nailing down the objectives

prologue: the conversation will always run long and unfocused unless you set objectives first.

This morning, I was looking through my Twitter feed and was engaged by a comment from my social media friend @Kyleplacy, he said: Do you think the customer cares more about the experience of the purchase and not the purchase itself?

my first reactive reply was: re: customer experience - I think the purchase is their primary motivation but if the experience is good, loyalty will ensue

@kyleplacy: I think it depends on the product.. a high cost item will be more experience driven.. thoughts?

This was all via Twitter mind you. Then because it felt like we needed a more immediate way to communicate, we transitioned to gchat, and we discussed the following:

8:36 AM kyle: hello!

how goes it in wonderful TX?

me: cloudy with a chance of meatballs

8:37 AM me: an interesting way to start for sure

about the experience...

8:38 AM I think the "brand experience" is extremely crucial to nail down, but it's the product that attracts them to that experience

kyle: I would say it is the marketing that attracts them to the experience of the product

me: bad ads for jewelry, on the radio? I think it's a bad medium

for that category

kyle: I agree

it depends on the product though..

8:39 AM the shopping experience for a low cost shopper (WAlmart) doesn't really matter

they care tooooo much about the price

me: very true

kyle: but for a high end product.. the experience matters (marketing, store, employee) just as much.. if not more

me: but what would you sell in "an ad?"

the experience or the product?

8:40 AM you'd sell the product and make it an experience

kyle: you tell a story.. an experience.. that in turn sells the product

a product is just a product without an experience..

it is just another diamond ring..

me: right

kyle: or a car..

:)

me: agreed

8:41 AM there are a lot of bad ads in this world

creating a brand experience definitely needs to be a box to check when creating a brand campaign

I think it may do more to differentiate your brand and raise awareness than drive sales though

8:42 AM kyle: amen erin.. amen

me: I think you have to ask yourself what the objectives are. and then create accordingly

All in all, a productive conversation. I think every goal you ever have should have an objective to begin with, an objective that solves a problem. What are you trying to do? What does the brand need? What need will it be satisfying? What do you want to achieve and what problem will be you be solving? - start here and I assure you the (brand) conversation, in whatever format (or media) you choose will be productive, efficient, and effective.

You can read more from Kyle's POV in his latest blog post: Diamond Marketing and Selling the Experience.