— Horst Schultze, former President & COO for Ritz Carlton,
quoted from Harvard Business School Case Study revised 7/02

We want WOW. When we find it we run in droves to indulge in its magnificent, silky perfection and spend a premium for the privilege. WOW is performance beyond expectations. WOW assumes quality. WOW is personal, one-to-one. No wonder we crave it.

WOW isn't trusted unless it's repeated. We don't believe we'll get it, because so many of our commercial relationships are rife with lies, disappointments and broken promises. But, that doesn't stop us from wishing. And when WOW happens, you can't wait to share it with others. Oh, the allure of WOW.

Why WOW & Why Now?
The Service Economy is Finished

• There are more choices than ever for the guest to spend their disposable income, including staying at home and watching 600 cable channels, on-demand movies on huge flat screen plasma TVs with TiVo to cut out the commercials
• There are more and interesting choices for consumers to spend their leisure time
• Satisfaction does not guarantee loyalty.
• Expectations for good service are so low that "exceeding" them means little.

We've left the Service Economy and entered into the Experience Era, where guest satisfaction does not translate into repeat business. Frederick Reichheld said that between 60-80 % of all consumers who were surveyed and said to be satisfied or very satisfied with their purchase, went out and bought a competitive product the next time out.

We're saturated with information. According to Sam Hill, only 9% of consumers tested were able to identify the name of a product whose TV commercial they had just seen. We're not a nation of demographics but of impassioned tribes, unfettered by physical barriers, connected 24/7, who listen for the language of WOW as it is spoken in their native tongue.

What Is WOW?

So What is WOW? It is a Full-fledged, 5- Sense Stimulating Experience in which the Guest is personally acknowledged for their patronage and the transaction is based on the premise of an on-going retail relationship. It creates an emotional bond between guest and proprietor that transcends great product or service (although that's a given) and becomes that most elusive of hoped for results; an enduring, wildly profitable brand.

Guest's deeper needs are understood.

WOW is almost never about what it purports to sell. To whit: Lexus' cars are about having arrived, living the life of Food & Wine and Architectural Digest. Nike's shoes are about doing what it takes to be a champion. Disney's theme parks sell safe and carefree nostalgia. Cheesecake Factory's cheesecakes are about permissible sin. Harley's bikes offer the brother and sisterhood of a tribe riding 'their own road'. For Ritz Carlton, it's a place where the guest is, "coming to feel well." At Kimpton Hotels, it's "our guests enjoy the finest in food, wine and accommodations. They live their lives to the fullest and want to spend their time surrounded by beautiful design in an environment that is soothing and memorable." (as quoted from their website)

WOW is a state of emotional being that brings the consumer to a deeper state of pleasure, satisfaction and comfort. It is never logical, even if some of its components 'make perfect, rational sense'.

For Starbucks, WOW is not coffee, it's

"…an experience.
…a treat.
…a daily necessity.
…a happy place.
…homey.
…a Fortress of Solitude.
…what you want it to be."

For Whole Foods, WOW is "…not just selling food, they're selling life." (quote by Phil Lempert in the same article from the Money Section of USA Today March 9th, by Bruce Horowitz)

What is WOW? In the case of Marriott, it is the willingness to hire anthropologists, archeologists and sociologists to help them design the hotel room for the future. Michel Jannini, EVP of Marriott's lodging brand management said, "The cookie cutter is dead." (Boston Globe 3/6/05 , Building a Better Hotel Room by Keith Reid)

WOW is interactive, involving, seducing the guest into investing psychic and physical energy into the interaction so they have a vested interest in the outcome.

WOW is soulful. It speaks to the power of a brand to look at Krispy Kreme. A pariah now on Wall Street for its multiple strategic blunders, it still can elicit rhapsodic quotes from people like Roy Blount Jr. "When Krispy Kremes are hot, they are to other donuts what angels are to people." (The Wall Street Journal, September 3rd)

WOW is sensory. At Whole Foods, "As always, all the food is free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners or hydrogenated fats. The premise is simple: make shopping fun, Just bring your platinum card for a visit… Pleasure woven into every crevice:

"…Call it a better for you food bazaar on organic steroids, Or the grocery equivalent of Disney World for food Junkies… could help to transform grocery shopping into interactive theater." For Whole Foods, WOW is "shopping as Showtime…" (from an article in the front page of the Money Section of USA Today March 9th, by Bruce Horowitz)

WOW is exactly what the Guest thinks and feels it is. It's not logical. It's the sum total of perceptions, attitudes and feelings the guest has about their entire experience with you. Translated into a brand, WOW resides in a part of the brain that is about emotion and pleasure. So while all the basics of good value, service and product quality matter, WOW is memory, one that needs to be strong enough to withstand the assault of thousands of marketing messages a day.

Get Thee to WOW!

Next up, Part II:
THE WHO, WHERE and HOW of WOW

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I've had the fun of being published in a variety of publications in the last two months. Click here and you can take a look at the articles. You can also visit the publications yourself and see what other wisdom is out there to raise the bar and make you better:

Publications

Have any questions about this issue? Please feel free to email me at rkhendrie@remarkablebranding.com , or call me at 617-547-5123 or 617-335-1011. I'll do my best to help you out.

We combine theater technique, classic marketing skill and operations know-how to create a profitable, "WOW" guest experience.

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