As technology evolves and makes giant leaps in the world, experiences are becoming the key focus for companies to create and convert brand advocates.
Businesses need brands and products to be customer-centric. And they absolutely need customers to experience the ease, the comfort and the efficiency of every little improvement.
Innovation in the way you communicate with the stakeholders and your ability to turn them into advocates for your business is an important aspect of how technology companies are marketing today.
Philips Innovation Experience 2014 was the call of one such brand experience where media delegates were gathered from the world over to experience the stories that Philips had to tell about the innovations of tomorrow.
Being a lighting company, there were many layers to these stories and Philips slowly changed form in front of our eyes from a lighting company to much more.
We all understand the need for better, efficient lighting solutions so Philips told us the story of how lighting in our buildings can be more than just that.
If you can believe it, lighting can enable us to control the environment we want to live in through smart apps, sensors and other digital devices.
We could control the intensity, utility and the energy efficiency of lighting through our phones via third party apps. Seems incredible? I know it does, but that’s what the future of lighting will be headed towards.
According to Philip’s official statement, “By connecting LED lighting to sensors, controls, networks, devices and apps, Philips enables its customers to create amazing new lighting experiences and to achieve outstanding business outcomes while saving up to 80 percent on energy.”
This was just one of the announcements made at the innovation show. There was much more to be told and experienced. In one building, we were led from one storytelling session to another where a representative would tell us the story of a patient, an elderly or a child who had experienced ease and comfort because of one of Philips products. I witnessed among many others the effect of content brands, each unique in the message it delivered.
During this experience, Philips told fantastic, incredible technological possibilities innovating not just in the way they are creating their products but also in the way they are doing business.
For cities to have light which is more cost effective, they offer to lease out lighting solutions. A lucrative offer for those who want to enable their cities with LED lighting and save energy in the process. Read more about LED lighting here.
Some of the products they introduced have far reaching effects especially in the way physicians and healthcare professionals will be treating prostrate cancer in the future.
At this year’s innovation experience, the range of products included mini acute care, targetted therapy in prostate cancer, VISIQ, pulse relief, Philips Blue Control, cloud-based solutions for collaborative care, Philips Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) connected office lighting system, and indoor positioning with LED.
You can read more about the products and their benefits here
What was most fascinating about Philips experience was the fact that as each guest looked at a service or a product, they formed an opinion that was first hand and this opinion went beyond the association that is created by viewing an advertisement.
One of my colleagues visited the Philips shop and was most intrigued by Philips Airfryer that’s one of the most basic used utilities in consumer life style. The patent rapid air technology of the Airfryer enables you to make the tastiest fried food that contains 80% less fat.
It makes great tasting fried food, with very little oil. For any health conscious consumer which applies to most millennials today, the product is offering great value.
The advertisement is on television but a live demonstration left an impact on most of us as we absorbed the benefit of lesser oil in our own daily diet and those of our families. He was motivated to buy it right there.
Live demos and storytelling which humanized brands and products created a connecting experience. Which actually resulted in a colleague purchasing a product to take back home. Did they manage to create an advocate. I think so.
That’s the incredible thing about creating an experience for your customers, media partners and other stakeholders. Your brand goes far beyond the television screen and your true culture is revealed in a real experience that creates that unique connection.
Another colleague visiting from Morocco found the experience show a completely fantastic show of technology. He thought it was only for the first world, where the developing countries could only fathom such progress.
My own experience was quite incredible as I watched the future of healthcare and lighting unfold through content and data integrations. The story of content marketing was told here.
Do tell us what your ideas are on experience branding and how you think companies can create better connections with their customers to create sustainable brand advocates. Happy communicating!

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