Unique experiences: disruptive innovations offer customers more “time well spent”

Abstract

Purpose

This paper, written by leading brand experience consultants, aims to describe how disruptive innovation occurs for experience offerings.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a case study review of major disruptive experience innovators over the past 30 years.

Findings

The paper reveals that, different from manufacturers of goods and deliverers of services, experience stagers who were successful in disrupting their markets did not focus on the functional job to get done or on convenience. Instead, they concentrated on the emotional and social jobs to get done and on increasing time well spent by the customer.

Practical implications

Companies seeking to create meaningful experiences for their clients should not focus primarily on functional innovation and convenience. Companies should invest more in understanding the emotional and social jobs customers want to get done, creating the proper sequence of events that stages the experience, and delivers on promises made.

Originality/value

This paper extends the theories developed by Clayton Christensen on disruptive innovation, by offering companies three key new rules to consider when offering unique experiences.

Citation

Norton, D.W. and Pine, B.J. (2009), "Unique experiences: disruptive innovations offer customers more “time well spent”", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 37 No. 6, pp. 4-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570911001435