4. a blinding light,
a booming voice,
an unforgettable
vision in a dream…
…leading to
“a moment of sudden
and great realization”
-- an epiphany
5. Technology has given us
virtual ‘agency’ to see and
manipulate things in and
beyond our immediate
environments.
And now we give so much of
our lives to images and worlds
in cool, smooth glass …
Fast forward a
thousand+ years..
7. “Let’s make sure we hit the 5 senses, make it
instagrammable… and what are we doing for swag?”
Sight
Sound
Touch
Smell
Taste
The typical ‘brand experience’ template...
8. Leading to an
abundance of
generic
‘experiences’
AND YET…
“Experiential is the future of
how brands tell stories and
connect with audiences in new
ways”
Edelman Digital
9. As we are not ‘gods’ who
can zap people to get
their attention and
change their hearts,
brands have to work
harder and to generate
new meanings and
metanoia…
2 cases
1: Epiphany/Metanoia for
the global media digirati
2: Epiphany/Metanoia for
Millennial shoppers
13. “It was the moment I put the hat on
that I felt like I was giving up some
control to HBO”
The act of putting it on was
the signifier that signified to HBO
and others around him, “I’m in.”
But psychologically, there was an
emotional change, of ceding
control… he was now
emotionally vulnerable
- unnerving & exciting
- An instant belonging/ member
of the group
Sometimes a hat isn’t
just a hat…
14. Stepping out of the train into
the hot sun…
Signifier = Intense smell of
horse manure & sweat
Signified = “THIS IS REAL”
2nd critical signifier…
15.
16. 3rd critical signifier…
Going to the Post Office and
discovers that he indeed has a
letter
Signifier = Letter addressed
to him
Signified = Personalized
experience on steroids
- “where’s the sheriff”
18. Lest you think it’s all about big
productions, sometimes all the noise
and niceties of the modern world just
get to be too much…
19.
20. Signifiers
Asked to take off shoes & put away electronics
Choose your peeler, get a lesson and start
peeling a potato of your choice
Move from “upstairs to downstairs”
Dimly lit basement, straw beds
New Craftsman
Workshop
21. Give up control, feel vulnerable,
need to trust
Critical Meaning Construction
SignifiedSignifiers
Remove your shoes &
electronics
Entering an unknown world
Move from “upstairs to
downstairs” to secret entry
Choose your peeler,
choose our potato, start
peeling
Servant’s workplace – opposite of
luxury shop
Dimly lit basement
Mandatory shift from observer to
participant
23. Physical transition
Confronted by an atypical
environment
Putting on or taking off
Make a choice to further
participate
Find/create personalized
object
Signified
Moving from known to unknown
Something more authentic “real”
Giving up control, vulnerable, need
to trust
Shift from observer to participant
Potential Collecting/hoarding
Critical Acts of Meaning
Signifiers
24. By thinking through the lens of
METANOIA – a change of heart --
We can move experiential marketing
from experience to epiphany
from to
Generic ‘sensory-filled
brand engagements’ and
the instagram existential
void
Insightful deceptions that tap the
deeper core of our humanity,
and create opportunities for an
epiphany
Semiotics focus on meaning
Psychology focus on thinking and feeling
Anthropology focus on culture
Marketing focus on changing behavior
The additional layer is Metanoia – religious conversion
Ideally, isn’t this what marketing should be doing continuously? Converting more believers? Reassuring/absolving current believers? History provides some clues…
Greek New Testaments and history’s …
Gods have the advantage of surprise and ability to conjure up fantastical experiences/dreams
IBM PC launched in 1981
A cultural shift from the grand to the personal – from above, hierarchy to being in the midst of things – immersed on screens
As a result… a resurgence of the PRIMAL/ VISCERAL the rise of events/festivals –back to our paleo-lithic selves - Hot power yoga, paleo diet, forest kindergartens, music festival –
FROM A MARKETIN GSTANDPOINT many look-alike events, festivals and pop-ups that focus on sensory and social stimulation, yet most fail to achieve metanoia – a change of heart about a brand. Instead of thinking about constructing meaningful experiences
Can Semiotic thinking help us explore how to get to better experiences that can go beyond the typical festive event or anniversary celebration…
To truly spark a moment of sudden and great revelation about a brand?
“There was no “Instagram magnet” because the whole experience was one.”
from Austin & LA to Westworld
Liminality from anthropology – about thresholds – ambiguity, uncertainty, openness that happens passing one and crossing into a new moment or space – betweixt & between
From a semiotic standpoint – signifier = unique branded transportation signifeid = you’re starting on a different kind of trip”
Black/White cowboy hats are signifiers to a host of meanings… white hat = hero black hat = villain
Before boarding the bus, a critical moment: He gave his name and he was told “you seem like a Black Hat” and handed one– Now what do I do?
From ‘play-acting’ to ‘real’
A personal mission…
Then drawn in further -- Every attendee had to pick up a personalized letter at the Post Office – each letter hinted at something. In Brad’s case, that the Sheriff would be watching him…
Signifier = Contents of the letter – challenge to get more involved
Every attendee received 2 coins to buy drinks – they were heavy and specifically designed to feel like ‘real’ currency
Epiphany of mind/blown is the reflection of his time there.
Epiphany after the fact – extending the conversation
Case #2 – on the surface –a purveyor of luxury goods creating the opposite experience, yet the underlying principles hold
The potato peeling workshop – not in a bright modern kitchen…
“It all takes place in a semi-darkened “conceptual farmhouse” in the shop’s basement. A kind of secret entrance -- Participants gain admission by ringing a cow bell, and have to remove their shoes and put away their mobile phones. Those feeling a tad tired can lie down and have a nap on a straw bed.”
. * You can’t buy potato peelers. The project is a collaboration with a neighbouring Mayfair shop called The New Craftsmen, which stocks the work of independent designers in the luxury homewares and furnishings sector, such as ceramicists, textile designersand furniture makers.
“They likely will never look at a potato the same way – its meaning has changed from the lowly potato… no need for additional swag
Physical Transition- moving from known to unknown - the familiar to unfamiliar – liminal uncertainty
Create emotional vulnerability, person gives up a tiny bit of control, just unnerved enough so they have to trust the brand
A shift from the dominant pampering gratification (e.g., luxe & sanitized situations) to emergent unsettling, even penitent/ascetic
Subversive coercion into active participation – very hard to be a bystander
Both reached deeper than mere ‘collecting’ events
To get to ‘real’ --
*For westworld it was the smell
For Selfridges it was the shoe removal - do I really have to take off my shoes?
Semiotic thinking can help reframe experiential marketing
