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© 2013 © 2012
Margot Bloomstein @mbloomstein #ConfabMN Confab June 5, 2013
WHOA NELLIE! CONTENT STRATEGY FOR SLOW EXPERIENCES
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These people are waiting in a line.
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These people are delighting in a line: they’re engaged, anticipating, discovering, creating memories. They’re in the moment.
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These people are delighting in a line: they’re engaged, anticipating, discovering, creating memories thanks to content.
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Content will change an experience and a user’s perception of it.
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You wait longer, but you’re engaged before you get there. You’re invested in the experience.
Keri Maijala (@clamhead)
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When people have a frustrating experience, they rate the checkout as slow.
When we ask people what’s ‘slow,’ it’s the frustrating experiences. What’s fast? They say delightful experiences.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Frustration drives the perception of slowness. That was horrible and it took forever, no matter how fast it is.
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Efficient isn’t always effective— or good.
Users say frustrating activities take forever. But are time-consuming activities also inherently frustrating?
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© Charlotte & Kristian Septimius Krogh
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Users can appreciate slow experiences: they’re engaged, anticipating, creating memories. They discover, learn, and pay attention to act deliberately.
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“bad” slow vs. “good” slow?
© AT&T
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Is the nature of the transaction so small and insignificant that it shouldn’t require a second thought? Don’t get in the way. Or will the consumer get to the final transaction after plenty of preliminary research? Again, don’t make them rethink it.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Users can appreciate slow experiences: they’re engaged, anticipating, creating memories. They discover, learn, and pay attention to act deliberately.
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What are your goals?
• Drive exploration & discovery • Encourage deliberate choices • Focus users’ attention
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How do you set the pace? • Editorial style and structures • Discovery-oriented content • Design that creates space
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How do you set the pace? 1. Editorial style and structures
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Users can appreciate slow experiences. they’re engaged, anticipating, creating memories.
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Users can appreciate slow experiences. they’re engaged, anticipating, creating memories.
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“Choosing a lens can be a daunting task for all of the reasons mentioned above, so I pulled together some info from my own experiences, as well as those of other Crutchfield shutterbugs.”
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“Springtime shaded belays at the creek, predawn starts in the Canadian Rockies and hut tours in the High Sierra: Anywhere brisk, the Down Sweater delivers featherweight, superbly compressible warmth. The polyester ripstop shell on this down jacket does more than look sharp; it’s tear-resistant, windproof, and made from 100% polyester.”
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How do you set the pace? 2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
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Courage in our convictions
Empirical proof
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How do you set the pace? 3. Longform content
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Attention must be paid
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The right content slows down users, focuses their attention, and helps them act deliberately. It respects them and the topic equally.
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But does it work?
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The outdoor recreation economy grew 5% annually between 2005 and 2011—during an economic recession when many sectors contracted.
Outdoor Industry Association
Source: Outdoor Recreation Economy Report 2012; http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/OIA_OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REI
industry average
The outdoor recreation economy grew 5% annually… while REI averaged 11% YOY growth
Source: REI Financial Information reports 2005 – 2012; http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html
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Source: http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html and EMS press releases
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Store growth supporting content availability
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Our content strategy is pretty simple: we stay as close to our core market as possible.
Patagonia’s always had a literary, storytelling component to the brand. It’s in line with what we say: buy less stuff and make sure what you buy lasts.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
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On a short-term basis, it doesn’t help us move product. It doesn’t meet your weekly sales goal. It’s not about short-term ROI. It’s something we enjoy and the people we build clothes for enjoy.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
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BE HERE NOW
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BE HERE NOW
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BE HERE NOW
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Thank you, Giselle Abramovich, Joe Baz, Bill Boland, Laura Creekmore, Matt Grocki, Sarah Krznarich, Kristina Halvorson, Michael Lohmiller, Jared Spool, Russ Unger, and Anne Weiskopf.
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Thank you
Margot Bloomstein
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