Integrated branding or brand experience is a non-traditional method of marketing that is concerned with the total feelings that customers have when interacting with a brand. This idea goes beyond the common approach to branding which focuses on logos and mottos, and includes any interaction which a customer may have with a brand. Experience branding is about ensuring that an iceberg is formed where key touchpoint points create memorable experiences that directly appeal to consumers’ emotions and work towards changing how they think, feel, and behave towards particular products. This article seeks to review and analyze the following aspects of experience branding; definition, relevance in the contemporary market context, best practices, and accessing inhibitors and brands.
Experience branding is the total of all the sensations, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that a consumer has or is capable of when interacting with a brand. Such exchanges can happen through different touchpoints of the product and service value delivery prospect and customer communication during advertising, service encounters, product consumption, and social media interaction. The purpose is to maintain [Brand identity + Brand values] across the outlook of the organization. According to research by Brakus et al., experience branding encompasses four key components: Sensation, affective, cognitive, and motor variables are the fundamental categories of shortest emotional responses. Taken together, these create the consumer brand association that defines how consumers view the brand and their psychos eligible to be prompted.
To successfully implement an experience branding strategy, companies should consider the following approaches:
Experience branding then begins with an assessment of the target audience by needs, wants, and general issues that they will present. Market research and feedback are ways by which one can determine what their customers expect from them as a brand.
Experience branding is therefore majorly characterized by consistency. Every channel, whether digital or physical, should promote the same message and equity with the brand. This ranges from a logo and color combination right down to the kind of language or the manner in which information is delivered.
Brands need to make perceptions that will create easy insights to be created among consumers concerning their experiences. Integrated communication could entail web-based initiatives, sale services, or occasions that make it easy for the customer to associate with the brand.
The use of technology means that consumers can derive more value from engaging with the brand and is convenient. For instance, tools like augmented reality help the customer to see the actual look of the product before buying.
Social networking may be a strategy for adding value to the consumer experience by the development of a community around the brand. Brands should encourage their customers to engage each other in social media platforms or activities they believe are important and share the same.
The controlling process of experience branding should also contain the assessment of the outcomes of the brandy experience as often as possible. Measuring customer satisfaction and their level of participation in the course can also be of benefit in the future more so in coming up with new strategies.
While experience branding offers numerous advantages, it also presents several challenges:
Several brands have successfully implemented experience branding strategies that exemplify its effectiveness:
Well-known for its clear branding and innovative design, Apple’s smooth iPhone UX (user experience) and popularly acknowledged customer care are other features. Thus the applied ‘touch and feel’ concept and well-informed staff commenting and explaining ongoing features, support the brand’s key messages of innovation and quality.
Coca-Cola has well leveraged the principle of experience branding through its ad campaigns, which make people happy. Coca-Cola called for consumers to share the product through the use of Series 3 serial numbers of the intended names inscribed on the bottles.
By using experience branding, Walt Disney successfully bolts its theme parks, movies, merchandise, and media channels into one single brand identity. From going to a park to a movie, every touch point preserves the company’s ‘narrative’ of creating magic for families across the globe.
Experience branding involves brand management, which researcher, is a new way of brand marketing that concentrates on the relationship between the consumer and the brand. This is why it is vital to manage every connection point of a buyer since a positive experience at any of these points will help a brand to build long-term relationships, stand out in the market, and generate stable revenues.
The shift in consumer expectations that reflect self-orientation and contextual authenticity will remain imperative to adopting experience branding strategies because those organizations that ensure that audience analytics and creativity are incorporated, technology integration is made correctly, community building is done right, and measurement is implemented, organizations will not only improve customer loyalty but also advance customer experiences that will keep the customers coming back in their organizations.