People have a lot of sensations and responses towards a brand; this may stem from their thoughts, feelings, and reactions towards the brand. These individual experiences together are referred to as brand experiences. Brand experience is not curtailed by a certain channel or media. Instead, it is the result of the lasting impression that is formed when someone engages with the brand in any sort of environment.
The digital experience has today become one of the most relevant. You need to create a consistent brand experience across every channel to remain competitive in today’s market. This also means that you have to replace some of the in-person experiences with certain strategic digital interactions. A warm smile is still effective, but a business that finds a way to replace this real-life experience in the customer journey with a helpful app, personalized shopping, or targeted content will give the overall brand experience a need shore-up.
Brand, experience, as well as user experience, speaks to the sensory, cognitive, and behavioral response a customer has in response to an experience; there are certain subtle differences.
Unlike a brand experience, user experience speaks specifically to an individual’s takeaway from the interaction with the brand/products, services, people, or other offerings. For example, if a customer receives fast and effective customer service or a user-friendly product, it gives a positive user experience.
Brands cannot have user experience without initiating brand experience. If someone receives a positive user experience every time they visit a brand, store, or website, it impacts how they view the brand and their brand experience. On the flip side, user experience should incorporate consistent brand voice and other brand elements. Otherwise, people may fail to recognize the brand within the experience.
Brand experience is important because it generates a positive attitude towards the brand, facilitates deeper connections, and inspires the customer, helping deliver results. A positive brand experience often is the reason why a brand is preferred over another brand and leads to the sale. That is why companies do their utmost to deliver impressive and memorable brand experiences.
The most important thing about brand experiences is consistency. The most valuable brands always consider brand consistency to create lasting customer relationships and increase brand awareness. Some companies focus their resources on creating a few flashy experiences and ignore consistency, while others live by consistency and do nothing to make the experience truly exciting. It is best to adopt a middle road and create a brand experience that is both consistent and impacting.