Blog 3

I agree with Dr. Walls when he stated that creating an experience is important for the brand value in that the consumer becomes more intimately tied to the brand. Not only there are many factors that go into creating an experience, but also there are several modes of providing it. The factors that create an experience are sense, feel, think, act, and relate; the modes of providing the experience are through people, web sites and electronic media, communications, visual/verbal identity and signage, product presence, co-branding, and spatial environments.

There were several good examples from class that I believe exemplify various factors of an experience. For instance, the apple store caters to the customer’s senses. Everything in the store is clean lines, white, very modern. It is a very unique experience and fun to go in and try out the products. Allowing the sense of touch in the store, by customers trying out the products provided on display, I believe people are more willing to buy something they can see first hand before purchasing. Starbucks also sets up their stores as an experience more so than a quick coffee to-go. They cater to the customer’s senses by creating a comfortable atmosphere for people to sit and chat. Also, through the Harley Davidson website, they try to relate to their target market by showing images of the kind of people who they wish to be, or like to be when they are using the product.

I also think Target does a really good job creating experiences, particularly through their advertisements on television. Their commercials are so colorful and vivid that they not only entertain the viewer but they always capture their attention, as well as senses, with the bright colors and the abstractness. However, I do agree with Dr. Walls that their latest advertising campaigns have lost some of the fun, happy-go-lucky and quirky attitude. I believe they attempted to be more edgy and sleek, but that is not their style. They achieved the point of having low price with high fashion; however, it was not the same attitude that captured consumer’s attention in the first place.  

A few examples that I personally believe create an experience are IKEA and the Animal Cruelty commercial. IKEA, like many other stores, caters to the customers’ senses through their unique store design. They do so by allowing the entire family to ‘experience’ and see first hand the furniture as they make their way through the ‘maze’ within the store. Also, the commercial for the Animal Cruelty, with Sarah McLachlan, inspires the feel experience, but in an extreme manner. For many people, primarily women, the commercial evokes tears of sadness and heart-felt concern for the poor animals. I personally hate the commercial because of the intensity of emotion that it brings. I believe that it is too sad and depressing to be allowed on public television.

There is one example of an experience that I connect with the most: the iPod commercial. The commercial simply shows various people listening to their iPod and dancing along with it. As soon as you watch the commercial, it invokes good feelings and automatically puts you in a good mood. Not only is the song catchy, but it reminds you of when you are listening to your favorite songs and want nothing more than to ‘jam out’, dance, and sing to them. In this aspect, Apple relates to the consumers who would want this product. The commercial is also very colorful with vivid images that appear to the consumers’ senses. It also inspires one to dance along with the video or perhaps re-enact the commercial at a later time.

After further thinking about this commercial, I realized why I love it so much. Along with millions of other people, I connect with this commercial because it provides such a strong personal experience. It does so by incorporating 4 out of the 5 types of experiences. It truly does create a holistic experience. The various effects from the commercial that I had mentioned above are the types of experiences: sense, feel, act, and relate. Not only does Apple apply these four in this commercial, but they are also synergetic and co-exist for one central theme- customer experience. They make the consumer feel good about themselves. They make the consumer want to get up and dance. They make the consumer feel as though they are a part of the actual commercial in the moment. They make the consumer feel like the commercial was designed specifically for them. So, as always, well done Apple for knowing how to cater and appeal to the consumers. They truly have outstanding insights on what consumers’ actual wants and needs.