Get Phat in the Experience Economy

BY: SEAN MACPHEDRAN  |  Advergames, Branding, Online Marketing

I noticed that AdRants picked this up right after I read the AdAge article today. At first glance - this has nothing to do with advergaming, but bear with me for a second and it’ll make sense.

McDonald’s is looking to overhaul their employee uniforms with the help of the world’s top urban designers. Think Tommy Hilfiger, Fubu, Sean John… The rationale, beyond employee morale, is that McDonald’s has become a lifestyle brand and that uniforms need to reflect the lifestyle - here’s the deep-rooted reason. McDonald’s wants to enhance their “brand experience”. More and more often lately I’m hearing people drop those buzz words. The absolute best book on the topic is The Experience Economy, read it - and your mind will pop. Everywhere you look, and they have numbers to back it up, people are looking for overall experiences, rather than basic service offerings. And they’re paying a premium for it too.

So where does brand experience intersect with advergaming? Everywhere a company markets on the web. When advergaming evolves, it’s not going to look like it does today - there will still be racing games, and puzzle games, most definately. But new technologies and daring thinking are going to cause immersive websites and advergames to collide in complete, interactive worlds built around brands. Consider that we currently have the ability to create, through technologies like X BOX 360, photorealistic, interactive recreations of the world we live in - and even more intriguing worlds that emerge from our imaginations - and the essence of good brands. We’re approaching a turn in the road in online marketing, and I think it’s going to be a lot sharper than most people think.