Marketing Training Session: 1-Hour Workshop for Team

Title: Enhancing Marketing Strategy and Customer Experience

Objective:

To provide team members with a foundational understanding of key marketing principles, the experience economy, customer touchpoints, and modern methods for assessing customer experience, along with a case study and reflection assignment to apply knowledge.

Agenda (1 Hour)

Time Topic
0–5 mins Welcome & Objectives
5–20 mins Marketing Fundamentals, Experience Economy & Service-Dominant Logic
20–35 mins Touchpoints, Moments of Truth, Customer Engagement & Loyalty
35–50 mins Customer Experience Research (NPS, Mystery Shopping, Ethnography)
50–60 mins Case Study & Assignment Brief

Part 1: Marketing Fundamentals, Experience Economy & Service-Dominant Logic (15 mins)

Marketing Fundamentals

Marketing is more than advertising or sales; it is "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large" (American Marketing Association, 2017). The essence of marketing lies in creating and managing customer relationships in a profitable way.

The Experience Economy (Pine & Gilmore, 1999)

In their influential article, Pine and Gilmore (1999) argue that the economy has evolved from selling commodities, to goods, to services, and now to experiences. They state: “If you charge for stuff, then you are in the commodity business. If you charge for tangible things, you are in the goods business. If you charge for the activities you perform, you are in the services business. But if you charge for the time your customers spend with you, you are in the experience business.” (Pine & Gilmore, 1999, p.64).

They explain that experiences are inherently personal, exist only in the mind of the individual, and are memorable. Businesses that stage experiences aim to engage customers on an emotional, physical, intellectual, or even spiritual level. The aim is to create differentiation by offering value beyond functionality.

Example: Disney is a prime example, where every guest may experience over 74 touchpoints (Buttle & Maklan, 2019, p.206), carefully designed to contribute to a magical memory. Starbucks, similarly, does not just sell coffee but curates a sensory experience involving smell, music, ambiance, and personalization.

Service-Dominant Logic (Vargo & Lusch, 2004)

Vargo and Lusch (2004) introduced a paradigm shift in marketing thinking through Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic). They posit that “service is the fundamental basis of exchange” (Vargo & Lusch, 2004, p.2), emphasizing that value is co-created collaboratively between provider and consumer during use.

The key premises include:

  • Value is co-created with the customer and realized during consumption or usage (value-in-use).

  • Goods are merely distribution mechanisms for service provision.

  • Organizations must facilitate customers in achieving their goals rather than focusing solely on product delivery.

This approach moves away from the Goods-Dominant Logic where value is embedded in the product. Instead, marketers should “develop relationships, share knowledge, and adapt offerings to customer contexts” (Buttle & Maklan, 2019, p.49).

Example: Spotify provides a service that adapts to listeners’ moods and routines, co-creating value through personalized playlists and curated content.

Part 2: Touchpoints, Moments of Truth, Customer Engagement & Loyalty (15 mins)

Touchpoints and Moments of Truth

Touchpoints are any interactions between the customer and the organization. According to Buttle & Maklan (2019), they include “contact with the supplier’s people, products, services, processes, communications, or offices” (p.206). These can be pre-purchase, during purchase, or post-purchase.

Norman (1984) described touchpoints as “moments of truth,” critical interactions that influence customer perception. For example, a customer's first visit to a website (zero moment of truth) can either encourage further engagement or push them toward a competitor.

Disney, again, serves as an example: with over 74 touchpoints during a park visit, consistency and quality in each determine the guest's overall evaluation (Buttle & Maklan, 2019, p.206).

Customer Journey Mapping helps in visualizing all touchpoints and identifying pain points and opportunities to exceed expectations.

Customer Engagement, Loyalty, and Bonding Strategies

Engagement reflects the customer's level of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral investment in a brand. It extends beyond satisfaction to how involved or attached a customer feels.

Loyalty can be transactional (repeat purchases incentivized by points or rewards) or relational (built on emotional connections, trust, and alignment of values).

Buttle & Maklan (2019) categorize loyalty strategies as:

  • Transactional: loyalty programs, discounts, points systems

  • Relational: personalisation, storytelling, community engagement

  • Experiential: surprise & delight, co-creation of content/experience

Example: Apple builds loyalty not just through innovation but through creating an emotional bond with its users via sleek design, shared ecosystem, and brand ideology.

Bonding occurs when a brand becomes irreplaceable to a customer, often through deep-seated trust and identity alignment.

Part 3: Customer Experience Research (15 mins)

Net Promoter Score (Reichheld, 2003)

NPS is a widely used metric based on a single question: “How likely are you to recommend our company/product to a friend or colleague?” (Reichheld, 2003). Based on the response (0–10), customers are grouped into:

  • Promoters (9–10): enthusiastic, loyal advocates

  • Passives (7–8): satisfied but unenthusiastic

  • Detractors (0–6): unhappy, likely to churn

Score Calculation: % of Promoters – % of Detractors = NPS

Advantages include simplicity and ease of benchmarking. However, it doesn’t indicate why the score is high or low. Buttle & Maklan (2019, p.217) also caution that cultural biases may affect scoring patterns, making cross-border comparisons unreliable.

Mystery Shopping (Wilson, 2001)

Mystery shopping is a structured research method where trained observers assess the service anonymously. According to Wilson (2001), it is “a form of participant observation designed to evaluate operational performance” (p.723).

Mystery shoppers typically evaluate:

  • Staff behavior and appearance

  • Cleanliness

  • Compliance with scripts or procedures

  • Functional aspects (e.g., POS systems, signage)

The benefit lies in obtaining real-time, unbiased feedback that can help managers identify training needs or recognize strong performance.

Ethnographic Research

Ethnography allows researchers to enter the “customer’s world” by observing behavior in natural settings (Buttle & Maklan, 2019, p.219). It involves:

  • Accompanying customers

  • Recording experiences via video/audio

  • Asking questions during or post-experience

This method reveals unconscious behaviors and emotions not captured in surveys.

Example: Studying customers in a shopping mall to track their movement, decision-making, emotional responses, and overall journey provides deep insight into store layout, brand appeal, and bottlenecks.

While ethnography is time-intensive, it is invaluable for understanding the emotional and social dimensions of customer experience.

Part 4: Case Study & Assignment Brief (10 mins)

Case Study: WestJet Christmas Miracle (2013)

WestJet's holiday campaign asked passengers what they wanted for Christmas at check-in. While passengers flew, staff shopped and wrapped gifts, delivering them at baggage claim.

Impact:

  • Over 50 million YouTube views

  • Global praise and emotional resonance

  • Reinforced WestJet’s identity as caring and innovative

Marketing Theories at Play:

  • Moment of Truth: Created an unforgettable touchpoint

  • Experiential Marketing: Emotional engagement

  • Customer Bonding: Positive emotional memory strengthened brand loyalty

Team Assignment:

Pick one brand you admire. Identify:

  1. 3 Key Touchpoints

  2. 1 Moment of Truth (positive or negative)

  3. Suggest 1 Enhancement to surprise/delight the customer

Submission: One-slide summary by next team huddle

Closing Reflections

Marketing in the 21st century is no longer about products, but about people, perceptions, and experiences. Theories like Experience Economy and Service-Dominant Logic remind us that value is emotional and co-created. Successful brands map journeys, engineer delightful moments, and use research to iterate and innovate.

References:

  • American Marketing Association (2017). Definition of Marketing.

  • Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). “What Business Are You Really In?” Chief Executive, 148, pp. 62–66.

  • Vargo, S.L., & Lusch, R.F. (2004). “Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing.” Journal of Marketing, 68(1), pp.1–17.

  • Buttle, F. & Maklan, S. (2019). Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Technologies (3rd Ed.). Elsevier.

  • Wilson, A.M. (2001). “Mystery Shopping: Using Deception to Measure Service Performance.” Psychology & Marketing, 18(7), pp.721–734.

  • Reichheld, F. (2003). “The One Number You Need to Grow.” Harvard Business Review.

  • WestJet (2013). “Christmas Miracle: Real-Time Giving.” [YouTube Video]

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