As consumers judge brands by what they do as much as what they say, every interaction, from onboarding to customer support, is becoming part of the brand experience.
Social Samosa03 Sep 2026
08:00IST
New Update
Everything around us is designed. A coffee cup is designed. A restaurant menu is designed. A t-shirt is designed. A website, an airport and even a hospital have been designed by someone. The queue you stand in, the payment confirmation you receive and the way a package opens when it arrives at your doorstep are all designed experiences. Which is why I often tell my <a href="https://bitcomme.com/new-york-city-pauses-ai-use-for-elementary-middle-school-students/” title=”New York City pauses AI use for elementary, middle school students”>students that design matters. Not because it makes things beautiful. Because it shapes how people experience the world.
The same thing has happened to branding. For a long time branding was confused simply with visibility. Brands invested in advertising, PR, media and communications because marketing was seen as the primary way people experienced a company. Today, that feels almost incomplete because people experience a brand long before they see an advertisement and long after they have forgotten one. The website is the brand. The sound the packaging makes is the brand. The delivery experience and even the customer support representative is the brand. The invoice is the brand. The mobile app is the brand. And sometimes, the product itself is the least surprising part of the entire experience.
The experience has become the marketing. In many ways marketing has escaped the marketing department. Consumers have become remarkably sophisticated, they no longer judge brands solely by what the brand says. They judge them by what the brand does. And they are ever observant, a beautifully written sustainability campaign means very little if the packaging is wasteful. A company can talk endlessly about customer service, but if nobody answers the phone when something goes wrong, people only remember that.
We like to think that brands are built through campaigns. They are, but more often, they are also built through experiences. Or damaged by them. The gap between promise and reality has become one of the most important battlegrounds in modern business. And that is where experience branding lives. The most successful organisations understand that every touchpoint contributes to perception. A hotel brand does not begin at check-in, it begins when someone attempts to make a reservation. A bank does not begin when an account is opened, it begins when one decides who they can trust with their money. A restaurant experience does not start when food arrives at the table, it starts when someone discovers that restaurant online. A university does not begin educating students on their first day of class, the experience often begins with the first enquiry, the first email and the first interaction. Every single interaction shapes perception. Perception builds trust and, trust influences almost every business outcome that matters.
At Starting Monday Co., we often discuss functionality before aesthetics. Functionality is the core. Aesthetics is the atmosphere around it. Both matter. Experience branding follows a similar principle. Many brands invest heavily in visual identity, messaging and campaigns. These are important. But if the experience is broken, no amount of communication can compensate for it. A beautiful app that is difficult to use creates frustration. Amazing packaging that is difficult to open creates irritation. A spectacular hotel lobby followed by poor service creates disappointment. Good experiences are rarely accidental. They are designed. Carefully. Intentionally and for consistency.
What fascinates me is that the definition of a marketing channel has quietly changing. Traditionally a marketing channel meant television, print, radio or digital. Today almost every customer touchpoint behaves like a marketing channel. Your onboarding process is a marketing channel. Your customer support team is a marketing channel. Your user interface is a marketing channel. Your product experience is a marketing channel. Every interaction is communicating something. Whether you intended it to or not.
The rise of AI, automation and digital technologies is making this even more relevant. As products and services become increasingly similar, experiences become one of the few sustainable differentiators. Technology can make businesses faster. Technology can make businesses more efficient. Experience makes businesses more memorable and, memorable businesses tend to build stronger relationships.
As a founder, I understand the importance of profit, businesses need profit to survive. But people do not wake up hoping to interact with profitable companies. They want to interact with useful companies. Helpful and thoughtful companies. Companies that make life a little easier, a little smoother or a little better. When this happens consistently, people remember and when they remember, they return. Perhaps that is why I believe experience branding will define the next decade. Because customers no longer separate the brand from the experience. To us, they are the same thing. The logo introduces a brand, the experience ultimately defines it. And in a world where everything around us is designed, every touchpoint is an opportunity to create something worth remembering.
The article is penned by Pratish Mepani, Founder & Creative Director, Starting Monday Design and Branding Co
Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.
experience brandingexperience marketing
