Great Expectations
Before going to the 2009 Aspen Food & Wine Classic I did not know what to expect.
What I knew was that I had paid $1,030 for three full days of Food & Wine, $500 for round trip airfare from San Antonio to Aspen and $2,000 for hotel accommodations for a grand total of $3,530. I also knew that I was going to see some of the country’s top celebrity chefs, spend three days in the beautiful Colorado Rockies and taste high end, hard to get wines from around the world.
What I expected was to eat and drink more than I could possibly digest (I had been forewarned, sip and spit and pace yourself), be wowed by an expensive high end food and wine tasting event, rub elbows with the food and wine elite and truly experience Aspen, Colorado. Why did I not have clearer expectations? Because the official Food & Wine Classic website was not consumer friendly and did not provide me with any information beyond what I have described above about what to expect as a consumer. As an advertiser or member of the food and wine trade I would have had a slightly better idea of what to expect as there was more information available geared towards members of these two groups than there was to consumers.
What I got was indeed the opportunity to taste a huge quantity of high end wines and spirits from around the world, a chance to sit in a sort of “live studio audience” Food Network style cooking demonstration with some well known celebrity chefs, learn more about Champagne and wines from the Russian River and Sonoma Coast from some of the country’s top winemakers, sommeliers and connoisseurs and fall in love with Aspen in just three short days.
What I did not get was value for my money, enough food (we had to pay to eat out for lunch and dinner every day), any sort of feeling of being engaged by event organizers or a truly memorable experience that would compel me to return or recommend to others that they attend. That is not to say that I did not have my share of memorable experiences but they were a result of the individual actions of a few engaging individuals, not something that the Food & Wine magazine event organizers made happen deliberately or that could really be attributed to the brand.
Given the realities of our current economic climate and the careful decisions that we as consumers are faced with regarding how to spend our discretionary income, I was quite surprised by the lack of engagement opportunities created by festival organizers. As a long-time subscriber to Food & Wine magazine this was a huge disconnect for me from the feeling I get when I sit down in my couch to read my monthly issue; this experience just did not translate well for me and my expectations were simply not met.
Tip: Rather than letting your customers form expectations of your brand’s experience on their own, prepare them for exactly what to expect from their direct encounter with your product or service by taking control of your image and clearly explaining what you will deliver.
Successfully managing the customer’s expectation is the first step in meeting and exceeding that expectation. Once you understand the parameters of your brand’s experience and our ability to deliver on your promises, you can clearly communicate this via a variety of communication materials. Then, all you have to do is execute these “brand promises” at every touch point. If you do this, you will guarantee satisfied customers.
