In my youth (which of course I still am, now with wisdom) there was a place called Pihvi, officially We Got Beef. It was a place where I encountered friends, acquaintances, the scene, music and stories.
Beef was a bar where we went almost every weekend to meet. For many years. Local bar at Iso Roba in Helsinki. A place that eventually grew so cool and popular that there were queues and sometimes shockingly long queues.
The style of Pihvi was classic. A bit of the 50s/60s mixed with the urban scene. Suitable for many tastes. From a street-cred graffiti painter to a techno loving fashionista. It was nice to go there and easy to blend into the crowd. The space was not too big, but not small either. The atmosphere was often tight. The bartenders were really skilled. Made drinks swiftly and knew what people wanted to drink. Music was chosen just right. Suitable for a motley group of a crowd.
If I were to describe the experience of the bar (which is the brand) it would be exciting, sweet, easy, comfortable, eventful, hot and seasoned with perfume and style. The place breathed and lived the urban scene. It is still in the hearts of many of us as wonderful memories and moments. The brand lives on today in the form of stories and as a clothing brand online. In the store and on Facebook. The knowers know and often the brand brings a smile to your face. We Got Beef / WGF
Facts of the story:
Experience is something a person is able to sense by interacting with another entity. A strong experience is usually remembered. Both positive and negative. The purpose of a good experience is to generate some value for the end user. For example, joy, learning, advantage, experiences. The experience can be digital, physical, intangible and preferably a combination of these. Digital experience is everything that can be experienced with the help of a network connection: websites, service solutions, booking options, apps, social media, blogs…
Physical is everything where you can go and feel by touching: premises, events, products, presentation, packaging, taste, customer service…
Intangible is everything that you can experience without touching: the way of service, the promises, the sound, the smells…
Everything (and I mean really everything) that a brand does, forms a brand experience.
Each brand has one brand experience, even if it has locations (stores, online store, different websites, app, pop points, social media, events…)
The end user always connects the things experienced within the brand together. Meaning the end user creates unified brand experience.
The brand experience is defined around the most memorable experiences. For example: speed, aesthetics, sensuality, quality or level of service.
The end user could say: Brand X is a uniquely charming French-style environment and the products are carefully finished and of high quality. OR you could say: Brand Z selection is the same as elsewhere and you don’t get much service.
That’s why it’s worth identifying, knowing, planning and managing your own service path, which consists of different meeting points (some, web, apps, offices, events…)
The brand experience is never ready, but it grows with the amount of experience and changes over time. We therefore think that a service path is not linear, but rather like a string of pearls where the user goes around in a circle. Experiencing different meeting points always from a new angle.
You can always refine the high points of service path to make them better, or change them to better suit the spirit of the times. You can do the work yourself by drawing and designing your own string of pearls. Or use professionals who have a lot of experience of different service paths, their possibilities, user data and principles.
Contact points can be shaped as a whole or prioritised and shaped always one at a time.