There are irresistible experiences that not only make you want to repeat them, but also make thousands of people line up to experience them. From stores to restaurants, from churches to amusement parks. No matter the business, a well-designed experience becomes an irresistible magnet.
Yesterday there was a line to enter Abercrombie Fitch on New York’s Fifth Avenue, a clothing store full of mystery, sensuality and intimacy right from the front door. On its four floors, designed lighting, music like in a young club and models everywhere.
However, AF should not surprise us as much as discovering that churches in Harlem also have lines of people eager to live their Gospel experience, as in the case of the Abyssinian and the African Methodist, with exciting spiritual services in bareback.
No matter what we do and what we do for a living, whether we are advertising and marketing people, dentists or lawyers, the experience can be designed to make you want to repeat it. Of course, it will almost inevitably force us to escape from the conventional, to go personal, relevant and close, as in the spectacular case of Apple. In this case, the iconic store between the GM Building and the Plaza, on the southeast corner of Central Park.
The best part of this whole proposition is that, invariably, the cash registers ring in higher amounts per transaction, as well as more of the desired transactions. It is both a focus on gaining respect for our brands, and a more powerful desire to own them, to make them our own, to buy them. Surely, business will be booming and exciting, as this giant store full of Macs, iPods, AppleTV, Time Capsules and more looked yesterday.
There is no doubt that the world is full of extraordinary examples, as demonstrated by the legendary explorer travel brand Louis Vuitton, today transformed into a symbol of fashion and sophistication. With this modern facade in New York, it demonstrates its flexibility, adaptability and ability to redefine itself both globally and locally.
In several articles, of one paragraph or five, I have insisted on the importance of focusing on designing irresistible experiences, to provoke relevant changes in our brands. This is why at Tribu we focus on filling the world with Lovemarks, an inspiring way to define a sense of direction, because Lovemarks is not a destination but a path.
The world has changed and so has it. Isn’t it time to evolve the experiences we offer?
