BRAND NIRVANA

CLOSING

THE

HUMAN

EXPERIENCE

GAP

Now featuring 2019 research on the commercial

opportunity for human experience brands
Karmarama, part of Accenture Interactive, is the
UK’s most progressive creative agency.

We combine creative excellence with technology-

inspired solutions to help brands better engage
with people.

We’re proud to be one of the most effective

agencies in the UK winning the DMA Grand Prix for
the last two successive years, and we’re the highest
ranked creative agency in The Sunday Times Best
100 Companies to Work For again this year.
 The
customer
is
dead.

Long live the human being.

 Research
Update 2019
When we first published ‘Brand Nirvana…’ People are willing to spend

+47%
R E S E A R C H U P D AT E 2 0 1 9 – S I D M c G R AT H , C S O

in 2018 we were really pleased with the

response, from client and agency folk alike.
And as useful as we’d hoped the 8-steps to
help close ‘the human experience gap’ would
be, the thing that really caught people’s
imagination was the figure of 47%. When we
more on brands that treat them
looked at the data from the analysis of people’s
like humans
relationships and buying behaviour around
brands that offered a more human experience,
we discovered a willingness to spend up to
+47% more with them, than brands that just
created a typical customer experience.
So we did just that. We conducted further
research through YouGov, based around the
8-steps, asking people to tell us how much
This figure proved incredibly useful. As much as more they would be willing to spend with a
we’re all aware of the importance of things like brand that showed, for example, a reciprocal
purpose, enlightened employees, committed relationship. Although we had to be careful
service etc., putting a value to it elevated this to define each step so that respondents could
thinking from ‘nice to do but a drain on profits’ understand what we were asking, and then
to ‘must do to actually increase profits’. give them an easy metric to demonstrate an
increase in spend, we got the type of
insightful results we were looking for.
Such was the interest in this figure, that it got us
We summarise these new research findings
thinking: if brands that delivered a more human
over the next few pages, before we get into
experience could see that sort of increase in
the ‘Brand Nirvana…’ report proper. What
spend, could we break that down by each of
you’ll see is that people are willing to spend
the 8-steps to help people understand their
significantly more with a brand that delivers
individual commercial potential?
any one of the 8-steps.
Two scores stood out for us in particular:

1. The first was around ‘committed

service’ where we discovered the enormous People are willing to spend

+32%
importance of what can be thought of as ‘brand
atonement’. When asked how much more money
people would spend with a brand that goes
beyond expectations to sort out a problem when
things go wrong, we saw an average increase of
+32%. This is an amazing figure when you think more on brands that sort problems out
about it and a great testament to acting in a
more human, self-aware way – a brand doesn’t
need to launch a new product, drop its price,
widen its distribution or even spend money on
a marketing campaign to increase sales. It just
needs to be prepared to remedy a screw up,
even when that screw up is the brand’s fault.

2. The second accompanied the step

around ‘full transcendence’ which is the ultimate
human experience for brands where they
demonstrate they are ‘more interested in you
than making a profit’. We saw an average spend
increase of 31% here. So for anyone that ever
doubts that a brand having virtue or empathising
about its audience will compromise how much
people are really willing to spend, rest assured,
it’s actually possible to make a lot more money
People are willing to spend

+31%
without actually trying to make money at all!

more on brands that care more

about them than making a profit
We hope you’ll find this new research helpful.
In terms of what’s happening next, we’re busy
working on two things: a Karmic Index which
will allow us to understand the HX performance
of brands in relation to their competitors and
their category average; and a series of workshops
that can help brands improve their experience
around each one of the 8 steps. If either of these
two things interest you, or you’d like to chat some
more about any aspect of this report, please do
get in contact.
Step 1: Human Purpose.
People are willing to spend 31%
more with a brand that stands for
something that they believe in
Step 2: Enlightened Employees.
People are willing to spend 20%
more with a brand with employees
that wanted them to have the best
possible experience
Step 3: Committed Service.
People are willing to spend 32%
more with a brand that went
beyond expectations, especially
when something went wrong
Step 4: Reciprocal Relationship.
People are willing to spend 22%
more with a brand that wanted
to improve its service based on
understanding their needs better
Step 5: Connected Creativity.

People are willing to spend 13%

more with a brand that had a
consistent experience across
every touchpoint

Step 6: Diversified Distribution.

People are willing to spend 13%

more with a brand that was available
outside of its traditional category

Step 7: Continuous Innovation.

People are willing to spend 19%

more with a brand that continually
added new products and services

Step 8: Full Transcendence.

People are willing to spend 29%

more with a brand that showed
it cared more about them than
making profit
 Have you noticed
This is where things can start to go wrong in
the communication and marketing industries.

that the world is

Reducing a target audience to the term
“customer” strongly influences the way brand
custodians behave. Nowadays, few relationships

obsessed with the with brands exist solely in the moment of

consumption. Only thinking, talking and

customer? pursuing people as the transaction they might

make, as faceless figures with credit cards and
pound signs over their heads, means brands will
only ever be sellers and the audience will only
The customer is always right. The customer
F O R E W O R D – S I D M c G R AT H , C S O

ever be buyers.
is king. Customer service. Customer journey.
Customer-centricity. And, of course, “the We’re missing a trick here. These people are
customer experience”, any self-respecting so much more than “buyers”. They have full
company’s number one priority. and active lives, of which they’re only spending
money for a small percentage of time. Yet this
It all comes from a good place. Every company’s
is where brands choose to spend the majority of
trying to do its best for the people who buy
their communication budgets.
its products, use its services and consume its
content. But perhaps everyone’s got it wrong. The rest of the time the audience is participating
Perhaps this relentless focus on the c-word has in culture and feeling human emotions, such as
lost sight of what’s behind it – a human. love and excitement at best, and frustration and
anxiety at worst. If brands can speak directly to
There’s a famous saying that if a person talked
these moments – with insight and empathy –
to you in the way advertising does, you’d punch
they can become more than sellers and start to
them in the face. Rather than smile and brush
play a meaningful role in their audiences’ lives.
this sentiment off, it’s worth considering what’s
behind it: people don’t necessarily want to be
spoken to like a “customer” – they want to be
engaged with as the living, breathing, well-
rounded human beings they are.
Imagine, then, if we all started seeing and
empathising with “customers” as human
beings and equipping brands with more human
characteristics? There’s a very simple way to do
this: upgrade “customer experience” to “human
experience”, switching out “CX” for “HX”. This
simple move can open up a completely new
way of communicating.
But it doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve reset
the way you refer to your target audience, you
can start to think about how this will affect the
way you behave. What does a “human-centric”
brand look like? What kinds of things does it do?
Where and how is it distributed and who does it
partner with?
We have long embraced this kind of thinking at
Karmarama. So we’ve decided to test it out to
find the true value of treating people as humans
rather than customers and distil tangible steps
to do so.
With a little help from our friends at Accenture
Research, we’ve made an interesting discovery:
brands that demonstrate more human-like
behaviours and treat their audience more like
humans than customers create such strong
emotional bonds with people that they become
irreplaceable. This is a highly preferred necessity
that people desire, often irrationally, and are
even willing to forgive when things go wrong.
However, our research also shows that many
brands and businesses still aren’t getting it right,
with a significant number of people still feeling
like they are being treated transactionally rather
than cared about as a person.
As we’ll see, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Through a variety of research techniques, we
have identified the eight steps necessary to
get to a more empathetic, near transcendental
state that we’ve called “Brand Nirvana”.
So if you’re ready to come with us, we’ll guide
you through these steps to enlightenment so
you can elevate your thinking, your brand and its
performance… because the customer is dead, so
long live the human being.
Executive
summary
In a world dominated by technology, and with an abundance
of choice and diminishing trust in business, brands need to
work harder than ever to earn loyalty and create a valuable
bond with people.

It is no easy task, so our research set out to break down the

challenge for brands and offer a solution. At the heart of this
lies a mindset change – a change that can help brands create
deeper emotional connections, surpassing expectations and
eventually reaching a state we call Brand Nirvana.

DRIVERS FOR PURCHASING DECISIONS

50%
Emotional drivers
50%
Practical drivers
TOP-RANKED PRACTICAL DRIVERS TOP-RANKED EMOTIONAL DRIVERS

1 st
1 st
Product / Service Positive experience
quality across channels

2 nd
2 nd
Value for Being treated as a human,
money not a customer

T H E M OST E F F ECT I V E B RA N D C U STO D I A N S VA LU E A M O R E H U M A N E X P E R I E N C E :

32%
of marketers who have successfully shown a return on
CX investment cited treating customers as humans as
the biggest opportunity for improving brand experience,
compared with 22% of all marketers.

T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N WA N T S D E E P E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S W I T H B R A N D S :

78%
of millennials actively engage with brands,
compared with 68% of Gen X and 54% of boomers.
Engaging with people
as humans has clear
commercial benefits
Our analysis suggests that the average person
plans to increase spend with a brand they have
recently purchased by 9% over the next
12 months.

This rises to 56% for those who are the most

engaged and loyal.

Tellingly, these people are more likely to value

emotional drivers such as “being regularly
surprised in a good way” and “being proud to
be a customer”.
 Done well, HX can lead to Brand Nirvana. Our
research has helped us to identify eight steps
at the heart of HX – the path to Brand Nirvana.

By treating customers as humans, with empathy

and understanding, brands can create strong
emotional bonds with their audiences. Instead of
CX, we call this HX – human experience.

This suggests that engaging with customers as

humans offers a spend premium of up to 47%.
 L R E L AT
CA
Steps to
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Brand Nirvana...

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 BRAND N
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N O VAT I ON
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The story so far
Dishearteningly, our research has found that
brands are falling short when it comes to key
HX indicators. We surveyed 2,000 people
about the top three brands they buy from
most regularly.

Only 13%
agree that brands engage
and influence their life beyond
products and services
Only 19%
agree that brands care about
them as people, not simply
customers

Only 19%
believe brands actively
encourage complaints
to improve products
and services

Only 19%
say they feel generously
rewarded for their loyalty
Only 19%
say they’re interested when
brands bring out new products
– whatever they are
Only 19%
choose to buy from these
brands without considering
others

Only 27%
agree that every interaction
with the brands is excellent

Only 30%
feel brand employees strive
to give them the best possible
experience
Chapter
 THE
HUMAN
EXPERIENCE
GAP

WHERE

DID

IT
ALL

GO

SO

WRONG?
Once upon a time…
…it all seemed so easy: create a product that
was better than the competition, brand it well,
sell it at a competitive price and watch the
money come in.
Now, the rules of business have changed.
At a time when 69 of the world’s 100 biggest
economies are corporations, the public is
scrutinising the behaviour of companies in a
way they haven’t before – expecting more and
punishing those deemed to be unsatisfactory.
Our research found that 71% of people care about
the impact a brand can have on them and on
society – above and beyond their products and
services. This rises to 78% and 79% for millennials
and post-millennials, suggesting that this trend is
set to grow in importance for future generations.
But it would seem that business is not doing too
well. Public trust in business is at an all-time
low. The latest results of Edelman’s annual trust
barometer show that in the UK, only 43% of the
population would say they trust business. For
the younger generation, this is even lower at
38% – a worrying stat considering the increased
importance this audience puts on brand behaviour.
Over the past decade, it has largely been
the behaviour of financial institutions in the
spotlight, getting a public battering in the fallout
from the financial crisis. But now all eyes have
turned towards Silicon Valley. Tech companies
have historically been seen as “the good guys”
– knights in shining armour, using innovation
to connect people, giving them the freedom to
share their stories and democratising the use
of technology.
But recent scandals around the misuse of
people’s data, combined with cybersecurity
concerns have had a wide-reaching domino
effect, toppling people’s confidence in the safety
of what they share online and in the honesty
at play when tech companies talk about their
altruistic intentions.
This matters because trust is important.
It’s the foundation of any strong brand.
It encourages the adoption of innovative
products and services.
It creates loyalty and it encourages people to
make purchases again and again.
The advertising industry has not escaped the
effects of this. Last year, Phil Smith, Director
General of advertising trade body ISBA,
commented that the public thinks less of
advertisers than it does bankers. Some of the
home truths buried in this statement centred
around the over-reliance on the techniques of
digital advertising. If you’d punch someone for
speaking to you in the way adverts do, you’d call
the police if someone stalked you the way ads
do online.
According to the latest report from Ipsos Global
Trends, 82% of people believe online ads get in
the way of what they’re doing. If you’re thinking
about success as clicks, then sure, relentless
online advertising is a win. But the truth is,
we should be thinking about the very human
emotion that these ads are evoking – annoyance.
That’s not success in anyone’s book.

One of the results of the sometimes blunt

targeting of online adverts has been the
meteoric rise of ad blockers. According to the
same study, 47% of Britons claim to use them.

In a bid to create efficiencies and extract value

from every interaction with people, we’ve
created a disconnect. We’re not offering people
rewarding interactions, but ones that strip
brands of humanity, empathy and authenticity.
This is the human experience gap in action.
In this new environment, brands need to
radically rethink the real-world relationships
they’re building with the public. A renewed
humanity is important, even if it involves
losing some of the efficiencies that technology
has enabled.

“Marketers have embraced technology that

identifies the stimuli to optimise transactions,”
says Alex Schlaubitz, VP Marketing, Lufthansa.

“The focus on customer data has diminished

the role of creative storytelling. However, as
marketers, we should prioritise building lasting,
trust-based relationships – even if this means
walking away from a concrete sale.”

It’s true that these are uncertain times in which

to be a brand, but there is a way to rise above
this groundswell of distrust.

By speaking people’s language, showing that we

understand their experiences – good and bad –
we can build up the trust we may have lost and
start to close the human experience gap.
Chapter
 IT’S

NOT

HARD

TO

BE

MORE

HUMAN
It’s not hard to be more human
People buy brands for all sorts of different reasons.
The ones that tend to come to mind are quite
practical, such as product performance or price.
After all, when you voice it aloud, it makes more
sense to buy something based on tangible benefits.
But there are also a range of emotional factors
at play in any decision. In fact, our research
found a perfect balance between the two – with
people ranking practical considerations as 50%
of the reason for buying a brand, with 50% owing
to emotional drivers, such as being “regularly
surprised in a good way” and “being proud to be
a customer”.
Emotions are important. This hasn’t escaped clients
– those we spoke to rate emotional reasons even
higher at 66%. The challenge is in activating this
knowledge and creating positive emotional bonds
with people.
Humans need to feel as well as
know that something is worth
buying or interacting with.
It’s the successful combination of these rational
and emotional reasons to buy that can help brands
embed themselves into the unconscious mind,
becoming the preference.
“Brands exist as a series of memories – experiences
that build associations in people’s brains,” says
Charlie Hiscocks, former Global Director of Brand
Communications, SABMiller.
“The role of marketing is to create alignment
between what is in consumers’ brains with what you
would like to have in consumers’ brains. We want to
be front of mind with the right set of associations
because a lot of choice is subconscious.”
But finding the right way to balance these two
drivers can be a challenge, as is figuring out how
they interact with each other.
There are four things
to consider:
People’s brand experiences are
connected, so thinking and action
must be too

The balance of emotional versus rational drivers
can be viewed as a form of infinite loop – we call
it the Karmic Loop – where every experience
a person has of a brand interacts with every
other experience they have of it. Good or bad,
every experience is connected, everything is
consequential. Again, a bit like how we interact
with each other – we remember the good people
and want to be with them more, but we also
remember the bad and want to be with them less.
When we asked people to give a value to a
range of emotional drivers, they pointed to
“I have the same positive experience with
a brand whether online or in-store” as the
most influential. Understandably, they want a
seamless experience and it seems now there’s
an increased expectation that, regardless of
whether this experience is in different locations,
on different platforms or with different
technology, it really should be connected.

Connected
Culture Experiences Consumption
Connected experiences consist of
three major elements

Connecting these experiences is essential to

ensure people have a consistent, smooth and
expected series of interactions. We’ve broken
this down into three simple elements that we
refer to as the three Cs: Consumption of a
brand’s products or service; search and
purchase within the Category; and the role the
brand plays in Culture.

It’s the connection of the three Cs that helps

create more human-like experiences that flow
across all elements seamlessly because it better
represents how people genuinely experience
brands in the real world.

No brand is ever experienced in isolation – it’s

always in the context of one or more of the
three Cs. This connection, therefore, creates a
series of more human-like behaviours that act as
a powerful bond between brand and those that
engage with it.

Category

Connected
Culture Experiences Consumption
Brands must think and act like
humans too

The basics of the human experience are

straightforward and obvious when we think
about people’s needs to have a more balanced
functional and emotional experience.
Our research found that the second most
influential emotional driver was “a brand treats
me like a human, not a customer.”

Despite this, we found that when we asked

marketers which innovations or practices would
have more influence on improving the brand
experience, behavioural economics came bottom
with 19%, while enhanced payment technologies
shot to the top with 57%.

Think more human: viewing people as humans

rather than customers allows the brand to extend
into a bigger role in their lives. It helps them
to think beyond selling and to create deeper,
more emotional bonds that make the brand
experiences more meaningful and desirable. 


Be more human: the more a brand can act with

the emotional intelligence of a human rather
than the transactional behaviour of a seller, the
greater the opportunity to resonate with people.
Acting with empathy allows you to adapt to all
the different aspects of the brand experience
across the three Cs.
When a truly human experience
is created, the brand has reached
nirvana
This is where the bond created by the
human experience can drive brand preference
as well as sales performance, while helping
to safeguard the brand from the impact of
negative experiences. It’s based on the
following insights:
A
A brand that behaves more emotionally,
empathetically and with positive cultural
resonance will be preferred over more
transactional, functional brands. In turn,
preference builds long-term loyalty and
lifetime value.
B
If this is communicated and acted out in a
fully connected way, the brand will be able
to deliver practical information, experiences
and sales in a more balanced manner, driving
performance and efficiencies.
C
A brand that delivers on these points will
create goodwill. If there is enough of this
positive emotional feeling towards it, when
things do go wrong (as inevitably they
occasionally do), people will be quicker to
forgive. We call this the Bank of Karma – if
you’ve got a healthy balance, you will be
able to handle the odd expensive shock.
This is clearly an enviable position for any brand
to be in – to become the preferred, the default,
the only one. Many brands may believe they
are already there, but our research suggests
differently. When we asked people whether
they choose to buy familiar brands without even
considering others, only 19% agreed.

Given the hyper-competitiveness of all markets,

it’s essential for brands to establish the type
of preference. Through our research we have
identified eight steps a brand can take to reach
this nirvana-like preference position, which will
ultimately help them build a healthy balance in
the Bank of Karma along the way. We’ll explore
these in the next chapter.
 F E AT U R E D C O M M E N T

The transcendental power

of surprise and delight
Mike Baxter, Product and Content Lead at Goal Atlas
Marketers need to deconstruct how purchase It’s an out-of-the-ordinary experience, delivered
decisions are made. Consumers often find it very at low cost but with high value. It dominates
hard to distinguish between brands. The trouble people’s memories – overpowering the bland or
is, marketers think everything can be solved by the disappointing ones.
an algorithm – but that’s superficial. Instead, they
Some brands do this very well and reach a
need to tap into emotional cues if they are to
position of almost untouchable preference.
nudge consumers towards their brand.
To benefit from this thinking, brands need to
We know quite a lot about the impact experiences
consider what small things they could do that
make in people’s minds. There’s something called
won’t transform the bottom line in costs – but will
the peak-end rule, which states that we don’t
delight and surprise people. And this comes back
remember all brand experiences as a nice cross-
to considering the human experience of people
sectional average. Rather, we filter out the worst,
who come across a brand.
the best or the last and give them undue emphasis.
For example, if you’re an airline and you see
Many brands manipulate this bit of human
someone with stroppy children trying to get
psychology to great effect. For example, one of
through the airport quickly, give their kids a lolly,
the top-rated hotels on TripAdvisor in Los Angeles
and they don’t care that you fly planes, they love
is not a brand you’d expect but an unremarkable
you – whatever you do. You’re interacting with
apartment block called the Magic Castle Hotel.
them as a human being – taking a human problem
Rather than spending millions doing it up, they’ve
and solving it in a simple yet effective way.
worked smarter: a red telephone next to the pool
is answered by someone saying, This surprise and delight moment will be the
“This is the popsicle hotline!” dominant memory and will encourage forgiveness
and you get a delivery of ice lollies. for any mistakes made in fulfilling other needs.

Shortcomings can be overridden by delighting

with some small pleasure.
Chapter
INTRODUCING
THE

EIGHT

STEPS

TO

BRAND

N I R VA N A
We’ve explored the need for brands to take a more human, connected
approach, balancing practical and emotional benefits with equal measure.

By delivering joined-up experiences and engaging with people in a way

that empathises and speaks to their lives beyond “buying” mode, we can
create a special bond that builds preference and drives performance.

This allows brands to reach an almost altered state, whereby they come
to dominate their category and build long-term loyalty, so that even when
they make a mistake, they have built up enough goodwill with people that
they are easily forgiven. This is a state we call Brand Nirvana.

We know that this requires a change of mindset from the brand. Thinking
about its target audience not as customers, but as humans. But how does
it work beyond that? What are the steps a brand needs to consider to
reach this transcendental level?

Through research that asked people about their best and worst brand
experiences, and conversations with brand custodians about where
experience succeeds and where it fails, we’ve been able to identity eight
steps to help embrace human experience thinking and action, which
ultimately lead to Brand Nirvana.
Eight Steps to
Brand Nirvana

1. Human Purpose

2. Enlightened Employees

3. Connected Creativity

4. Reciprocal Relationships

5. Committed Service

6. Diversified Distribution

7. Continuous Innovation

8. Full Transcendence
 E
S
O
P
R
U
P
N
A
M
HU
E –
STEP ON
The new opportunity for brands
is to deliver a greater sense of
purpose within the heart of the
experience itself
Human Purpose
The concept of giving a brand a sense of
purpose is now commonplace. People are
increasingly looking to brands to have a
deeper meaning beyond positioning or selling,
as confirmed by our research, which found
that an average of 73% of people care about
the impact of brands above and beyond their
products. By blending profits with purpose,
it’s possible to give people another reason to
buy – aligning to what they believe in or giving
something back to society to create goodwill.
However, it’s easy for a brand to have a purpose
that is worthy and self-serving – too much about
client ego and too much of a leap of credibility
for what the brand genuinely is or does.
The new opportunity for brands is to deliver a
greater sense of purpose within the heart of the
experience itself.
This is the key distinction between brand
purpose – which is rapidly becoming a hygiene
factor in marketing circles – and human
purpose, where the brand seeks to involve,
share and encourage people to share in
their purpose. A human purpose is about the
heightened experience a person can have with
the brand, not the heightened experience the
brand wishes to play for its own gain.
A distinct human purpose provides a more
significant role for a brand to play in people’s
lives, where it can solve bigger, more profound
problems. It is the foundation upon which every
other aspect of the experience is formed and
allows the brand to be seen as genuinely helpful
and necessary.

While awareness of this important step is
increasing, our research found that only 19% of
people feel their favourite brands care about
them as humans, not simply as customers.
Human purpose in action
Our research highlighted some strong performers
in human purpose – brands that people feel go
beyond merely providing a service and give them
closer access to something they really believe in.
The Co-operative Group was often referred to,
with its community-led status and investment
decisions cited as a clear symbol of the brand’s
integrity. Importantly, this strength of conviction
and purpose has been able to shield the brand
when things have gone wrong.
VOX POP
“Their ethical policy is second to none.
They don’t invest any of their money in
arms or in anything unethical, and that
means a lot to me. I’d rather my money
went to something good. I have stuck
with the Co-operative Bank despite
recent difficulties that they’ve had and
I will continue to do so.”
VOX POP
“I like the idea that it’s a co-operative
and the members, including myself,
get some sort of slight loyalty bonus.
Also, they do give money to the local
community and they tend to be in
locations where other shops aren’t,
so they serve a need for those people
who can’t really get to a large
supermarket. They’ve got my loyalty.”
Case Study
first direct: the human face of banking
first direct always takes pride in its human
interaction, principally through its famously
responsive and empathetic staff. A recent
relaunch saw it commit to a purpose that offers a
younger generation of savers the opportunity to
“live a life less ordinary”.

By understanding its savers better and

recognising their need for unparalleled levels
of banking flexibility to assist them in their
unpredictable lives, first direct has created a
strong bond with a new generation.

Fundamental to this is seeing beyond the

customer, referring to this new generation as
“makers”, celebrating them, respecting them and
searching for every possible way to serve their
needs better.
 P T WO
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Enlightened Employees

A company must carry its values

and purpose internally as well as
externally. If a brand says one
thing in public but acts a very
different way in private, this can
create a disconnect that people
will pick up on
It’s also missing an opportunity. Carrying brand
meaning “behind the line” can galvanise employees
and ensure they understand and are committed to
the bigger brand ambitions. This allows them to
form a partnership with the buyer where they can
proactively deliver the best experience possible.
They become a living embodiment of what the
brand stands for and are able to act quickly
and intuitively.
Disappointingly, our research found that only
30% of people feel employees of their favourite
brands constantly strive to give them the best
possible experience.
Part of this is also about carrying human purpose
from the top down. If the most senior managers
have not bought into the values and how to best
deliver these, or at the very least act as a sponsor
for them, it can be difficult to realise the potential
this has for the company.
Our research found that, while some companies
are achieving this, there are still some that
struggle. A quarter of respondents told us their
senior management buy into the broad concept of
“purpose”, but don’t communicate this to the rest
of the organisation. The same total again suggested
that their business prioritises profitability over
customer lifetime value, and 20% told us that
each department has its own agenda.
With no clear employee alignment, it’s difficult to
realise objectives.
Enlightened employees in action
Our research indicated that an aligned and
empowered workforce expresses itself in
two ways. Firstly, there’s the way employees
are treated as human beings rather than an
exploitable workforce. With employee working
conditions and rights such a newsworthy
topic, generosity or decency towards them
is recognised and appreciated.
VOX POP
“I would sign up to Arthouse
cinemas again. It’s a true
independent cinema and it
pays the London minimum
wage – not something that’s
done throughout the cinema
chains in London. I think that’s
really something that’s worth
supporting.”
Secondly, there’s the way that employees
really understand the purpose of the brand
they represent and its role in delivering a more
human service. Empowering employees to act
in moments of need, or simply to surprise and
delight, is the stuff of legendary service.
VOX POP
“I’m quite loyal to John Lewis because
I feel you’re treated specially. There are
plenty of staff to talk to and if you’ve got
a problem, they’ll be able to find what
you’re looking for in store. But they also
offer a little bit more with really good
guarantees on their products. I think it’s
a case of good old-fashioned customer
service – that’s why I’m loyal to them.”
VOX POP
“I phoned up Tesco’s customer services to
complain about my Clubcards – the points
weren’t accruing on one card. When they
investigated, they actually discovered that
a large number of my points had expired.
As a goodwill gesture for their error, they
refunded those points and I was very
surprised by that. The lady that dealt with
me was very professional, very caring,
understood my concerns and resolved
my problem. Tesco is a great brand and
I thoroughly recommend them.”
Case Study
ao.com: more purpose through
more care
ao.com is a successful online business famed for its
service and efficiency. At the heart of this is a desire
to care more for the people that buy from it, as seen
in a desire to always deliver with “super-human
endeavour”.

At every point of contact with its audience, ao.com

searches for ways to empathise, solve problems and
deliver solutions. ao.com has incentivised staff to
go the extra mile and call centre staff have freedom
to do anything they think is “fair and reasonable” to
resolve issues when they arise. “Our rule is that you
treat every customer as if they were your gran and
fix how you would for her.”

Call centre staff are empowered with the freedom

to despatch a new product the same day a
customer calls up with a complaint and can send a
bunch of flowers without any barriers for approval.

The result of this committed workforce can be

seen in a five-star Trustpilot score with an 89%
“excellent” rating.
 IV ITY
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Connected Creativity

It’s essential for any brand to

have a fully connected experience,
where every action or reaction
is seamlessly integrated with the
next. This ensures that wherever
anyone experiences the brand,
it’s always consistent, matches
their expectations and can be
relied upon
Only 27% of people we “For a brand like ours, product experience is key,”
explains Ben Carter, UK Marketing Director, Just Eat.

spoke to agreed that “It’s about building more empathy and personality
into the transaction.
every interaction with “We take time to consider possible pain points across
their favourite brands the order process and address these as best we can.
For example, we understand that not knowing when
is excellent – whenever the food is going to arrive, or whether there has been

and wherever these a hold-up, can cause anxiety – so we’ve created a way
to get regular updates and track where drivers are.”

touch points happen.

There is clearly work to be done here, but
having a powerful, creative platform and an
organising thought at the centre of these
experiences ensures this consistency. It helps
to develop stronger emotional bonds, ensures
expectations are met and means experiences
and feedback loops are seamless rather
than disjointed.

Every touch point, whether that’s advertising

or the interactions people have with staff,
needs to be consistent. This helps the brand
to look strong, trustworthy and genuine.

And it’s possible to further reinforce these

emotional bonds through the creation of
behaviours or experiences that are designed
to be as distinct or as memorable as possible.
Connected creativity in action
From our research, we’ve seen that when multiple
touch points work together to reinforce a brand’s
human values, they create a multiplier effect and
a consistency of expectation and experience.
People feel comfortable and safe using products
and services and are encouraged to come back
time and time again.
Apple is a master of connection, with a seamless
expression of its design, service and innovation
across all its channels.
VOX POP
“Besides the quality products of Apple, I actually
think the newsletters and stuff they send to me is
really good and helpful. They’re very informative,
they let me know what is happening with the
products, what new deals there are and what sort
of things they have in the pipeline for the future.”
Similarly, Amazon excels at giving a fully connected
experience, based around its pursuit of efficiency and
delivery of what people want, when they want it.
VOX POP
“I like to shop online with Amazon for certain
products. It’s really nice to be able to read all the
reviews and get people’s feedback, and the delivery
is really fast and efficient. I’ve got Amazon Prime,
so I don’t have to pay for next-day delivery. It’s also
divergent with videos and TV series that you can
watch through your subscription.”
Case Study
Plusnet: from Yorkshire with love
Plusnet provides broadband, mobile and TV
services in a tough and competitive environment
where constant price-cutting and switching are
the norm. To ensure it stands out, is memorable
and distinctive, it employs a connected creative
idea that is “all around care”. It’s a connected idea
that has helped to bring consistency to all that the
brand does.

Using the charm and straightforwardness of its

Yorkshire location and personnel, it ensures every
touch point subscribes to one tone, one idea
and one purpose. With a commitment to “do you
proud”, this connectivity has delivered sales, loyalty
and numerous service awards.
 S
U R – R EC I PRO CA L R E L AT I ONSHIP
F O
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Reciprocal Relationships

We’ve already explored the power in creating a Despite the benefits, it seems brands that
genuine and distinct brand with an aligned and achieve this are few and far between.
motivated workforce. Done well, this often helps

Only 19% of people

to create a different kind of relationship with
people, a mutually beneficial exchange based
on two-way interaction.
we spoke to feel their
This comes from both the delivery of the brand
promise and some additional form of reciprocity,
favourite brands
where the brand rewards interaction in some way.
This reward can be emotional, in how the brand
generously reward
delivers on a wider human purpose or how it them for their loyalty.
seeks to surprise and delight, often unexpectedly.
Alternatively, it can be more tangible through
Extending the brand experience beyond
improved understanding of needs or payback for
consumption, where a person enters into a
attention, engagement and loyalty.
brand’s fuller experience ecosystem and
In turn, people return this reward with greater feels more involved, helps to create benefit
levels of engagement, advocacy and ultimately reinforcement and a sense of kinship.
preference and loyalty. Reciprocity can also play
an important role in overcoming post-purchase
dissonance, where people sometimes feel some
form of buyer’s remorse, especially with high-price
items or first purchases.
Reciprocal relationships in action
Our research showed that when reciprocity
works well, at its heart is the creation of a two-
way relationship where brand and people interact,
often in a “we do, you do” manner. This quid pro
quo is often simply how we’d expect a relationship
or friendship to happen in the real world.
VOX POP
“I’ve been very loyal to a brand
called King of Shaves. I’ve always
enjoyed their products and I used
to do little things for the company.
For example, they asked if we could
take photographs of the displays in
certain stores and, after doing that,
we got some of their products for
free. Ever since then, I’ve really liked
the company.”
Reciprocity can also be expressed as an enhanced
service, where people feel like they are getting
more than they bargained for – an additional set
of benefits.
VOX POP
“I’m very loyal to O2. It is brilliant and
has great customer service. I get lots
of perks, like O2 Rewards, which I’ve
used in the past and will continue to
use. I really like O2 and it’s different
to other brands and I probably
wouldn’t consider swapping for a
long time.”
Case Study

Spotify: rewarding regular

users with added extras
Spotify is a regular on “most innovative companies” lists
and features highly on NetBase’s most-loved media brand
ranking. The Swedish company has become a leading name
in the music industry, making a variety of artists available
to audiences and legitimising music streaming. But beyond
offering almost unlimited access to a huge catalogue of music,
Spotify offers its users a range of additional services.

The Daily Mix and Discover Weekly services offer bespoke

playlists based on your previous listening habits. The more a
person listens, the smarter the algorithm gets – introducing
new music that suits his or her taste. Most recently, Spotify
has added Fresh Finds and Release Radar – putting new
artists and releases into people’s playlists. The added value
created by Spotify has helped it to gain some 70 million paying
subscribers by early 2018 – up from 30 million in 2016.
 MMITT
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Committed Service

Our research found that

only 19% of people feel
their favourite brands
actively encourage
complaints as a way to
improve their products
and services
A measure of how human-centric a brand is can be
found in its reaction to complaints. Social media
has given people a platform on which to broadcast
their grievances. This could, and should, be viewed
as an opportunity rather than an issue. A platform
for a complaint quickly becomes a platform for a
brand’s timely, human and understanding response.
If there’s an opportunity for humour, this can turn
a short conversation into a “surprise and delight”
moment.
However, our research found that only 19%
of people feel their favourite brands actively
encourage complaints as a way to improve
their products and services.
While all brand experiences have an ambition
to be positive, both brands and experiences are
fallible. Handled well, the seamless switch from
a negative to a positive experience can make
an even longer-lasting impression than an
unremarkable but problem-free brand interaction.
This often requires a move into more of a service
mindset, especially for product-centric businesses.
Key to this is employees reacting better and faster
to people’s needs.
Younger generations are more likely to be
influenced by a complaint resolution. Our research
has found that millennials and post-millennials are
almost twice as likely as older generations to make
complaints about brands they have bought from
(23% vs. 12%). However, these younger people are
also more likely to be satisfied with the response
they get (89% vs. 77%).
This is especially important when thinking about
data and the use of artificial intelligence to deal
with the unpredictability of human behaviour,
where there’s as much chance of getting it wrong
as there is of getting it right. If something goes
wrong, the more human, empathetic and
understanding a brand can be, the better – often
automated responses do more harm than good.
The speed of response, apology, atonement or
resolution is critical to ensure continued loyalty.
Committed service in action
Stories of service, usually above and beyond what
was expected, were the most referred to reasons
for intense loyalty and bonding amongst our
interviewees. These fall into two clear dimensions:
when great service delivers against your expectations,
and when great service intervenes when something
goes wrong. With some brands, such is the loyalty
that, even when they fail or are the more expensive
option, people find ways to forgive.
VOX POP
“I have a really positive experience of using
Apple products and services and I’ve always
received excellent customer service. It has
great aftercare and that’s something that
makes me more inclined to feel loyalty to a
brand and to use it over and over again.
I just feel like a valued customer.”
VOX POP
“I was delayed for over three hours and
EasyJet’s representatives made me aware
that I was entitled to compensation for the
delay of my flight. They facilitated it, and
they paid out incredibly quickly. I was very,
very surprised that they were as efficient
as that.”
Case Study
When Sir Ralph Norris took the reins at Air New
Zealand in 2002, the airline was struggling. The
New Zealand government had been forced to take an

Air New Zealand:

80% controlling stake along with providing a sizeable
rescue package. But Sir Ralph’s people-centric
leadership and strategy kick-started the airline’s

people-centric turnaround – it’s now one of the top-performing

airlines in the world and has been voted best airline

transformation 5 years running. Sir Ralph switched the airline’s

thinking from “we fly planes” to “we fly people”.

From the entertaining safety announcements

featuring The Lord of the Rings characters, to the
newly appointed chatbot Oscar, who answers 75%
of complaints and queries, often with a song and a
joke, the airline has examined each and every touch
point and added Kiwi humour and personality to
each – including customer service. The airline has
recently been voted Australia’s favourite brand (yes,
in Australia, not just New Zealand).
 N
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Diversified Distribution

When and where people experience

a brand can have a big impact on how
much they consider it a part of their
lives. Once the fundamentals of the
experience are being delivered
consistently, it’s possible to explore
ways to present the brand outside
of the category and the traditional
buying journey
By taking the brands and the experience deeper into
culture and people’s lives, it’s possible to find new and
sometimes unexpected entry points. These entry points
can then be used to help widen physical or mental
availability through partnerships – broadening the
experience and keeping the brand ever-present and
top of mind.

According to our research, this isn’t really happening.

Only 22% of marketers cite “partnerships that bring
customers new experiences” as an investment priority
– and it shows. A disheartening 13% of the people we
spoke to agreed that their favourite brands engage with
them and influence their lives beyond the products and
services they provide.

This isn’t impossible to achieve. Clever, strategic

partnerships can carry a brand name into completely
different fields, building on purpose and reaching
people in surprising ways.

Another way to achieve this is to create a new product

that builds on the brand and takes it into a different
category. A powerful way to do this is by moving from
a service to a product or vice versa.
Diversified distribution in action

Our research indicates that once someone has

bought into a particular product from a brand,
they’re more likely to buy more from its range,
often being pleasantly surprised to find new and
unexpected products. Loyalty can carry across
a line, creating multiple touch points.

VOX POP

“I think the brand I’m most loyal to is

Tesco because I go on a weekly basis.
There are large supermarkets, but also
the Tesco Express supermarkets that
you find next to a garage or just on the
high street. It also has an app, so I can
actually pay conveniently and quickly.
In addition to the own-brand products,
which are very reasonably priced,
it rewards me for my loyalty in many
ways and that’s why I stay.”
Case Study
Just Eat:
connecting people
to food everywhere
Just Eat has always believed in making food discovery Surrounding hungry people with more ways to
as exciting as possible. A big part of that is constantly connect with and experience Just Eat has proved
searching for new ways for people to experience and successful – the business took its 400 millionth
interact with the brand – whether that’s being among order in the UK in April 2018.
the first to embrace new technology, or simply using
conspicuous and consistent advertising to make it clear
where and when people can enjoy the Just Eat service.

As Ben Carter, UK Marketing Director of Just Eat says,

“It’s important for us to be where our customers are.
That’s why we’ve made our services available on the likes
of Amazon Alexa and Google Home. We’re making the
customer journey as seamless as possible.”
 E P SEVEN – CON
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Continuous Innovation

A human-centric approach can help

a brand identify new ways to engage
with its audience and reinforce its
role in their lives through new ideas
and manifestations of its core benefit
How many ways can a product or service be improved to
make it more helpful, useful and enjoyable? As people’s
needs change, their relationship with a category changes;
as cultural shifts occur, brands need to be agile and open
to evolution.

By constantly improving its performance, or seeking out

new ways to offer solutions, the brand will create more
opportunities to bond with people, reinforcing their
understanding and appreciation of it. But we found that
only 23% of marketers identify “co-creation of products
or services with customers” as an opportunity to improve
the brand experience.

People like to see innovation. It helps to confirm that

they’ve chosen a dynamic brand with a dedication to
creating the best possible product. These brands use
innovation to create market leadership in their category,
with the innovations often becoming the new industry
standard over time.
Continuous innovation in action
Of all the brands mentioned in our research
investigation, when it came to innovation, Apple was
frequently referred to, often with huge admiration and
awe for the momentum around new ideas.
Apple keeps a large and loyal audience constantly
excited through the promise of improvements and
innovations that allow people to access new services
and technology in a reassuring and familiar way.
VOX POP
“I’ve been buying Apple for well over
10 years now. Apart from the quality
of the products, I think they have got
the ability to innovate, think outside
the box, challenge the status quo.
For example, fingerprint recognition
is a great innovation.”
Giving people access to new features and technology
is a recurring theme for brand success.
VOX POP
“We just got the new Samsung washing
machine. It’s very expensive, but you can
control it from your smartphone –
it’s quite amazing. It even has a self-clean
function, so looks after itself.”
Innovation that can appeal to new or wider audiences
is especially appreciated.
VOX POP
“I thought Nintendo Labo – a construction
kit for cardboard – was actually a great
idea, as it gets adults, as well as children,
looking at how to be creative. I think it’s
a really inventive and different thing for a
computer company to do and it definitely
made me more likely to consider them as
a brand and made me more likely to use
them in the future.”
Case Study
The Guardian has been a fearless innovator throughout
its near 200-year history. It was the first newspaper to
appoint a readers’ editor and, in 1995, was one of the

The Guardian:
first to launch an online publication, which was the UK’s
most popular newspaper site by 2001.

two centuries In 2011, The Guardian announced plans to become a

digital-first organisation, placing open journalism on

of reinvention
the web at the heart of its strategy. Since then, it has
expanded its publishing across every major digital
platform. 2018 saw it reinvent itself yet again – moving
into a tabloid format, offering convenience without
compromising on its integrity.

Despite its main competitors constantly discounting,

The Guardian has always held its cover price, stayed true
to its principles and has recently launched a membership
model, allowing its readers to contribute whatever they
like to continue to support independent journalism.
Around 600,000 readers have taken this up, making
either one-off donations or recurring payments.
 EIGHT – FUL
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Full Transcendence

A fully humanised experience

means that a brand has now
become far more empathetic,
attentive and responsive, moving
on from obsessing about itself to
obsessing about people...
It now thinks less about “me” or “I” and far more about This bond can be viewed as:
“we”, having invited the people inside its circle of
influence. These brands have transcended the fixedness Irrational
of their products or the conventions of their categories –p
 eople will buy it as a default without
and are freely able to offer new products, services and considering others
experiences to their increasing audience of admirers.
Irreplaceable
When a brand is able to deliver a consistently –p
 eople will choose to buy nothing else if their
connected, more human experience, with a deep set of preferred is unavailable
positive experience credits, it elevates to a higher plane
Irresistible
where the bond people have with it has the potential to
–p
 eople consume more, engage more or even pay more
transcend logic, price and sometimes even the delivery
than they need.
of its promise.

All of this adds up to a

form of nirvana, where
the brand is revered
and even forgiven for its
occasional fallibilities.
Full transcendence
in action
During the course of research, we discovered that VOX POP
when brands really get it right and act with great
humanity, they were talked about and referred to in “I’ve had a Mac computer for quite a few
markedly different ways. years now, and I’ve always found that
Brands that reach the transcendent stage inspire the customer service offered by Apple
complete loyalty. Users don’t mind paying a little bit is excellent. I can go to the Apple store
extra, because they see the benefit in quality and
either locally or anywhere in the world
believe it’s money worth spending.
and the staff are always very willing to
The most fascinating examples are where brands
help. The products are well-designed
have failed in some way and are forgiven. This can
often be because of great service, but sometimes and very easy to use. They’re not the
it’s an irrational affection for the brand that cheapest, I have to say, but sometimes
maintains the loyalty. you have to pay for the quality.”
But the most transcendent brand of all, and the
most consistently referred to in our study for
outstanding service, innovation and connectivity,
is Apple, which, even when something goes wrong,
still appears to be the preferred option.
 VOX POP
“Since getting my iPhone in 2009, I’ve
purchased various other Apple products
like iPods and laptops and I am always
going back to this brand because of the
quality of the service. When my Apple
laptop died, there was no question about
it that I would get another one from them.
So, I think it makes you feel a little bit
part of the club and it’s the brand I trust.
And sometimes it’s simply the positive
feeling that owning something from the
brand gives you.”
VOX POP
“One product I’m really loyal to is Apple
and it’s not just because of the quality
of the services. Nowadays, the likes of
Samsung are offering products that you
could say were even better. But there’s
just something about Apple that’s made
me remain loyal. When you have an
Apple product in your hand, there’s a sort
of feeling about it – you just feel good
using the product and being part of it.”
Case Study
IKEA is one of the world’s most successful retailers.
The 75-year-old Swedish flatpack pioneer has remained
true to its purpose “to create better everyday life for

IKEA: finding its

the many people” by making great household design
affordable to almost any budget. IKEA’s brand attributes
are low price, sustainability, form, function and quality

way into home – elements which perfectly balance practical and

emotional drivers.

and hearts The brand has clear sustainability targets, which

include increasing its use of renewable energy (most
shops have solar panels on roofs), sales of sustainable
life products and sustainable supply chains. As well
as embracing environmental issues, IKEA places huge
value on innovation, constantly creating new products
and services, and investing in innovation through its
SPACE10 lab in Copenhagen.
When it comes to engagement, the “IKEA effect”
describes the impact of building the furniture at home
– because the brand requires such intense involvement
from the people who are buying it, it creates stronger
memories and affection towards the products.

Behind the line, the retailer is also renowned for its

non-bureaucratic company culture, inspired by founder
Ingvar Kamprad – enthusiasm, togetherness and
willpower are central to IKEA as a workplace.

The combination of these elements has worked well to

create a truly transcendent brand – IKEA is listed on a
huge number of global brand rankings. It has over 350
stores around the world and grew sales by 4% last year
– an impressive figure against a backdrop of declining
retail sales.
 F E AT U R E D C O M M E N T

Understanding the DNA of our brand

creates our point of difference

Sara Bennison, CMO, Nationwide Building Society

By digging into our history, our values and the very
DNA of what makes Nationwide, it’s clear that the
sense of community and mutual support is very
much at the heart of what we do and what we are.
It runs through how others see us and how we
see ourselves too, underpinning the often-lively
conversations face-to-face in a branch, or a
seamless transaction on the mobile app while on
the move. The reason we were founded – to help
people help other people for everyone’s mutual
benefit – and our original purpose, shapes what
we do today.
It’s really important that we are not seen as a
bank, we are a building society. There’s a big
difference. We have members, not just customers,
who use our services. While our members are
interacting with us more digitally, they do still
value and need humanity, whether that is
delivered directly through the fabulous humans
who work in our front line or through the way in
which we design our digital services of the future.
You start by putting the human, the member,
first, then use new technology to work in pursuit
of providing better services. This is the way to
maintain trust and reputation rather than turning
us all into the slaves of technology.
The experience and enthusiasm of those who work
for us makes them the perfect ambassadors for the
brand. We support our people to feel empowered,
engaging with members on a personal level to
make a difference – one small example is providing
stamps so they can send handwritten letters to
members congratulating them on a new job.
If you know your customers as people, and
understand the human experiences that underpin
your brand, there are always ways to surprise
and delight them at different moments in their
lives. So, when one of our graduates had the idea
of sending freshers’ survival packs for university
starters, we took a bit of money from our social
media budget to pay for it. The result was pretty
impressive; we had fantastic organic tweets and
posts from the students, who really appreciated
an original, personal touch.
The key words customers use now are the same
as they have always been – trust, service, value.
However, the way that they define those words
has changed. They no longer simply trust us just
with their money; they need to trust us with their
data. They no longer expect great service just to
be defined by a smile in a branch during opening
hours – they demand speediness and the
certainty of 24/7 availability. And they certainly
no longer see value as just being about a rate or
an incentive. They need to see how we can make
their money work as hard for them as possible.
The important thing for any brand is to remain
constant in its values and focus on its customers,
maintaining what defines the company. Alongside
that, being open to change and innovation will
harness new possibilities, as customers look for
change that will help them, both now and into
the future.
The Karmic
As we’ve seen, human purpose allows brands to deliver
a balance of practical and emotional experiences,

Bank Balance
offering more profound, more “human-like” interactions,
which people tend to connect with more powerfully.

On the one hand, it’s all common sense – when an

experience is a positive one, the emotional association
will be positive; if it’s a negative experience, the emotional
association will be negative.

All evidence suggests that the more positive an emotion

a person has with something, the more they seek it out.
Applying this thinking to brands, therefore, makes a lot
of sense: a positive brand experience makes people more
likely to want to engage with it, buy into it as well as buy it,
recommend it and buy it again.

On the other hand, if it’s so obvious, why do so many

brands still fail on some of the most basic measures of
human interaction? While all brands aspire to be viewed
positively, the reality is that these experiences can often
let people down, usually due to a gap between promise
and delivery.
How positive
It’s possible that any promise gap can be
addressed by the volume of positive human

human experiences
experiences a person has, essentially building
to a series of positive deposits or credits,
creating goodwill towards the brand.

can offset the bad These deposits can offset any negative
withdrawals or deficits when a brand experience
is poor. This credit-deficit model creates a
form of what we call the Karmic Bank Balance
– where any brand can have a measure of
positivity or negativity associated with it,
each balancing or unbalancing the other.

All of the steps we’ve outlined, which harness

the ideas behind HX in practical terms, can help
to build up credit in this balance and can elevate
a brand to a nirvana-like state of preference.
 U SIO
L
C

N
CON

This is not an easy time to be a brand.
Or indeed a client for a brand. The complexity
of the world we’re operating in is increasing
at breakneck pace, expectations are growing
and unfortunately, public trust is at an all-time
low. But we believe there is a way to turn this
challenge into an opportunity.
The relationship between brands and people
is evolving, with more dialogue and touch
points opening up between the two. By viewing
customers more as humans and creating
connected experiences that speak to people’s
lives beyond buying, brands can interact with
them in a more meaningful way – creating
strong emotional bonds that transcend the
buying experience.
As we’ve seen, in turn, this can help to create
a healthy Karmic Bank Balance – one that can
protect a brand when things go wrong, creating
a buffer of positive emotions that ensure people
forgive, not forget, their favourite brands.
The time to act is now. While technology brings
many benefits, it is also working against brands,
dehumanising their interactions and creating a
“human experience gap” that threatens to leave
people uninspired and unengaged. It’s not too
late to close this gap and harness HX thinking to
great effect – reaching Brand Nirvana and, with
it, a special place in people’s heart and minds.

HX represents a simple change in mindset that

can have a transformative effect on a brand’s
performance – eventually leading to a kind of
Brand Nirvana. The eight individual steps we’ve
identified can help get brands to this altered
state of powerful preference.
If you want to hear more about HX,
and how you could apply human
experience thinking to your brand,
or if you’re interested in evaluating
your own Karmic Bank Balance –
please do get in touch with us at:
hx.karmarama.com/report

Thank you
Appendix
Research Methodology
Research and Discovery

Through our database of premium and

publicly available research, in-depth reviews
of all literature on the link between customer
experience and growth.

Industry Insights Online Quantitative / Vox pops

In-depth interviews with academics and Consumer survey (n=1,000, April 2018)
marketing leads of major brands, including:
• Each respondent had made a major purchase (pre-defined) across Retail;
• Alex Schlaubitz, VP Marketing – Lufthansa leisure; hospitality; financial services in the last three months.

• David Wheldon, CMO – RBS
• Sara Bennison, CMO – Nationwide Building Society
• Geoff Seeley, Director, Global Marketing Connections
and Media Activation – Airbnb
• Ben Carter, UK Marketing Director – Just Eat
• Questions asked them to consider brand performance in the context of
this purchase.
• MaxDiff was used to build up a picture of the relative importance of each
purchase driver in the respondent’s mind.
Marketer survey (n=200, April 2018)

• Mike Baxter, Product and Content Lead, Goal Atlas
• Charlie Hiscocks, former Global Director of Brand
Comms – SABMiller
• Respondents spend between a third and all of their time on B2C marketing
activities at large UK companies.
• They were drawn primarily from financial services, retail and technology.

Consumer voxpops (n=114, May 2018)

• Respondents were asked to tell us about a brand they are loyal to and a
brand that recently surprised them.

Consumer omnibus (n=2,000, July 2018)

• Each was asked to respond to a series of eight questions relating to the

top three brands that they most regularly purchase products/services from.
Accenture
Accenture Research shapes trends and creates
data-driven insights about the most pressing

Research
issues global organisations face. Combining the
power of innovative research techniques with a
deep understanding of our clients’ industries,
our team of 250 researchers and analysts spans
23 countries and publishes hundreds of reports,
articles and points of view every year.

Our thought-provoking research – supported by

proprietary data and partnerships with leading
organisations, such as MIT and Singularity –
guides our innovations and allows us to transform
theories and fresh ideas into real-world solutions
for our clients.

For more information, visit:

www.accenture.com/research

or contact Jim Clark / Dominic King.

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