Everybody wants to get ahead and stay ahead. The brands that go beyond that—brands that endure, that draw a devoted following, that gain renown the world over … they do something different. They transform. Often, over and over.
It’s a process nature itself teaches us. One thing becomes another over time—from seed to tree, from river plain to canyon gorge. And the business world mirrors nature. Businesses that last iterate. Businesses that last innovate.
Business transformation is now a baseline requirement for survival, with digital transformation arising as an added requirement in recent years. Yet, as brands have “gone digital” en masse, the same platforms and practices became the norm across companies. And the result was a feeling of digital sameness for the end consumer.
Thus a new demand for differentiation arose. The good news: it’s a delightful one—experience transformation.
While customers are often unaware of the back-end systems, operations, code, and analytics behind their experiences, they’re aware of the parts of a brand that they interact with. It’s the pleasing layout of a retail store, the lobby of a corporate office, the ambience of a restaurant. It’s the physical sensation of holding and using a product. It’s the TV commercial that gives them goosebumps.
Experience is more than a way to stand apart—it’s a massive opportunity to tune into consumer needs, craft unique experiences they’ll go back to again and again, and build a brand that will endure.
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Developing deep affinity through experience transformation.
That’s our approach. To craft experiences that transcend enjoyment and memorability. Experiences that surpass loyalty-building. We aim for affinity—what a person feels when every part of the experience was exceptional. It’s a deep attraction and affection that’s chemical and biological. It may be hard for them to explain. But it’s compelling.
From experience transformation to brand love.
To a brand that sees and hears the consumer’s perspective so acutely, it’s crystal clear what the next product feature, the next retail floor update, or the next media campaign should be. By deeply tapping into consumer needs, a brand can predict their expectations and surprise them with intuitive, seemingly personal improvements on a regular basis. This cyclical call-and-response approach helps brands build true affinity with customers and non-customers alike.
It’s why we focus on companies ready to build brand affinity through experience transformation. We start by listening, set the desired outcomes, bring a brand’s unmistakable voice into the world … then engage and repeat.
To affinity and beyond.
It comes down to this: a brand can only be so successful by being first, or fastest, or most affordable. Someone else will inevitably replicate that success and carry the innovation baton forward—leaving the first company to play catch-up or die out.
That hamster wheel isn’t the path to success—it’s just a way to spin out. We architect a better trajectory: master your business transformation, embrace digital transformation, and chase down experience transformation like your brand depends on it. Take your pursuit beyond building customer loyalty. Grow deep affinity they can see, feel, hear, taste.
Then cycle through it all again. Optimize, improve, get closer to customers, one-up your best. The path to perfection lies through change. And while the journey’s an adventure, it needn’t be a wandering one. It’s strategic, even scientific, but most of all, it’s human.
Take your place among the brands who refuse to fade from memory. The magnetic power of affinity is something you can create. The process is no mystery. It starts wherever you are. And it starts now.
Read the full manifesto at struck.com/