The experience economy

In the last 10 years the world has dramatically changed.

Global economic development has made us materially richer while arguably spiritually poorer, and as a result more viscerally demanding of brands:

Affluence means we can now access things our parents’ generation only dreamed about. We have ‘do’ versus ‘view’ mentality.

Gratification is elusive. With more we want more. Needs extend to multi-sensory, intellectual, conceptual and cultural engagement, not just basic emotional and functional fulfilment.

Globalisation is breaking down our traditional ethnic connections while our human being, to be whole, intuitively seeks belonging, purpose, meaning, creativity and cultural experience.

Yet science and empirically driven belief is increasingly dominating the way we are told to view the world. Skepticism and our mentality means we are now seeking proof not promises: demonstration not just communication.

This is a world that seeks truth, and yet responds to imagination.

To succeed, world brands need to:

Create a clear, conceptually compelling positioning
A big idea for the business, something people can engage with, capturing the imagination and stirring the soul.

Embodying a higher purpose, a cause
Something to identify with – and find meaning in – beyond the commercial, turning ‘consumerism’ into a cause.

Expressing a rich, distinctive culture
Something to experience viscerally, philosophically and embrace socially.

Brought to life artistically in everything
Something people can experience creatively, consistently and holistically, expressed artfully, at every touch-point.