Experiential Marketing

1. Experiential Marketing: Beyond Features and Benefits

We are in the middle of a revolution. A revolution that will render the principles and models of traditional marketing obsolete.

Traditional marketing's limitations. Traditional marketing focuses on functional features and benefits (F&B), viewing customers as rational decision-makers who compare products based on utility. This approach, while useful, is increasingly inadequate in today's world, where customers seek more than just functional value. It narrowly defines product categories and competition, and relies heavily on analytical, quantitative, and verbal methods.

Experiential marketing's rise. Experiential marketing shifts the focus from product features to customer experiences, recognizing that customers are driven by emotions, sensations, and social connections. It acknowledges the importance of the consumption situation and the meaning it holds for customers. This approach leverages information technology, branding, and integrated communications to create memorable and rewarding experiences.

The new marketing paradigm. The shift towards experiential marketing is driven by the omnipresence of information technology, the supremacy of brands, and the ubiquity of communications and entertainment. In this new paradigm, products are not just bundles of features but means to provide and enhance customer experiences.

2. Strategic Experiential Modules (SEMs): Five Types of Experiences

Each SEM has its own distinct structures and marketing principles that as a manager you need to be familiar with.

Five distinct modules. Experiential marketing is built upon five strategic experiential modules (SEMs): SENSE, FEEL, THINK, ACT, and RELATE. Each SEM represents a different type of customer experience with its own unique structure and principles. These modules are not mutually exclusive and can be combined to create richer experiences.

SENSE: Focuses on creating sensory experiences through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Examples include the design of a product, the ambiance of a store, or the aroma of a food item.
FEEL: Aims to evoke emotions and feelings, ranging from mild moods to intense emotional responses. Examples include emotional advertising, heartwarming stories, or creating a sense of joy.
THINK: Engages customers' intellect and creative thinking through surprise, intrigue, and provocation. Examples include thought-provoking campaigns, puzzles, or educational content.
ACT: Focuses on physical experiences, lifestyles, and interactions. Examples include fitness programs, lifestyle brands, or interactive events.
RELATE: Connects customers to their ideal selves, other people, or cultures. Examples include brand communities, social causes, or cultural events.

Strategic application. Understanding these SEMs allows marketers to strategically design experiences that resonate with customers on multiple levels, moving beyond the limitations of traditional F&B marketing.

3. Experience Providers (ExPros): Tools for Creating Experiences

Managers create these experiences by using ExPros, or experience providers.

Tactical implementation. Experience providers (ExPros) are the tactical tools that marketers use to create experiences. They are the means through which the strategic SEMs are brought to life. ExPros include communications, visual and verbal identity, product presence, co-branding, spatial environments, electronic media, and people.

Communications: Encompasses advertising, public relations, and internal communications. Examples include TV commercials, brochures, and annual reports.
Visual and verbal identity: Includes names, logos, and signage. Examples include brand names, corporate logos, and store signage.
Product presence: Refers to product design, packaging, and displays. Examples include product shapes, packaging materials, and in-store displays.
Co-branding: Involves partnerships, sponsorships, and product placements. Examples include event sponsorships, brand alliances, and product placements in movies.
Spatial environments: Includes buildings, offices, retail spaces, and trade booths. Examples include store layouts, office designs, and trade show exhibits.
Electronic media: Encompasses websites, social media, and online content. Examples include interactive websites, social media campaigns, and online games.
People: Includes salespeople, customer service representatives, and other personnel. Examples include sales training, customer service protocols, and employee interactions.

Strategic integration. Effective experiential marketing requires the strategic integration of SEMs and ExPros, ensuring that all elements work together to create a cohesive and impactful customer experience.

4. SENSE Marketing: Engaging the Senses

SENSE marketing appeals to the senses with the objective of creating sensory experiences through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Sensory stimulation. SENSE marketing focuses on creating sensory experiences that appeal to sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. It aims to differentiate products, motivate customers, and add value through sensory stimulation. This approach goes beyond mere functionality, focusing on the aesthetic and emotional impact of sensory elements.

Key elements of SENSE marketing:

• Primary elements: Color, shape, typeface, loudness, pitch, material, and texture.
• Styles: Minimalism vs. ornamentalism, realism vs. abstraction, dynamic vs. static, and loud vs. soft.
• Themes: Concepts, symbols, and messages that evoke sensory imagery.

The S-P-C model. The S-P-C model (Stimuli, Process, Consequences) provides a framework for achieving SENSE impact. It involves selecting appropriate stimuli, managing the sensory process, and understanding the consequences of sensory appeal. The process includes cognitive consistency and sensory variety.

Strategic objectives. SENSE marketing can be used to differentiate products, motivate customers, and provide value through sensory experiences. Examples include the design of a luxury chocolate box, the sound of a car engine, or the aroma of a coffee shop.

5. FEEL Marketing: Tapping into Emotions

FEEL marketing appeals to customers’ inner feelings and emotions, with the objective of creating affective experiences.

Emotional connection. FEEL marketing aims to create affective experiences that range from mild moods to strong emotions. It recognizes that customers are not just rational beings but are also driven by feelings and emotions. This approach focuses on creating emotional connections with brands and products.

Key concepts of FEEL marketing:

• Moods: Unspecific affective states that can be elicited by various stimuli.
• Emotions: Intense, stimulus-specific affective states that can be triggered by events, agents, or objects.
• Basic emotions: Universal emotions like joy, anger, sadness, and disgust.
• Complex emotions: Blends and combinations of basic emotions, such as nostalgia or love.

Consumption-driven affect. Most affect occurs during consumption, making it crucial to focus on the emotional aspects of the consumption experience. Emotional advertising can be effective if it provides an interpretive frame for consumption.

Strategic objectives. FEEL marketing can be used to create positive moods, evoke specific emotions, and build strong emotional bonds with customers. Examples include a heartwarming commercial, a romantic restaurant setting, or a product that evokes feelings of joy.

6. THINK Marketing: Stimulating the Intellect

THINK marketing appeals to the intellect with the objective of creating cognitive, problem-solving experiences that engage customers creatively.

Cognitive engagement. THINK marketing aims to stimulate customers' intellect and creative thinking. It seeks to engage customers in problem-solving and encourages them to rethink their assumptions and expectations. This approach is particularly effective for new technology products and complex services.

Key concepts of THINK marketing:

• Convergent thinking: Analytical reasoning and problem-solving that focuses on a single solution.
• Divergent thinking: Creative thinking that explores multiple possibilities and perspectives.
• Directional campaigns: Messages that guide customers towards a specific way of thinking.
• Associative campaigns: Messages that use abstract concepts and imagery to stimulate creative thinking.

The THINK principle. Successful THINK campaigns combine surprise, intrigue, and provocation. Surprise disrupts expectations, intrigue arouses curiosity, and provocation challenges assumptions.

Strategic objectives. THINK marketing can be used to educate customers, promote innovation, and challenge conventional thinking. Examples include a thought-provoking ad campaign, a product that encourages problem-solving, or a service that offers new perspectives.

7. ACT Marketing: Shaping Behaviors and Lifestyles

ACT marketing aims to affect bodily experiences, lifestyles, and interactions.

Behavioral influence. ACT marketing focuses on shaping customers' physical experiences, behaviors, and lifestyles. It aims to enrich customers' lives by enhancing their physical interactions, promoting alternative ways of doing things, and encouraging new lifestyles. This approach goes beyond just selling products, focusing on the impact of products on customers' daily lives.

Key concepts of ACT marketing:

• Physical body experiences: Sensations and feelings related to the body, such as touch, movement, and comfort.
• Lifestyles: Patterns of behavior and activities that define how people live.
• Interactions: Social exchanges and relationships with others.

Strategies for ACT marketing:

• Induce acting without thinking: Use simple calls to action.
• Use role models: Feature celebrities or influencers who embody desired lifestyles.
• Appeal to norms: Leverage social norms and expectations to encourage behavior change.

Strategic objectives. ACT marketing can be used to promote physical activity, encourage healthy habits, and create a sense of community. Examples include a fitness program, a lifestyle brand, or an interactive event.

8. RELATE Marketing: Connecting with Identity and Culture

RELATE marketing contains aspects of SENSE, FEEL, THINK, and ACT marketing. However, RELATE marketing expands beyond the individual’s personal, private feelings.

Social connection. RELATE marketing aims to connect customers to their ideal selves, other people, or broader social and cultural contexts. It recognizes that people seek meaning and identity through their relationships with others and their cultural affiliations. This approach focuses on building strong brand relationships and brand communities.

Key concepts of RELATE marketing:

• Social categorization: The process of identifying with and distinguishing oneself from social groups.
• Social identity: The part of an individual's self-concept that is derived from group membership.
• Cross-cultural values: The shared beliefs and principles that define different cultures.

Strategies for RELATE marketing:

• Use role models: Feature celebrities or influencers who embody desired social identities.
• Appeal to norms: Leverage social norms and expectations to encourage group identification.
• Build brand communities: Create opportunities for customers to connect with each other and the brand.

Strategic objectives. RELATE marketing can be used to build brand loyalty, create a sense of belonging, and promote social causes. Examples include a brand that supports a social movement, a product that reflects a cultural heritage, or a community event that brings people together.

9. Experiential Hybrids and Holistic Experiences

The ultimate goal of experiential marketing is to create holistic experiences for customers.

Combining SEMs. Experiential hybrids combine two or more SEMs to create richer and more impactful experiences. These hybrids leverage the strengths of different types of experiences, creating a synergistic effect. Examples include SENSE/FEEL, SENSE/THINK, FEEL/THINK, and individual/shared hybrids.

Holistic integration. The ultimate goal of experiential marketing is to create holistic experiences that integrate all five SEMs. These experiences are comprehensive, engaging, and deeply meaningful for customers. They create a seamless and memorable brand experience.

The Experiential Wheel. The Experiential Wheel is a planning tool for building hybrids and holistic experiences. It provides a framework for strategically combining SEMs and leveraging their interconnections. The wheel suggests a natural sequence of SENSE, FEEL, THINK, ACT, and RELATE, but also allows for flexibility and reverse direction.

Strategic application. By using the Experiential Wheel, marketers can create more powerful and lasting customer experiences that go beyond the limitations of single-SEM approaches.

10. Strategic Decisions: Choosing SEMs and ExPros

As a manager, you need to decide which ExPros should be used to create which SEM in order to define the experiential image of your organization and/or brand appropriately.

Strategic choices. Strategic decisions in experiential marketing involve choosing the appropriate SEMs and ExPros to achieve specific objectives. These decisions are driven by customer analysis, competitor analysis, and trend analysis. Key questions include:

• Who are your customers?
• What do they appreciate most about your products?
• What approach have your competitors used?
• In which direction is the industry going?

The Experiential Grid. The Experiential Grid is a strategic planning tool that helps marketers align SEMs with ExPros. It provides a framework for making decisions about the intensity, breadth, depth, and linkage of experiences.

Key strategic issues:

• Intensity: Should the experience be intensified or diffused?
• Breadth: Should the experience be enriched or simplified?
• Depth: Should the experience be broadened or narrowed?
• Linkage: Should experiences be connected or separated?

Strategic application. By carefully considering these strategic issues, marketers can create more effective and impactful experiential marketing campaigns.

11. Building the Experience-Oriented Organization

The degree to which a company is able to deliver a desirable customer experience—and to use information technology, brands, and integrated communications and entertainment to do so—will largely determine its success in the global marketplace of the new millennium.

Dionysian culture. An experience-oriented organization embraces a Dionysian culture that values creativity, passion, and innovation. It encourages employees to dream, challenge established beliefs, and express themselves honestly and creatively. This culture is characterized by a focus on experiences rather than just functional outcomes.

Key elements of an experience-oriented organization:

• Creativity and innovation: A focus on generating new ideas and approaches.
• Taking the helicopter view: A broad perspective that considers long-term trends and customer needs.
• The physical environment: A workspace that promotes creativity and collaboration.
• Hiring, training, and personal growth: A commitment to developing employees' experiential skills.
• Working with the right externals: A strategic approach to selecting and collaborating with external agencies.

Strategic application. By building an experience-oriented organization, companies can create a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and a deep understanding of customer experiences. This approach is essential for success in the experience economy.

Last updated: January 23, 2025