Issue Experience investment without a chosen emotional dimension yields poor return

Summary

McKinsey warns that experience investments pay off poorly when a company has not decided which emotional benefit it is trying to deliver. Survey respondents consistently rank quality time with others, relaxation, excitement and learning as their main reasons for choosing an experience. The report urges companies to state explicitly which of these dimensions a given experience is meant to serve. Without that focus, the initiative risks becoming shallow and failing to earn back its cost. McKinsey also recommends attaching clear, measurable brand goals, such as higher awareness or more product trials, to every experience a company designs. The underlying point is that the purpose of an experience format is to deepen engagement and reinforce a distinctive brand identity through repeatable moments.