Eating clean.

The research ship was eventually renamed to HMAS David Attenborough, but the name lives on in internet history.

What do “Boaty McBoatface” and McDonald’s Monopoly have in common? Aside from a vague facade of aristocracy, they both gained notoriety from inviting the general public to be major stakeholders.

Experiential-based marketing - focusing on the consumption experience rather than the final product - is a similar place for consumers to feel involved in a brand, and for a brand to be personified by their consumer.

In Schmitt’s 1999 “Experiential Marketing” theory, physical and emotional stimulation (“Sense” and “Feel”, respectively) are critical in co-creating value during a transaction. These elements parallel Keller’s “Performance”, and “Feeling”. Similarly, “Think” and “Relate”, can be likened to “Judgement”, and “Resonance”. By hitting these marks of consumer engagement, companies can follow the framework of high-level brand equity when adding augmenting experiences.

Keller’s CBBE Pyramid, with highlights corresponding to Schmitt’s Experiential Marketing Theory.

Burger ballot.

Successfully bridging this gap is the in-store experience of one of Australia’s most loved quick-service restaurants, Grill’d.

Every branch includes a “Local Matters” fixture, a side order of Experiential Marketing, spicing up their dining space. The Local Matters installation involves giving customers a bottle cap after placing an order, and them voting with this token in one of three jars. The jars each promote an Australian community group, from local cricket clubs to Refugee and Asylum Seeker aid. Monthly, each store tallies votes and donates $300 to the winning cause, and $100 to both runner ups.

Apart from boosting Grill’d’s corporate social responsibility profile, a voting experience requires an extra element of participation from diners. Customers physically handle their token and perceive their vote being added to the pile. This problem-solving activity draws attention, provokes considered thought, and primes retention and recall of the dining experience. Emotions are piqued by the cries of the disadvantaged group with which they empathise, pressuring their action. Alignment between the brand and the consumer’s self-image is paramount - establishing an effective bond (Amaya Rivas et al. 2017, p. 14).

With a global shift towards supporting ethical brands (Accenture 2018), Grill’d’s experience model fulfils the desire for morally “clean” eating; the “Local Matters” program giving guests a way to encounter their impact in real time. The Grill’d experience doesn’t end at sweet potato fries, but extends to a fully emotional and cognitive episode - making for a momentous lunch break.

“Yeah, the lineup’s trash”.

Large events have also taken notice of the rise in willingness to pay for ethical products (HP & Planet Ark 2018).

QUESTION: Can you spot what is missing from the pictures below?

ANSWER: Noticeable mountains of litter!

Contrasting the “litter culture” (Inclean 2019) of mainstream festivals, this Victorian festival scrubbed single-use rubbish from their lineup.

NYE on The Hill, joined with the B-Alternative Group, added a re-usable crockery experience to their 2019 festival.

Their system involved a $5 deposit for a wristband that could be exchanged for re-usable plates, utensils, and cups at food stalls. Dropping the crockery off at a washing-up station then returned the wristband, and the cycle continued. At the end of the festival, customers could either reclaim deposits, or donate the $5 to environmental charities. This eco-friendly activity widely impacted the festival atmosphere; making punters aware of their littering, and rewarded a culture of respect for the grounds.

The Hills before and after the event - sun dried and trampled, but no litter.

The festival’s equity as a small-scale, intimate event benefitted greatly from the addition of experiences in which festival-goers felt that they played a part.

For brands wanting to emphasise an aspect of family, hands-on experiences of goodwill add to brand equity. When everyone has a job - setting the table, clearing away plates, combating needless littering, contributing to charity - all members feel welcomed, appreciated, and will come back hungry for more.

References:

Accenture 2019, More than Half of Consumers Would Pay More for Sustainable Products Designed to Be Reused or Recycled, Accenture Survey Finds, viewed 6 May 2020, https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/more-than-half-of-consumers-would-pay-more-for-sustainable-products-designed-to-be-reused-or-recycled-accenture-survey-finds.htm

Amaya Rivas, AA, Liao, YK, Ju, TL & Wu, WY 2017, ‘Cognitive, Experiential, and Marketing factors mediate the effect of brand personality on Brand Equity’, Social Behaviour and Personality, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 1-18.

Grill’d 2020, Local Matters, viewed 5 May 2020, https://www.grilld.com.au/about/localmatters

HP & Planet Ark 2018, HP Australia Environmental Sustainability Study 2018, viewed 6 May 2020, https://breakdownthebeast.com/report.pdf

Hunter, L 2019, ‘Report exposes litter culture of music festivals’, Inclean, viewed 6 May 2020, https://www.incleanmag.com.au/report-exposes-litter-culture-of-music-festivals/

Keller, KL 2001, ‘Building customer-based brand equity’, Marketing Management, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 14-19

NYE on The Hill, Info/FAQ, viewed 5 May 2020, https://www.nyeonthehill.com.au/info

Roy Morgan 2017, Grill’d customers are Australia’s most satisfied, viewed 5 May 2020, http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7335-its-official-grilld-customers-are-the-most-satisfied-201709211522

Schmitt, B 1999, ‘Experiential Marketing’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 15, no. 1-3, pp. 53-67