers.
Companies with big ambitions and great visions should also be bold enough to be different and allow the brand’s personality to flourish.
Post published in: Business