Marketing tactics are not only a part of achieving a goal but are also about giving customers a memorable brand experience. Experiences help people form stronger bonds, motivate audiences and eventually produce results.
One of the key elements is being aware of certain information on customers in order to enhance their experience and make it more sentimental. The tourism and hospitality industry holds this as a mantra. A customer may forget what they ate, what you said, what ad they saw but they will never forget how they felt. On my birthday, the hotel staff where I stayed sent me a slice of cake with fruits and although I may have forgotten how it tasted I will never forget the gesture.
The Daily Grind is one of my favourite places to eat because of this same reason. I don’t need to explain to the waiters about my allergies because they already know from my first visit. In fact, sometimes they recommend meals for me and ask if they should add extra cashew nuts (my favourite.)
Every encounter and touchpoint with a brand must be engaging and pleasurable in order to develop an emotional bond with the brand. It must also be consistent and indicative of the brand values.
This is what it is ultimately about. What separates iconic brands from the competition is the mastery of creating and developing a sensory user experience that engages the customer in a meaningful and long-term relationship.
It takes planning to create a memorable brand experience. Before anything else, marketers must ensure that they understand the needs and wants of their target audiences. Only then will brands be able to create authentic, meaningful and unforgettable experiences for their target customers.
Performing artists, on the other hand, have a different approach. As brands, their growth in equity relies solely on how great a performer they are. After selling out his show in London, the Grammy Award-winning Nigerian super star Wizkid stated he got paid USD1 million for his recent show. Chances are that before his London show, he charged way less. Had he not performed to the best of his ability and he would not charge that much. But because he knows what an experience the audience is in for, he can increase his charge as he sees fit.
ATI hosted his one-man show in Francistown on 28 May 2022 and gave what I believe was the perfomance of his career. It was more than just music, songs, keys, features and words. What ATI did was take the entire crowd into a harmonious journey of his life through a well-curated performance. That is how artists give their supporters a great, memorable brand experience.
People will travel to places just to see their favourite artist peform and why consumers pick the same brand over competition. It is all about how those particular brands make them feel; their experience with it knows no boundaries.
It is critical that marketers recognise the value of a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints by combining strategy and technology to build long-term customer relationships and achieve tangible outcomes.