Why shopping centers need to take a counter-intuitive approach to experience transformation
As mall developers, operators and marketers try to figure out their experimental future, part of the conversation is bound to be technology. And what industry creators need to keep in mind as they plan their course is that when it comes to creating popular consumer experiences, you can’t always start with technology. Instead, borrow a cue from business thought leader Simon Sinek and “Get started why.”
Technology without the “why” can be costly—a lesson even the world’s best-known brands learn every day.
Take social media giant Facebook (now known as Meta), which bought virtual reality company Oculus for $2 billion in 2014 and has since poured its inexhaustible marketing resources and cash into it without attracting the interest of the to awaken mass consumers.
Or consider the heavily funded augmented reality startup Magic Leap. Like Facebook’s Oculus, it’s another technology with incredible potential and significant financial investments that has struggled to find its purpose after more than seven years of trying.
To date, billions of dollars have been invested in these technologies with little measurable ROI.
Why is this important for shopping malls? Because I believe they are entering a period of experiential transformation that will shape their next 10 years. And as malls look to increase engagement, visits and dwell time, tech-focused companies will be lining up to sell them solutions that promise to attract large crowds.
But without knowing the “why,” these solutions won’t work as easily, and malls simply can’t afford to take such an approach because they don’t have endless marketing budgets or seven years to waste. what she can Solve the “why” with a little counter-intuitive thinking and a backward-looking but proven approach that looks like this:
- Start with the result you want to create.
- Come up with radical creative ideas to make it happen.
- Identify the technologies you need.
- Create emotional content.
- Deliver the experience.
It’s an approach I first used in 2004 when I was helping MTV transform shows like the Video Music Awards. My role was to work with the network, production and music artists to develop and deliver content across 50+ larger than life video screens in a 360 degree arena. I wasn’t concentrating on how we were going to do it. I focused on the result we wanted to create.
Many of my broadcast colleagues saw LED screens as a place for eye candy and pushed to start technologies that delivered pre-canned footage to the screens. The word “gak” was used a lot as a term for on-screen content behind the scenes on the radio, which I loathed.
As they did so, I envisioned using LED screens for narrative storytelling and emotional connection. I envisioned that musical performances would be more powerful, memorable, and emotional for audiences—and more valuable for the artists, MTV, and its advertisers.
What would create a more emotional connection with music fans? Animated clip art and stock footage gak (twitch!) on the video screens, or stunning three-story versions of their musical heroes in an experience that fans felt immersed in?
To apply my radical vision to a recalcitrant industry, I had to be a disruptor. Ultimately, I built a career developing radical creative ideas, content and technology that captured audience emotions and generated revenue. This approach has helped companies thrive in almost every major entertainment industry over the past 16 years, including broadcast, concerts, film, streaming, and cruise lines. People in each of these industries have been successful because they were willing to rethink how they approach content and technology to create emotionally powerful customer experiences.
As malls try to figure out how to hyper-transform their experiential future, the people who design, operate and market them must learn and master this backwards approach. You have to remember that experience is innovation. It is the catalyst for emotional connection and business success.
Steve Jobs said it best: “You have to start with the customer experience and work backwards to technology.”
—Robb Wagner is an experimental artist and the founder of Stimulated-Inc., a creative studio specializing in experimental transformation for globally recognized brands such as Disney, Viacom, and Carnival Cruise Line.
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