Customer Experience is the New Marketing and Customer Experiences are the New Brand

My friends Rob Cottingham, Gerard Francis Corbett and I have had some fun lately. One way to gain perspective on our modern reality is to do so through humor. So when a several big brands in the beverage, transportation, banking and airline industries were suddenly in the global media hot seat, we had a laugh and productive conversations behind the scenes. As a result, we set out to build upon these unfortunate opportunities with a couple of pithy but poignant cartoons hoping to spark a bigger dialogue. Our goal was to not further chastise brands, but instead call attention to the fact that every company can, at any point, fall to the experiences that customers have and share.

I want you to think about that for a moment…”the experiences that people have and share.”

Customer service is the new marketing.

Happy employees equal happy customers.

A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world.

86% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience, but only 1% of customers feel that vendors consistently meet their expectations

You’ve heard these adages time and time again. Yet, brands continue to use marketing, creativity and products/services as the means by which they aim to brand. But now everything matters. And you can argue that it always has. The difference between now and then is that great experiences were once differentiators. Now, great experiences are becoming mandates.

This means that it’s time to explore experiences (what people actually experience vs what they want to experience) that people have in every aspect, products, policies, services, touch points, et al. At the same time, it’s key to review current policies, processes, incentives, training, etc., for representatives. And, while you’re at it, review your brand style guide to find gaps between brand promises and real world experiences.

It’s time for an upgrade.

If it’s time to design experiences you want people to have, remember, and share. Customer experience (CX) is the new marketing and customer experiences (what they have, feel and share) become the brand (BX). But more importantly, CX becomes a way of business that permeates and reshapes every facet of how and why companies operate. It’s about purpose, vision, and meaningful work.

BX – Brand Experience
CX – Customer Experience
UX – User Experience
EX – Employee Experience