‘Experience’ focus should be value-led

Alan Mitchell’s comments on “the rise of the brand experience” (MW August 5) are a breath of fresh air, but also something against which clients must protect both their budgets and their brands from abuse. I have long believed in the need for true brand experience, but I also believe that too many unqualified agencies will attempt to jump on what they see as a bandwagon. Mitchell is right – brand experience is about much more than mere product. What this means is that the commitment and resources clients invest in a strategy must reflect its potential to generate future income and to build a brand with real long-term values and potential. And clients must recognise that the brand experience extends beyond just some fancy creative and a flash event – it goes to the heart of a brand’s values and to the heart of its consumers’ values. Whatever your product, from luxury to packaged goods, it is imperative you challenge your agency on the “experience” issue. Every brand must have one – after all, do you not seek some kind of experience, however basic, from all products? Miles Hanson Managing director The Marketing Store Worldwide Hertford