TonyG

I have decided to play a WSOP event this year. My reasoning in doing so is two fold:

1. Take a shot at winning a bracelet and ship a 6 figure score.
2. Soak in the experience of playing a WSOP event.

The thought of winning a bracelet and going down in poker history excites me. Winning life changing money would be awesome as well. However, the more I think about it, it’s the WSOP experience I am after. I have played live poker several times but never a sanctioned tournament the size of Series events.

Don’t get me wrong, I will try to run over my table and win the bracelet. When it comes to poker, I am fierce competitor. I am simply saying that a major part of my decision to put up the money for the event was/is the WSOP adventure. I want to be apart of something noteworthy and historic.

This got me thinking. How many products/services are out there that give consumers this “experience”. Some call it “added value”, but I think it is more than that. There exists a user experience (and their later memories of said experience) which surpasses any real value associated with the product/service.

The initial examples I came up with were expensive, long term investments: vacations, that dream home you always wanted, a ticket to the Super Bowl, a weekend basketball camp in Las Vegas with Michael Jordan, etc. However, there are “everyday” products being bought right now for reasons other than practicality or necessity.

As marketers, we have the ability to mold expectations and impressions. Are you selling a product or an experience?

- Tony