4. Brand the experience Every product and service has some degree of competition. If left standing alone with nothing more than its own looks, a product will live a shorter life than if it offered a more unique value. Today, all products and services must “perform” at some level to create memorable experiences for customers. This idea of creating experiences via products and services is often the most differentiating factor that can be executed to make a product, service, and company brand stand out. Creating products and services with a memorable experience in 2011 requires first knowing who your customers are and what experience they desire from your offering. Then, you must develop product strengths and delivery systems around those perceived desires. Sometimes your customers will not know the experiences they desire because the context for it may not yet exist. But if you listen to the market and stimulate your creative juices, you can create demand in very original ways. Your ability to do this will not go unnoticed if you create a synergy between your unique, core product strengths and the very basic but deep desires of your customers. Packaging this synergy into a branded experience that is reliable, unique, and positive, will innovate new trends and build a memorable brand identity for months and years to come. << Growth Trends #3 : Growth Trends #5 >>