Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

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agents of transformation

How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”



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In the last article, we talked about how each touch-point between your brand and your audience (i.e. customers, potential customers, media, etc.) should be regarded as an opportunity to surpass expectations and create remarkable moments of engagement. But how do you turn something mundane into something special? How do you turn a transactional process into a transformative experience?

Turning mundane into special

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I put together a list of 4 transformative agents that will help you get started. The agents can be used for existing touch-points though you will want to create new ones by combining some of the agents.

These agents can be applied to any aspect of your brand experience - either alone or in combination - whether in a retail environment, an exhibition, a tradeshow, an event or your office space. Even your packaging can be enhanced to increase impact by using the same principles.

Four Agents of Transformation

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We get an emotional kick out of surprises. A recent study shows that the pleasure centers of our brain react strongly to unexpected events, which “suggests people are designed to crave the unexpected.”

And surprises don’t have to cost much. Sometimes a dime is all it takes to make someone’s day, as psychologist Norbert Schwarz discovered in a different study.He placed a 10-cent coin next to a copy machine where he knew the test subjects could find it. A survey revealed that those who found the 10 cents had a substantially happier outlook on life than those who did not find it.

Knowing that surprises attract the attention of your customers and increase pleasure, ask yourself how you can surprise them to create a much deeper bond with your brand.

Agent 1

“Surprise”

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How to apply “Surprise”Agent 4


•Take something known and familiar and put it into a different context or use it in a surprising way

•Give away free stuff, but be selective when and how you do it to maximize impact

•Introduce a physical object to your brand experience that is unexpected, i.e. oversized, displaced, upside down

•Surprise a customer for his/her birthday •Create an event that is inspired by your brand values but is not part of

your regular product/service offering: free lemonade in the summer, a workshop on colors and patterns for fall, a lecture by a specialist, etc.

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Customizers create a different experience for every single customer, appealing to the desire for personal gratification in all of us.

In an ideal world you could customize your product for every single customer, but not every product allows that level of modification. Personalized service, which falls into the category of “cosmetic customization” is a good start, because personalization is based on form, packaging or delivery, without modifying the product. The actual product remains unchanged. Think custom printing or packaging, adding individual items based on the customers preferences etc., so that each customer believes the ego gratifying experience is “all about me”.

“Customization”Agent 2

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“Transparent customization” is another way to create a deeper bond with your customers. It’s especially helpful for repeat-interactions with your customers, because it shows you not only know them, but you get them. Many hotels chose transparent customization and collect data such as the preferences and dislikes of each customer to anticipate their every desire. Amazon uses a similar strategy to recommend books to users.

Both customization approaches are easily implemented into any brand experience and when well executed, guarantee improved customer satisfaction and retention.

“Customization”Agent 2

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How to apply “Customization”Agent 2


•Have 5 different, inexpensive items (e.g. postcards) and give one away with every purchase

•Personalize the gift box or shopping bag•Get to know your top 10% customers and tailor-fit the shopping

experience for them, i.e. heads-up on new arrivals from their favorite brands, designers, artists, authors, etc.

•Organize invitation-only, VIP events with privileged access to sought-after items

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We all have rituals. They help us focus on the moment and the activity we’re doing. Some have a ritual before going to bed, others before an important sports event or before a first date. Any action or sequence of events that you habitually do can be a ritual.

I used to unwrap my Milka chocolate very carefully when I was younger so as not to tear the aluminum wrapping. Nobody told me. I guess I was just very neat. It took much longer to get to the chocolate but I would always do it. Somehow I must have felt it made the chocolate more special. And I would do it only with Milka, not other kinds of chocolate.

“Ritual”Agent 3

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“One of the powerful things about rituals is that we often give them a special importance: they can be almost spiritual (and sometimes actually spiritual, depending on the ritual). And when they become special, we are more mindful of them — we don’t just rush through them mindlessly.”Todd Schnick (Marketing Rituals)

“Ritual”Agent 3

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Very common product specific rituals we all know include twisting an Oreo cookie in half before dunking it in milk or squeezing a lime into a Corona bottle.HOGs (Harley Owners Group) meet regularly to socialize and ride their motorcycles together. This is a ritual that Harley Davidson facilitates and encourages with its marketing.

Rituals work not only to differentiate your product or service from the competition. Research shows that ritualistic behavior stimulates a higher level of affective response than habitual behavior, and rituals tend to be more resistant to modification or extinction than habits.

Rituals also create a tribal effect which deepens the relationship with your brand and work to differentiate those who are part of the tribe from those who are not.

“Ritual”Agent 3

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How to apply “Ritual”Agent 3


•parking •arrival•greeting•changing booth•ordering •wrapping/packaging•payment, etc.

Look at your overall brand experience and develop rituals in connection with:

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Ford has developed a “new car” fragrance, even though it doesn’t exist. But when tested, 34% of European customers recognized it. Apple’s start-up sound is distinctly different from Window’s sound. In a recent experiment, atmosphere and ambience enhanced the appreciation of a whisky by a whopping 20% though the tested whisky was the same.

JWT (international advertising group) says physical experiences and human senses will become even more important in the digital world as “more people feel disconnected with the physical world” and sensorialization will play an important role in overcoming the this trend.

“Sensorialization”Agent 4

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Sensory marketing, comparable in nature, is defined as ”the purposeful design and deployment of the interaction between the senses in order to stimulate a consumers relationship with a brand; and to foster a lasting emotional connection that optimizes purchasing and brand loyalty” (Kahn Consulting, 2007)

Sensorialization goes one step further. Its focus is less on optimizing the purchase than on orchestrating a remarkable and talk-worthy brand experience.

“Sensorialization”Agent 4

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•Smell: adding the right scent can drastically increase the positive impact of any encounter or interaction with your brand. Try adding a scent to your packaging, your changing booth, or even certain zones to create a scent journey.

•Sound: the wrong music or inappropriate loudness can make or break an experience. What music do you play when a customer who calls is on hold? Music does not always need to be music. How about some forest sounds in your changing booth? And no more radio music please, unless your brand or product is equally generic.

How to apply “Sensorialization”Agent 4


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•Taste: look for ways to delight the taste buds of your audience. Not everyone can offer free truffles and champagne, but the occasional tasty treat will leave an impression on your audience, if done in the right context.

•Touch: anything that your audience touches or comes in direct physical contact with can serve to create remarkable moments: packaging, stationary, changing rooms, furniture, clothes hangers, price tags, counter, etc.

How to apply “Sensorialization”Agent 4

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How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of WOWs and YEAHsHow to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”

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Once you find a way to integrate one agent, don’t stop there. Look for more ways to integrate the same agent in another way, at another moment of your brand experience. Combining two or more agents works very well too: customization and rituals go hand in hand, as do surprises and sensorialization. Why not customize an interaction, ritualize it and include an element of surprise?

Increasing the number of agents you integrate will multiply the occasions to delight, intrigue, touch and pleasantly surprise your customers. Every time you delight and surprise your audience you create a deeper emotional connection with your brand and increase the likelihood that they will come back again and again. You also increase the likelihood that your brand will benefit from sustained positive word of mouth — still the best endorsement you can get, especially in this social media world.

Repetition increases retention

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More Agents = More Positive Word Of Mouth = More Customers

BUT: Repetition increases annoyance

As much as you will want to increase the number of remarkable touch points, don’t overdo it. You’re not Liberace so beware of “too much of a good thing”.

A simple equation

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orchestrating your brand experience

The successful orchestration of your brand experience is a first step in leveraging the full potential of your brand. Think of every intervention and interaction with your audience as a small stone you throw into a pond. The more stones you throw, the more ripples you will create and the more impact your brand will have on your audience.

Your turn!

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orchestrating your brand experience

If you want to learn more about other agents of transformation or how to turn your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs”, “OOHs” and “YEAHs”, drop me a line: [email protected]

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Achim Brauweiler - [email protected]

website: www.brauweiler.cablog: www.achimbrauweiler.wordpress.comTumblr: www.brauweiler.tumblr.com

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Agents_of_Transformation - How to transform your brand experience into a sequence of “WOWs” and “YEAHs”