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I once heard a great talk by Joseph Pine entitled “What Consumers Want”. Pine spoke about the change in what consumers expect and the progression of economic value. Many years ago we lived in an agrarian economy where we extracted commodities from the ground, be they animal, vegetable or mineral and we sold these on the open market. The industrial revolution saw us producing goods, which we sold to a variety of consumer. Goods soon became commodities, we no longer cared where they came from but were driven by price. This lead to the growth of customizing goods and turning them into services; the next step on the evolutionary scale of what consumers want. But soon services also become commodities with the growth of fast food restaurants and their value meals and on the internet where one can by services from anywhere in the country or world, such as cheap energy or telephonic services. So what’s next?

Pine proffers that consumers are now wanting customized services which satisfy our needs and create experiences and this is really exciting for us, as venue operators, this is what we sell. The issue with offering experiences is the idea that these are somewhat manufactured. In reality, experiences happen within us; all experiences are in fact authentic.

Commodities were about supply and availability. Goods were about control and cost. Services were about improving quality and experiences are about rendering authenticity.

So how does one render authenticity? Pine suggests authenticity has two dimensions; firstly we need to be true to ourselves, and secondly being what you say you are to others.

This creates a 2 x 2 situation where as a business we are true to ourselves and true to what we say to others we are “Real Real” If we are not true to ourselves and not true to others we are “Fake Fake” This then leaves us with being true to ourselves but not true to others we are “Real Fake” and if we are not true to ourselves but true to others we are a “Fake Real”

 Surprisingly there is a market for all of the above. Many people want rip off products and are happy with buying them.

I once went to Pinewood studios in London and walked the set of the Batman movie, through Gotham City. It was real, it was there, but right behind it was just a facade, hence it was a “Real Fake”. Anyone who goes to Disney’s Magic Kingdom knows its Fake, sorry the Magic Kingdom does not actually exists, but Disney are so true to the experience what they offer it’s a “Fake Real”.

The issue with “Real Real” is that we are limited by our history and the way our consumers already perceive us and we cannot move off that path or brand values without difficulty and seeming phony.  Who would fly with the airlines in the advertisements? Don’t you often wish that was the experience you actually bought?

Here are the rules according to Pine

1. Don’t say you’re authentic unless you are authentic
2. Its easier to be authentic if you don’t say you’re authentic
3. If you say you’re authentic, you had better be authentic

After that long-winded opening the ultimate customer experience starts with the understanding of who we are, how our customers perceive who we are and what we then deliver to them in line with those expectations.

The first step would be to defining our brand values in line with our consumer perceptions. We need to understand and be true to our authenticity and deliver that to our customers.

When it comes to customers you have to sweat the small stuff. They’re just like us, emotional beings looking to be true to themselves. They come to a venue expecting a self-satisfying experience and it’s our job to deliver that through flexible customer dealings. This is a scary statement for venue operators who find it difficult to empower staff (quite often contracted staff) to fix problems immediately and deliver a personalized experience. If the principle here is get the details right, the next principle is quality service and product starts with quality thinking. Every person n the organization is part and parcel of the experience and every interaction delivers on the experience. I remember visiting a number of venues in Houston. Having a bag search at the Toyota Centre was actually a positive experience. The security detail engaged me in conversation and showed authentic interest when recognizing I had a foreign accent. The warm greetings and farewells at Minute Maid Park also contributed to a positive experience. Unlike, one might say, the experience of passing through TSA checks at US airports. Necessary, we all might agree, but does not do much for enticing travel in the US.

I believe we are no longer in the service industry but in the experience business. We are in the business of customizing services to deliver authentic experiences to meet the needs of our consumers. Our market has grown and is in battle for the diminishing disposable dollar. We are in competition with themed restaurants, films, anything, which offers an experience desired by the customer; an experience that authenticates who they are. Best our experience keeps evolving to meet the growing needs of our experience seekers.

Our brand is our promise of the experience; it’s the essence of who we are and what our consumers have bought into. Delivering on that promise is what is the ultimate customer experience.