Introduction xiBetter Lucky Than Good xiiiWhat to Expect from This Book xviiChapter 1A Far Too Brief History of Brand Strategy 1The Emergence of Modern Brand Strategy 2The Intersection of Brand and Experience 3The Criticality of Experience 10Chapter 2The Dawn of Digital 15The Birth of the Internet 17Online Advertising Begins 18Personalization of the Online Customer Experience 19The E- Mail Explosion 23Customer Expectations and Technological Innovation 25Emerging from the Digital Transformation Era 29Chapter 3Focusing on the Modern Consumer 31Millennial Expectations 32Generation Z Expectations 35The Customer Funnel 36Awareness 37Evaluation 40Transactions 43Engagement 44Loyalty 45Chapter 4Believing in Your Brand and Redefining Your Strategy 47Experience Defines the Brand 48Building a Culture Through Data Analytics and Engagement 53Location Through Data Analytics 55Leveraging Technology to Drive Engagement and Growth 56Turning Brand Promise into Reality 58Chapter 5Selling Experiences, Not Products 61Commoditized Brands Become Invisible 62Customers Control Branding 63Replacing Products with Experiences 64A Foundation of Innovation and Performance 65Creating an Engaged Community 69Pivoting to Gain Market Share 74The Fusion of Digital and Physical Personalization 76Customer Connection, Personalization, and Omnichannel Strategy 81Chapter 6Time Is the New Currency - Anticipating without Being Invasive 85Collapsing Time 86Time- Saving Conveniences 90Data- Driven Innovations 93Making Quick Service Quicker 97Post- Digital Data and Loyalty 101Four Time- Based Lessons 103Chapter 7Finding a Novel Approach to Solving a Market Need 107Ambassadors of Innovation 109Strategic Innovations in CRM 112Novel Omnichannel Engagement 116Building Innovation into Your Brand Strategy 118Chapter 8Humanizing the Experience 123Understanding People's Needs 124Expanding an Exclusive Market to Everyone 128Human- First Engagement 130Risking Controversies for Growth 134Humanizing Effectively 137Chapter 9Connecting Your Customer with Your Cause 141Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility 142Shifting from Brand Identity to Social Cause 145Authentic and Proactive Leadership 148Engaging and Inspiring the Community 149Committing to the Cause 151Chapter 10Looking to the Future 155Innovation with a Large I 156Predictions Sometimes Miss the Mark 157Emerging Experience Trends 160AI- Enabled Conversational Interfaces 161Augmented Reality 166The Metaverse and NFTs 169Chapter 11Where You Should Begin 179Three Approaches to Assessments 179Three Prerequisites for Assessments 181Three Areas of Assessments 182Agile Experience Innovation 184Notes 187About the Author 197Index 199
STEVEN G. SOECHTIG has worked for several industry-leading brand and experience strategy firms throughout his career. He has served as CEO of Ogilvy Experience, as an Expert Partner at McKinsey & Company, and as a Managing Director at Deloitte Digital. In each role, Steve has been instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Digital Experience practice, working closely with marketing and digital leaders to shape their strategies and drive both top-line growth and unparalleled customer loyalty.