ENDING IT. EMOTIONALLY, RESPONSIBLY, WITH YOUR BUSINESS INTACT.

Ends.
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod @ClosureExp 
closureexperiences.com
Ending It. Emotionally, Responsibly,
With Your Business Intact.

1. 2. 3.
Any consumer experience can be
broken down into 3 stages
On-Boarding Off-BoardingUsage
Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

On-Boarding Off-Boarding
Usage
Fuelled by commerce Fuelled by society
Language of self actualisation Language of safety and security
The start of the relationship. It is the conclusion of the relationship.
engagement
time
Starting Experiences Closure Experiences

engagement
time
Advertising
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Lingers forever
Usage

engagement
time
Advertising
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
Emotionless death
Lingers forever
Denial
Usage

Life was hard
El Ángelus. Jean-François Millet. CCEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Death was familiar
Ars Moriendi. Meister E.S.Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.comEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Heaven a reward
Belshazzar’s Feast. John MartinEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Funerals meaningful
A Burial at Ornans by Gustave Courbet. CCEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Plague arrived
Michelangelo [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Meaningless death
Scène de la peste de 1720 à la Tourette by Michel SerreEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Mis-managed
Raphael's Portrait of Leo X with cardinals Giulio de' MediciEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Protestant uprising
Julius Hübner [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Fasting
Christ in the Desert. Ivan Kramskoi. 1872Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Jobs
Eisenwalzwerk. Adolph von Menzel [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Investment
Peder Severin Krøyer [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

By Lion, Flora [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Work less? Buy more?

Medicine & science
manages death
By Thomas Eakins,American, 1844 - 1916 (1844 - 1916) – Details of artist on Google Art Project [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

We hid it away
Gross Clinic on display at the Army Post Hospital. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Consume Heaven on
Earth without end
American Abundance for allVintage ad Wheaties sweepstakes 1958Ends. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Endings had
value and a
vocabulary
Endings are hidden,
overlooked and
unwanted

Modern endings
hidden, overlooked and unwanted

Hidden ending.
Printer Ink Cartridge

Consumer Electronics
Some packaging
avoids the real end.
Starting experiences wrapped
up as long term responsibility
Closure experience overlooked
as important or actionable

Revenge porn
The un-ending
nature of digital
assets expose us.
One in ten young women
have been threatened
with public posting of
explicit images in US.
Data Society and the Centre for Innovative Public Health Research

services
products
digital
…the consequences
we see in

“Endings in narratives attempts to
preserve the moral and social order
which would be threatened by endlessly
erring narratives.”
Elizabeth MacArthur. Extravagant Narratives
Raiders of the Lost ArkEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Richard Neupert. The End, Narration and Closure in Film
“Solid closure in conventional narratives
and histories satisﬁes individual and social
desire for moral authority, a purposeful
interpretation of life, and genuine stability”
Raging BullEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

The
Psychological
Impact of
Closure

Role Exit
Helen Rose Ebaugh
“doubts are often ignited from
organisational changes, personal
burnout, a change in relationships,
or the effect of some event. These
doubts are then reflected to peers
or friends as cuing behaviour.”
Becoming an Ex

Role Exit
First doubts
cuing
behaviour
• Organisational changes
• Burnout
• Changes in relationships
• Events
assess following
situations
seeking out individuals
who will reinforce doubts
re-evaluation of the situation
and temporary halting of the
doubting process
negative interpretation
of subsequent events
agreement
of others
reinforcement of
doubts
Seek
alternatives

The End is started with a doubt
Role Exit

Burger King. Whopper Sacriﬁce
Joe Macleod. Closure Experiences.

We are all hiding
Consumers are denying info requests
Rise of Centenarian - users putting in fake DOB, to
hide personal information.
Digital Entertainment supplier
"People consider VPNs to be a niche tool, but they
are surprisingly widespread. As many as one in four
people use them."
Jason Mander, Head of Trends at GlobalWebIndex
Gratisography. via www.pexels.comEnds. Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Terms & Conditions
T&Cs that only
allow the user
to fail cannot
end amicably
20,000 words 
12 mentions of “Termination” 
6 mentions of “Until” 
2 mentions of “Opt out”
All reference Apple as decision maker in any
situation. User has no apparent power
Closure should be a… fair, just conclusion
without negative consequence.

Terms & Conditions
“Apple reserves the right to disband a Family
in accordance with the “Termination” section
of this Agreement.“

Terms & Conditions

Ars Moriendi
Ars Moriendi ("The Art of Dying")
Launched in 1415.
50+ years after Black Death
Guided users on the art of a ‘Good Death’
Bridwell Library.
One of the most successful books of 15 century
was a service hand book about endings.

Government
The only service your born into.
Petr Kratochvil. CC
To leave; vote, move or die

By English: Gerry J. Gilmore [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsJoe Macleod. Closure Experiences.
Divorce
Never ending story
£205 Billion
Divorce rates doubled between 1970
(58,239) and 1980 (148,301)
Marriage/Divorce
Marriage ended by husband
by saying “Talaq" 3 times
5 reasons considered
grounds for divorce in UK
1. Adultery,
2. Un-reasonable behaviour,
3. Desertion,
4. Lived apart for 2 years and agreed to
get divorced
5. Lived apart for 5 years without
agreement
UK Government
Divorce with
Blame
Immediate
Divorce
JanVan Eyck.Arnolﬁni Wedding Portrait
Russian revolution in 1918.
• Helped people leave abusive
relationships.
• Lowered the incidents of wives
committing suicide by 8-16%
• 30% decrease in domestic
violence
Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
No Fault
Divorce
• 1 in 11 Muslim women are
survivors of triple Talaq
• Vast majority receiving no
compensation.
Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)

Gyms
Attrition rate of gyms 30-50%.
Even the best gyms are losing 30% each year
www.ptdirect.com
2 in 5 people had trouble canceling contracts.
1 in 4 people had a notice period over 1 month.
1 in 5 found they couldn't leave due to being
tied in for minimum term.
which.co.uk
Gyms deny endings
with contract lock-ins.
Opportunity to create a best in class Closure
Experience - celebrate the ending.

Single to multiple
engagement model
Targeting
Acquiring
Keeping a customer forever
Single
engagement

Single to multiple
engagement model
Targeting
Acquiring
Keeping a customer forever
Single
engagement
Targeting
Acquiring
Considered endings
Quicker and cheaper
Multiple
engagements
to >>

History. Single engagement
Bank account.
Average usage 26 years. pre 2008.
Life expectancy 73.Retire at 65Adult at 18 years Employment 45+ years
Mortgage. 20-30 years.
Pension. Entire working life.

Pensions
1 in 4 goes missing through lack of contact.
Age Concern
Average of 11 employers in our lifetime.
Department for Work and Pensions UK
20s 65s40 years of v i s i b i l i t y
lifespan
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod closureexperiences.com

Thad Zajdowicz. CC
Loyalty
78% of consumers report they are retracting loyalty at
a faster pace than three years ago
Accenture
The famous rule of… 80/20.
80% of turnover is created by 20% of customers
60/40 rule (60% of the turnover by 40% of customers)
mycustomer.com

Churn
New customers churn 20-25%
within 1 year
15% of long term customers
churn from banking products
customerthink.com
…50% of those leave within 90 days

Costs
Cost
time
0
Profit
$0
6 Months12 18 24
Acquisition cost (offline)
Acquisition cost (online)
$200
$150
Long term churn
of banking
products 15%
New customers
churn 20-25%
within year 1
50% of those leave
within 90 days
Break even (online)
Break even (offline)
$200
$200
Source: customerthink.com

Legislation
Data portability will see your customer leaving
with nicely formatted data to new provider.
It must be as easy to withdraw
consent as it is to give it. Which
eﬀectively ends most services.
Entitles the data subject to have the data
controller erase his/her personal data, cease
further dissemination of the data, and potentially
have third parties halt processing of the data
Release their data in a secure,
standardised form
GDPR / Open Banking
bring about endings.
Data Portability and
Open Banking
Consent withdrawal
Right to be forgotten
Introduces doubt in
the consumers
current service
Halts the service
Removes all data
about the consumer

The single engagement
model is dead.
It fails to address new legislations
It fails to see new consumer behaviour
It is in denial that relationships end
- which indulges the long term relationship
- becomes bloated and slow

Multiple
engagement
requires
good endings

Future. Multiple Engagement
Bank account.
Engagement driven
through apps / FinTech
Mortgage.
Remortgage market
Pensions. 11 on average
Ends now common in
Financial Services.
Life expectancy 73.Retire at 65Adult at 18 years Employment 45+ years

Retention
Across all industries,
71% of all app users
churn within 90 days.
Source: localytics
1 month
2 month
3 month
0 25 50 75 100
Media and Entertainment
eCommerce / Retail
Travel & Lifestyle
Business & Technology
0 30 60 90 120
3 month user retention
Average Churn Average Retention
43%57%
34%66%
29%71%
Month 1 > Month 2 > Month 3 >
43% 32% 28%
40% 29% 23%
44% 35% 29%
36% 27% 23%
Churn / Retention over 90 days
Source: localytics
Source: localytics

And we are LIVE!

And we are DEAD!

Penetration
0
3.5
7
10.5
14
Egypt Australia UK Canada US Hong Kong Taiwan
Global Average
Source: RFi Group Research Data

Competition
Globally, 1,842 FinTech deals
attracted $14.2 billion of VC
investment in 2017.
London Stock Exchange
FinTech service adoption globally is 33% .
69% in China
52% in India
42% in UK
EY FinTech Adoption Index. 2107

Consumers will be turning
their services
On & Off

The multiple engagement
requires…
…an ending.

The future will have
multiple engagements.
Assumes real world conditions
Oﬀers consumers what they want
Adapts to a world were consumers own data
Acknowledges and acts for an ending.

engagement
Customer Experience
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
On-Boarding
Social
PR
Advertising
Positioning
Etc
Branded experiences
Target consumer
Branded endings
Positioning Usage Off-Boarding End

engagement
Customer Experience
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
On-Boarding
Social
PR
Advertising
Etc
Branded experiences
Target consumer
UsagePositioning
Fuelled by commerce
Language of self actualisation
Off-Boarding
Branded endings
End
Positioning

engagement
Customer Experience
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
On-Boarding
Social
PR
Advertising
Etc
Branded experiences
Target consumer
UsagePositioning End
Fuelled by commerce
Fuelled by society
Language of safety and security
Off-Boarding
Branded endings
Positioning

Experience promised
Universal / generic promise
Looking forward as a dream
Consumer Lifecycle
Branded endings

Experience promised
Personal
In context
Consumer Lifecycle
Experience witnessed
Branded endings

Experience promised Experience as evidence
Personal
In context
Individual emotions
Action has personal context
Looking forward as a dream Looking back with proof
Consumer Lifecycle
Experience witnessed
Branded endings

engagement
Customer Experience
Marketing
Packaging
T&Cs
On-Boarding
Social
PR
Advertising
Brand strategy
Etc
Branded experiences
Target consumer
Opportunity
Positioning
Indvidual emotions
Personal action
Responsibility
Reﬂection
Branded endings
Usage
Fuelled by commerce
Fuelled by society
Language of safety and security
Off-Boarding End

The language of

The language of
New process.
New materials.
New products.

Experience promised
Action as proxy
On-Boarding
Consumer Lifecycle
Sustainability story
By committing to…
New process.
New materials.
New products.
…your life will be better.

The Sky Garden Wildﬂower Roof topping the
Kanes Salad Factory, Evesham.
Cradle to Cradle
“We can be overtly good. We can ﬁnally enjoy our for human dignity. We can
celebrate the unique and fruitful role we possess in perpetrating the biological
system. We can proliferate. We can create more magical objects.”
The Upcycle. William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
Avoids dealing with the required abstinence.
Keeps the status quo of consumption alive.
Requires consumption

Corporate Social Responsibility
Pushes consumer On-boarding
Distances responsible Oﬀ-boarding
Actions environmental improvements
only through more consumption.

Experience promised
Action as proxy
On-Boarding
Consumer Lifecycle
Doing good by proxy
Fails to provide
individual reﬂection
around consumption.
Relies on a new purchase
so…more consumption

Experience as evidence
Individual emotions
Action has personal context
Looking back with proof
Consumer Lifecycle
Reﬂects upon personal
consumption
Individual responsibility
Encourages actionable
involvement

customer life cycle
life
death
usage
system life cycle
consumer lifecycle

customer life cycle
life
death
usage

customer life cycle
life
death
usage
?

Emotionless
death
Lingers forever
Denial
customer life cycle
life
death
usage
Resources scattered and hidden
Personal reputation venerable
Accounts open and forgotten

customer life cycle
life
death
usage
reclaiming resources
dis-assembly
neutralise
delete personal data
re-use
learning
Closure
Experiences

Closure
Experiences
customer life cycle
system life cycle
dis-assembly
neutralise
re-use
learning
life
death
usage
Reﬂection
Responsibility
Action

customer life cycle
system life cycle
rebirth
Closure
Experiences
On-Boarding Off-Boardinglife
death
usage
dis-assembly
neutralise
Reﬂection
Responsibility
Action

customer life cycle
system life cycle
rebirth
assembly,
position,
develop
design
Closure
Experiences
usage
life
death
Owning assets/ data
Reputation secure
Meaningful experience
Thankful
dis-assembly
neutralise
Reﬂection
Responsibility
Action

A good
Closure Experience
will be…

A good Closure Experience will be…
Consciously Connected to the
rest of the experience through
Emotional Triggers that are
Actionable by the user in a
Timely manner.

Consciously Connected
Timely manner.

CCO by Ryan Stone
Epson’s PaperLab
Visible ending and rebirth.

Emotional Triggers
Timely manner.

Marie Kondo Tidying Technique
New York Times
An emotional goodbye brings reﬂection.

Actionable
Timely manner.

Reclaiming. Fair phone and the
overlooked off-boarding

Timely
Timely manner.

A planned death in 7 years,
brings opportunities for Kia.
CCO by Ryan Stone
Kia

Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod. @ClosureExp www.closureexperiences.com
End.

Ends.
Get the book on
Amazon.
Get the ebook on
Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords
Joe Macleod. @mrmacleod. @ClosureExp www.closureexperiences.com

ENDING IT. EMOTIONALLY, RESPONSIBLY, WITH YOUR BUSINESS INTACT.

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