{"id":1830,"date":"2015-12-18T12:55:43","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T12:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/?p=1830"},"modified":"2023-06-27T10:37:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T10:37:54","slug":"the-brand-experience-conundrum-5-examples-of-out-of-control-situations-brands-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2015\/12\/the-brand-experience-conundrum-5-examples-of-out-of-control-situations-brands-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brand Experience Conundrum – What you can\u2019t control could matter more than what you can! (part 2\/3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week we saw what touchpoint shape a brand experience (read the article here<\/a>). \u00a0The degree to which a brand experience can be managed is a function of how much control can be exercised over that experience. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Control is the challenge. Some things can be absolutely controlled, others things can only be influenced, and still others we can only hope for the best. Understanding what you can\u2019t control, however, is as important as understanding what you can. \u00a0The cold reality – in managing the brand experience: weather isn\u2019t the only thing you can\u2019t control.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 examples of “out of control” situations brands must consider<\/h2>\n

1. Unpredictable behavior<\/span><\/h3>\n

You can\u2019t \u00a0predict how someone will behave.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Brick-and-mortar retailing is a highly controlled brand experience.\u00a0At a Nike Town store, Nike can control the interior design features (store layout, materials and finishes, lighting, fixtures, displays and colors), their product mix, display, and promotion, checkout process and customer amenities.<\/p>\n

The one thing Nike cannot totally dictate is employee behavior. Regardless of the screening, training and experience, employees are still human and there is always a degree of uncertainty as to their response to certain situations, mood, or other factors that affect their behavior.<\/p>\n

To finish, although the brick-and-mortar retailing generally falls into a high-level control experience within the store, what happens outside the store environment is, of course, another matter.<\/p>\n

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2. Nature will take its course<\/h3>\n

You can\u2019t control the weather.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Service industries are highly vulnerable to influences outside the control of the brand. These outside forces can play a key role in determining whether the experience is brand reinforcing or undermining.<\/p>\n

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FedEx, for example, is a brand that is heavily influenced by factors outside its control. Weather, road conditions and traffic can all influence the ability to fulfill customer expectations regardless of investment in logistics, equipment and personnel. The direct point of contact is at the beginning and end of a process, in between which any number of things can happen that will affect the impression, reliability, trust and loyalty toward the brand. In the end:<\/p>\n

Customers will only remember if their package gets to their destination on time… they will remember it longer if it doesn\u2019t. <\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Unintended consequences<\/h3>\n

Your partners may not always be what you want them to be.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Partnering with other brands can lead to unexpected consequences relative to managing the brand experience. In co-branding or ingredient branding situations, the partner brands do not necessarily have any control over the other, but they can certainly influence the perceptions of their partner brand by virtue of that association. There are risk\/reward considerations. Although Intel, as an ingredient brand, adds value to its host computer, a bad experience with the computer can cast a shadow over impressions associated with Intel.<\/p>\n

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Although combining a KFC, A&W and Taco Bell into one location can be operationally efficient, it begs the question as to whether the cohabitation of those brands makes sense from a consumer point of view. Do the perceptions around a bucket of chicken complement the perceptions associated with a taco?<\/p>\n

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4. Casting a giant shadow<\/h3>\n

You have to live with your industry brand.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Industry brand perceptions can also influence the impressions of any and all brands within that industry. Regardless of how exquisite or luxurious an individual cruise ship experience might be, the Costa Concordia and other cruise-related incidents have dramatically influenced the perceptions associated with the industry and ultimately the individual brands in that industry. The BP oil spill did nothing to help the petroleum retailers\u2019 image. Volkswagen\u2019s attempt to rig pollution testing certainly added to credibility questions around the auto industry already tainted by countless recalls.<\/p>\n

Some industries unfortunately consistently rank among the worst in customer service. According to Temkin\u2019s Customer Service Ratings in 2014 on trust and forgiveness, TV, Internet and health providers were among the worst.1<\/sup> Brands within those industries have to not only manage their own brand experience but also cope with perceptions associated with their industry.<\/p>\n

5. Turbulent journey<\/h3>\n

The longer the journey that greater the chances are that a lot more will go wrong at any point in that journey.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The example of Emirate Airlines:<\/p>\n

The ideal experience:<\/span><\/p>\n