(source: Harvard Business Review)
The Experience Economy outlines the history of economic progress in four phases: from the simple agricultural economy with its emphasis on commodities and barter, to (from the industrial revolution onwards) the rise of goods and mass production, to the strong rise of services in the 20th century, and finally an increased focus on experiences .
Co-creation
According to Pine and Gilmore, an experience arises as a kind of co-creation between the provider (the organization) and the customer. The organization consciously facilitates an experience world (referred to as a 'stage' or podium), in which the customer passively or actively participates to create an experience that is valuable. This concept is easy to imagine in the entertainment industry and hospitality, but Pine and Gilmore argue that the conscious 'staging' of experiences can also be used in other sectors. As long as the customer is involved in a personal and impactful way as a co-creator.
I think that twenty years after the publication of The Experience Economy, we have to conclude that we do live in an experience economy, but not in the way that Pine and Gilmore had in mind. Most companies have simply not been able to consciously and positively orchestrate the customer experience. As a result, there are quite a few bad customer experiences.
However, the increasingly critical consumer indicates that delivering a good (core) product is not enough, brands are valued and judged on the total customer experience. In that respect, the experience economy is indeed a fact. Brian Solis expresses it precisely in his latest book X: The experience when business meets design (aff.):
Experiences are more important than products now. kuwait whatsapp number In fact: experiences are products .
Who else but the marketer should be able to get a grip on the customer experience? The marketer is usually behind the buttons when it comes to customer insights , product development, communication, sales channels and service. All possibilities to have a central, guiding role in directing the experience.
Marketing as a driver of the total customer experience. Wow, that's quite a role to play…
Also read: Customer experience: this is how you set up the ideal customer experience
Marketing as a driving force of the total customer experience. Wow, that's quite a role to play... Is marketing really able to meet the high expectations? At first glance, you would say yes. The relatively young marketing discipline has developed rapidly in the last century. Technological developments played a crucial role in this.