The Experience is the Brand

A couple weeks ago, my flat mate, Roger, made a wrong turn and went to use the map on his Blackberry (having just switched from an iPhone - I should note not by choice), and it was anything but an intuitive experience. This led to an immediate trip to the Apple store, where he bought the new iPhone outright, and will never look back at Blackberry (BB) again.

This got us talking about where BB went wrong, and why the once market leader in smartphones seems to be stumbling all over the place.

I believe BB lost sight of its core competency - mobile business solutions. Rather than focusing on its bright spots (i.e. what it excels at), it became distracted by the seductive personal smartphone market that every smartphone manufacturer was after, forcing BB to think defensively. This caused BB to lose sight of who it is and what makes it unique, forcing BB to be reactive rather than a thought leader. Thinking defensively will always keep you at the very best #2 - you need to think individually to be #1.

BB would have been better off focusing on innovating business consumer-centric experiences that better enabled on-the-go communications.  In fact, within 2 blocks of chatting, Roger and I were able to come up with a long list of helpful solutions BB could have developed had it remained focused, such as enabling the use of its devices in-flight; or forming strategic partnerships with Microsoft for collaborative working/editing while on-the-go, etc.

Another brand that seems to be losing its focus is Tim Hortons, a popular Canadian bred coffee and donut shop. I recently read that it's launching more Starbucks style coffees, like lattes and cappuccinos, to the menu. Let me be clear, Timmy's is a place you go to get a donut and a cup of Joe, or as many lovingly call it a Double Double (two sugars; two creams) not a venti Americano.  To top it off, it's focusing less on donuts and introducing new foods like lasanga - sorry but a WTF is needed here. I was less than impressed when they started to bake their donuts off-site, something they used to do fresh in-store, but now this!?

This is a classic case of losing focus of the brand's essence and taking a competitive approach. Clearly, Timmy's core customer is being taken for granted, much like the BB business user, where they think, 'Ok, so we have that segment, lets go and find someone else' causing them to forget their core business and no longer develop experiences to leverage that area fully.

Lest we forget this happened to Apple in the 80s when Jobs left. Jobs started Apple with user-centered design at the heart, and when he left it switched to a competitive/defensive strategy. The company almost went under until Jobs returned in the 90s with a focused product line, which centred on its core purpose of making technology approachable, and it ensured every element of the experience communicated the brand in a way that resonated with the end user, from the products, to the stores, to the un-boxing experience. Doing this led to a 1000% increase in market value for the organisation, while practically forming a religious following of customers.

Focusing on great customer experiences pays off.

I mean, just look at one of my favourite brands, Lululemon who do this fabulously (as an aside I think it's awesome that all the brands I'm writing about today, minus Apple, are Canadian! How patriotic of me - LOL).

Lululemon has built its brand on a life philosophy, that by investing in your health, you are bettering yourself and society, elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness. What a wonderful and motivating philosophy to build a brand from.

All of its products are designed with the wearer in mind. I always love the surprise of having a new piece and thinking oh I wish it did this, then BOOM, they've already done it! They think of everything one needs to enjoy fitness, be comfortable and look great doing it.  

Additionally, the feng shui friendly stores are always buzzing with staff fully engaged in conversations with customers, or as they call them, Guests, about the latest wrap or a type of fabric. This is just chatting, this is community building! Engaging consumers with the brand's philosophy motivating them to associate and live the brand, so that when they buy something, they feels as though they are bettering themselves.

Lulu continues to enable this life philosophy with additional experiences like hosting free yoga sessions for staff and Guests in its stores after-hours. It was also one of the first retailers to offer reusable shopping bags covered in inspirational quotes on personal enrichment and health, so its Guests can take home the Lululemon philosophy.

Having a strong commitment to its life philosophy and delivering it through relevant consumer experiences (products and services), has allowed them to see a 250% gain year over year -- I think that says enough!

So, it is clear, yet often difficult to see when in the daily grind, that for a brand to be successful in the long term, it needs to create experiences that are relevant to the brand's purpose/philosophy and are designed with the consumer at its heart.