The First Impression – Brand Experience is Everything

How many times do you go into a restaurant and have such a great experience there that you want to come back the next day or, au contraire, a bad experience that you never want to go there again, even more so that you tell other people?

This type of feedback loop is exactly what brands deal with from a consumer standpoint. This isn’t limited to the experience of using the product (which, of course, is very important) but rather delivering an experience at every step of the consumer’s journey. At any stage, a negative experience could ruin the relationship with the consumer the same way a positive one can create a real connection.

During the path to purchase, we have many opportunities to “talk” to our consumer. As marketers, we need to take full advantage of these opportunities and make them memorable. Our goal is to position our brand by creating content and campaigns that provide consumers the best experience at every touchpoint.

For example, in the wine industry, this positioning can be a beautifully designed in-store display, a slick design made with real wood and finished with a gorgeous varnish. In the digital world, a stunning website that is nice looking, intuitive, and fast, and delivers on the brand’s USP. At the product level, it could be a beautiful bottle with a unique label with great design and impressive printing techniques that can offer a sensorial experience through sight and touch.

But a great brand experience goes beyond any physical element – it exists in the way we address our consumer. Every piece of communication is fundamental to the success of the experience. The headlines in our POS, the body copy, the imagery, etc. are all ingredients of a unique encounter between our consumer and our brand. The quality and attention to detail are essential parts of this experience.

Perception is everything, and we, as marketers, are the perception-builders of our brands.