The diffusion of brand, ownership and experience

Before the onset of social media, the general belief was that products can only be tangibly owned or accessed and for you to experience a product you must try or touch it. Companies tried to break the stereotype that products have to be tangible for a fuller experience. Non customers who had never touched the brand by any means didn’t require ownership of the product but knew through spoken accounts, advertisement and other modes that the company used. But this kind of brand recognition lacked true knowledge and understanding of the product as it hadn’t been tangibly consumed it. It had just been seen but neither felt.

This concept did not last much with the advent of social and web platforms. Experience had very little to do with it. These ordinary marketing schemes were proven to be wrong: the idea that for a complete product experience, it needs to be owned. The system has changed. Old and weary ideas that the product needs to be owned for full depth experience have become ancient. New and innovative ideas have outrun it. The audience wants to understand the product or brand through their ways. The relationship between the audience and the products have changed overtime. They have become complex which was once just a simple business between the two; somewhat similar to human relationships which are considered to be intricate.

With time we have seen changes in the individualities and relationships of brands with people. The typical product experience has taken an overturn slowly but steadily. It has taken a toll on everyone. People watch other people unveiling marvellous things. People are more interested in what other people have to say because they are more wise and knowledgeable. They might not get the same information from their relatives or family. Everything has become web related. They customize and show off everything they own online. Through these ways they are interacting with brands without even owning them directly or even paying for them.

Brands have finally realized customer power. They are the people through which their brand will gain maximum recognition. These are the people who will utilise and forward their experiences. Brands have realised that customers are their best marketing tool. This way their brand will not go unnoticed, doubted and overlooked. One of the things these brands have been able to successfully develop are moments worth experiencing. With the help of lightning fast internet facilities they are able update various blogs, twitter and Facebook pages more than once. When they like a certain brand they forward or share it with other people. In this way they have forwarded a part of the brand unconsciously. With the help of it, companies and customers are talking without any boundaries of call centres or customer care services platforms. This has helped create a society in which brand-customer relation doesn’t seem business like rather very humanly and more like real associations.

Amazingly, idea that the product itself doesn’t matter rather the experience a customer has while using the product holds more significance. Customers buy products due to the experience they get after using It. the ownership of the product in itself isn’t important but the experience it delivers to the customers. For example, reading Kate spade’s admirable blog behind the curtain blog customers get the importance whether the fact they own or are shopping a Kate Spade’s handbag.

It is certain that the tangibility of a product doesn’t hold much worth as it lacks any valuable experiences. It is just a comprehensive version of the brand for a better experience. Customers only purchase brands so they can have a full experience of the product.