The Story

I found out about a cool new website today, Dell Lounge, that’s working to create an online experience that translates into the real world.

Here’s what they say on their home page: “Welcome to the Dell Lounge. NOW GET OUT. Out into the world. We’ve got what you’re into online and we’re out and about at the biggest events. So have fun. See and be seen. Make a difference. Enjoy Lounge Life.”

What’s so cool about this site is that it’s all about experience creation. The site engages customers online, and extends the experience into the “real world” by promoting events, concerts, games, etc. that its customers are likely to identify with.

Bank marketers and credit union marketers could learn a lot from this type of site. You have to dig pretty far to find anything about a computer, which makes it clear that this isn’t about selling a product. It’s about selling an experience – one that’s directly and logically related to the brand.

It’s also about more than just being online – they’ve successfully found a bridge from an online world to the real world, by highlighting events that their consumers are likely to identify with, and that aren’t related to anything they’re selling. It’s a pure experience that provides a positive image for their brand, without being a gateway to sell their products. Bank brand building doesn’t always have to be tied to marketing bank products either. Creating an experience for customers where the goal is not sales will certainly cast your brand in a positive light.

What kind of experience is your bank or credit union brand selling? Is it relevant? Is it pure?

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Bank Branding, Credit Union Branding, Bank Marketing, Branding, Credit Union Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.