Brand Experience and Emotional Currency
Using emotion and desire to build an authentic connection
My wife and I spent an evening last year in the revitalized retail area of Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach, California. Once a run down drug riddled area, new stores and restaurants now adorn the streets in trend. We were there to meet a close friend for dinner in a fashionable restaurant, in pursuit of great food and a possible celebrity sighting. After dinner, we found ourselves enthralled with all the hip stores that had popped up along the street — from Robert Graham’s flagship store of men’s wear to Aviation Nation vintage tees. The organic suburban bungalow-like homes had been transformed to unique and restaurants and retail stores. It was an intimate and quaint setting for selling cool, one-of-a-kind products that connected to the vibe of the street. We were so taken by the style and flavor of the area that we changed our travel plans and shopped Abbot Kinney the following day.
Since my visit to Abbott Kinney, I’ve thought at length about what constitutes a successful retail experience to ultimately reinforce a brand. And, more importantly, how successful brands define relevancy when tied to an actual positive experience in the retail environment.
It all starts with what I would call emotional currency, or in marketing terms — brand messaging.
We as consumers connect quickly to a brand when it emotionally speaks to our needs and desires.
In his article on building brand experiences for customers, Jim Joseph explains: “Brand messaging is all about the kind of experience you deliver to your customers with each and every interaction. The more compelling the experience, the faster you will build brand loyalty.” Each time a customer enters your retail space, they make a deposit into an emotional bank account. These deposits define not only a total collection of experiences, but — if the tone of the experiences is positive — they reinforce a positive association with the brand. Thus, it becomes the totality of the experience, in addition to the tonality of the experience, that makes the experience distinctive to your brand and motivating for your customers. This brand experience is the driving force in product and brand differentiation. Without it, your brand will fail to emotionally connect with customers.
A brand will pay dividends to consumers with enough emotional currency.
Like interest that grows with actual cash, if nurtured properly, the brand will maintain growth and sustain itself in the long run. When a consumer becomes possessive of a brand and it’s connection to a retail experience, she commits to following it and standing up for it at almost any level engagement. This connection between her and the brand cultivates a mentality in which she believes in its vision and purpose for existence.
Brent Watts is a founder and Executive Creative Director at Struck. If he’s not out running or riding a trail, he’s with his amazing wife, five daughters, four grandchildren and two snakes enjoying his collection of books. You can also spot him on LinkedIn, Instagram, or with a pen in hand sketching on any surface he can find.
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