From function centered to experience centered
In traditional marketing, consumers are considered rational and
functionality and benefits are the factors affect their decision making of
buying a product. In the late 90’s, experiential marketing - a new approach to
marketing that shifted the view to customers buying behavior from rational to
emotional was introduced (Schmitt B., 1999).
Schmitt further explained the development of three phenomena that led to
such shift: the omnipresence of information technology makes communication
between senders and receivers more personal and with lesser time bound; the
supremacy of the brand that turns marketing’s focus from telling the
functionalities of a product, to experience a brand can provide to their
customers; and the ubiquity of communications and entertainment that companies
has to keep up and dress themselves in a more “customer-oriented” and
entertaining way, also to be able to have two way direct communication with
their customers.
Emotionalized market
As experiential marketing approaches with a belief of “customers are
rational and emotional animals”, therefore the experiences are designed to
stimulate receivers’ senses, feelings and emotions. This led to
emotionalization - “the act or process of making
something emotional; the act or process of subjecting something to emotional
treatment” according to Colin Dictionary (n.d.). For example, instead of
telling customers how good their coffee beans are, a coffee brewery would say
drinking coffee is a healthy and desirable lifestyle, since this approach stimulates
people at socio-culture context.
Exclusivity
According to Marslow’s needs hierarchy, self-esteem is one of the keys
that drive people’s motivation. This is also applicable to marketing.
Trendwatching.com (2012), one of the most influential trend watching firm
pointed out one of the major status shift was on status. “Exclusive access to
privileges and experiences (from eco to luxury) dethroning exclusive access to
physical symbols”, “the kind that visibly sets you apart from the masses and
gives you access to privileges most others won’t get (trendwatching.com,n.d.).”
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| Why do McDonald’s products look different from their advertisements? (GarunN.,2012) |
The phenomena of emotionalized approach of marketing and customers’
growing desire to have privileges and exclusive experiences nurtured the rise
of behind the scenes marketing. In 2012, McDonald’s created a video in response
to a customer’s enquiry which became a talk of the city and gained nearly 2
million of views up to today. It first started with a customer asking McDonald
why the food people buy in the store are unlike their advertisement in their
Q&A webpage. The creative (and emotional) approach of McDonald shooting a
video to unveil how their advertisements were made successfully deliver the
viewers an exceptional and unique experience - providing an “exclusive
content”, “on-set secrets” that tells a more in-depth story of a brand to
engage viewers (Wegert T., 2014).
Another successful case was done by Levi in 2012 to incorporate a video
shooting the production of their fashion in coastal Maine to praise their
craftsmanship, together with invitation of a few bloggers to visit the place
where the video was shot to tell their own experience to other people (Miller B. E., 2012).
PESTED analysis
Social, technological and ecological are the main factors that trigger this trend.
As per Schmitt B. (1999)'s point of view that I mentioned in the beginning of the trend analysis, technology change the communication between brand and their customers from one way to two way; so emotional marketing become more effective to establish relationship with customers.
Socially, the need of having privileges and exclusivity takes the experiential marketing one step further.
Apart from the business side that wants to use behind the scenes marketing as a means to capture customers so that it became a trend, ecological factor also influential to the trend. A couple of years ago, Starbucks claimed to be not ethical because the company had unfair trade to their African coffee bean providers (Wondwossen, 2006) and it became a hot talk for a while, some people even boycott Starbucks because of this. This case may not be the reason for the growth of corporate social responsibilities, but for sure from this case we can see consumers not just care about the product or service they buy, but also the how the product or service produced. Behind the scenes marketing would be the ideal method to satisfy consumers' ecological concerns.
Social, technological and ecological are the main factors that trigger this trend.
As per Schmitt B. (1999)'s point of view that I mentioned in the beginning of the trend analysis, technology change the communication between brand and their customers from one way to two way; so emotional marketing become more effective to establish relationship with customers.
Socially, the need of having privileges and exclusivity takes the experiential marketing one step further.
Apart from the business side that wants to use behind the scenes marketing as a means to capture customers so that it became a trend, ecological factor also influential to the trend. A couple of years ago, Starbucks claimed to be not ethical because the company had unfair trade to their African coffee bean providers (Wondwossen, 2006) and it became a hot talk for a while, some people even boycott Starbucks because of this. This case may not be the reason for the growth of corporate social responsibilities, but for sure from this case we can see consumers not just care about the product or service they buy, but also the how the product or service produced. Behind the scenes marketing would be the ideal method to satisfy consumers' ecological concerns.
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