Member Article

Total Experience Key for Business Success

Have you heard the one about the guy who was excited about buying bleach? No me neither, despite, some time ago, working on a famous bleach brand. It was riveting stuff.

As with most FMCG brands, this particular one had mastered the art of the focus group. Now, upon reflection, expecting a room-full of archetypal consumers to have opinions on bleach was myopic, perhaps a tad naive. Short answer, they didn’t think anything about bleach. Nada; not a bolt, nothing at all.

Bleach is bleach, like toothpaste is toothpaste or toilet cleaner is toilet cleaner. It serves a purpose. No one thinks about bleach. One doesn’t identify with a brand of toilet cleaner. It would be worrying if they did.

Sure, consumers have prefered brands, maybe even a specific line from a brand’s range. But, preparing for a weekly shop, few people have ever given the brand of bleach they purchase more than a nanosecond of thought. “Come along kids, we’re off to buy some bleach!” Woo!

With FMCG such as cleaning products, it’s a crowded space — shelves are. A good product from a well known brand running a decent campaign might claim a competitive advantage. But products are easily replicated and commoditised. No sooner than a product line is launched, an often indistinguishable own-brand replica is born. People don’t think about bleach. Which offers an important lesson.

If consumers only think about that brand—be it bleach or whatever else—for a nanosecond, once a month, it doesn’t give us much time to convince and convert. The battleground is not the product itself, but creating an experience around it to differentiate the product, and deliver a sustainable advantage.
The distinction we feel is that this experience is, not just digital, but fundamentally human. It’s not just the customer, it’s the employees and the organisation—the total experience that a brand creates. Employees play a huge role in whether people buy or not. Consider the hospitality business. How many times has a great meal been let down by poor service?

In the digital sphere, we know that customer experience leads to better business results. In fact, companies who successfully implement a customer experience strategy achieve higher customer satisfaction rates, reduced customer churn and increased revenues.

Furthermore, research by American Express found that 60% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. We all feel better about a brand when it goes the extra mile. A customer who has a positive experience with a business—be it in store, online, or any other touchpoint—is more likely to become a repeat and loyal customer.

Which brings us back to bleach. No one thinks anything about bleach, but they don’t need to. As long as the experience that led them there is positive, they will buy it without thinking.

By David Balko, Chief Client Officer, Tribal Worldwide London

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tribal Worldwide London .