Brand experience (BX) and customer experience (CX) are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably. However this is not only incorrect, but is also a common source of confusion.
While both brand experience and customer experience are most certainly related, CX is just one function of the holistic brand experience, and marketers would be wise to treat it as such.
CX helps to improve individual transactions the customer has with the brand. It focusses on consumers only after they have become actual customers, and aims to ensure they experience the best possible service at every stage of the purchase journey, across every touchpoint. In this regard CX might be described as a customer focused way to improve processes and service delivery, as distinct from service blueprint design which is an internally focused approach to improving those same things.
Brand experience by contrast takes a much more holistic view of the brand. It incorporates every possible interaction the consumer can have with the brand, and how this informs brand perception. This means brand experience is interested in the consumer long before they ever even become a customer.
It recognises that brand perception is influenced by brand communications and the customer experience, across both physical and digital spaces, and brought to life through brand activations at every stage of the purchase journey. As such, CX is a function of BX. It is necessary to deliver a superior brand experience, but CX alone is not enough to do so.
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