will work for brands.. or will I?
The San Jose Biz Journal says...
"As anyone who has ever been in a Starbucks knows, customers aren't really buying a cup of Joe, they're buying an experience and in some case even part of their personal identity, which comes with coffee on the side. That degree of corporate integration into the lives and culture of the U.S. public will only accelerate, predicts Andrew Zolli, a Brooklyn-based futurist who spoke Monday at the San Jose Fairmont. It's beyond consumerism. Corporations have become central memory-making institutions in many people's lives," he said, citing the example of a man who chose to be buried in a Harley-Davidson Motor Co. casket."
How many of you think this is 2 parts crap 1 part possible truth? I mean the marketing of Starbucks would like to think that you came in for an experience, the biz merchandising department wants you to have the experience, the folks who made the interior so spiffy want you to have the experience but did you really come in for the experience? I think while the experience is no doubt part of the package, its not the majority piece. I want a cup of coffee.. better yet I want my double white mocha.. and oh ya I'm at a starbucks. I stand in line, I order, I wait, I get my drink.. if I stay my experience goes up, if I bolt, did I still get the majority portion of the "experience"? I think not. I think its laughable to assume yer customers are coming to you for an experience. People want, need, demand stuff. As the 5000th starbucks arrives on the planet do they think their unique experience is still resonating or just nuff said?
As an experience researcher.. hell markerter.. sure I like the experience, I want to have an experience but the experience isnt the substance of what I got. I got coffee, I paid $7 bucks for coffee.... or was it $4 bucks and $3 bucks when to ambient lighting and soooth music?
More on this later. But I think the notion that this is a trend, and that its really hitting the mark on consumers I think is misguided. Its something that corporations want to hear, but I doubt seriously that its the reality.