'Unepectedness'_3rd Principle of Spacebranding

Jooyun Kim's 
Spacebranding vol.12


"The unexpected space where customers are immersed is the highest level of emotional communication pursued by the brand."

<Unexpectedness; A powerful feeling of novelty and impression>

The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, USA commissioned New York design firm Rockwell Group to renovate the hotel's west lobby in 2010. The Rockwell Group explored the intersection of the physical space and the digital world in this lobby, creating an incredible immersive space that customers can't forget with digital media works that are not common to experience.


The hotel used this space as a representative means of public relations, produced an introduction video, posted it on YouTube, and the words explaining the space are very interesting. ‘Curious experiences’, ‘curated experiences’, ‘inspirational experiences’, ‘new, unique, fresh’, ‘beautiful narratives’, ‘seductions’, ‘fun fantasy’, ‘charming and unique experiences’. All of these words can be useful for explaining the space that gives you the pleasure of surprise and for planning unexpectedness.

<Unexpectedness; Positive surprise>

Stimulation of space has a great influence on customer behavior. The stimulus should be designed as the concept of time. The concept of time requires an impression of space that induces appropriate behavior, and unexpectedness is the key. Thomas Gad, a global brand strategist, says it is surprising to pick one of the most important things in branding. Of course, it is a positive surprise.

The Netflix original drama <Squid Game> space campaign was installed at Itaewon Station. The space where the scenes in the movie are set up as photo zones is enough to surprise and entertain subway users. ©Jina Kim

Surprise is an unconscious brain activity. Brain scientists have found that the human brain not only looks for the unexpected but even craves it. Customers want something to show off proudly, something new spatial symbols of the brand. The positive experience of surprise beyond expectations for a brand increases brand loyalty.

Dazaifu Starbucks Coffee Japan design by Kuma Kengo ©Jooyun Kim

Dazaifu Starbucks Coffee Japan design by Kuma Kengo ©Jooyun Kim

Surprising in a space is a strong pleasure given by novelty and impression, and that pleasure leaves a positive perception of the brand.1)  Therefore, the space for spacebranding should provide an unexpected surprise in simplicity. In order to understand the satisfaction of customers given by unexpectedness, it is necessary to clearly grasp three terms. It's feeling, impression, and immersion.

<Unexpectedness; Feeling>

Definition of feelings via dictionary is "a state of emotion that varies from time to time depending on the object or environment." Masuda Muneaki, founder of TSUTAYA, Japan's top lifestyle brand, says the secret to his success is 'focusing on the customer's mood'.

Tsutaya Daikanyama T-Site design by Klein Dytham Architecture ©Jooyun Kim

Because the store exists for the customer, not the customer for the store, he becomes the customer's mood and looks at the same store several times in the morning, lunch, and evening.

Tsutaya Daikanyama T-Site design by Klein Dytham Architecture ©Jooyun Kim

Tsutaya Daikanyama T-Site design by Klein Dytham Architecture ©Jooyun Kim

In that way, he created representative spaces that impress customers, such as Tsutaya Bookstore in  Daikanyama.2) The way he finds the answer in business is simple. It's "thinking in the customer's mood."

<Unexpectedness; Touched>

The customer's mood is related to pleasure and happiness, as mentioned earlier in the sense of space. A sense of happiness in space always accompanies emotion. If customers are impressed by the space of a company or business, spacebranding is very likely to be successful.

Jeju Waterwindstone museum design by Itami Jun from https://waterwindstonemuseum.co.kr

Impression's definition refers to "feeling big and moving the mind" via dictionary. It is an emotional activity, not a rational activity. Emotional empathy allows readers to immerse themselves in the core content they want to convey with a sense of happiness.

<Unexpectedness; Immersion>

Immersion refers to 'to dig deep into or fall into' in the dictionary. Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines immersion as an optimal experience and a state of high creativity and productivity. He borrowed the word flow as a word for explaining immersion.

Immersion refers to a state of having a sense of unity with the object of immersion through 'a feeling of being comfortable as if flowing water' and 'a feeling of freedom flying in the sky'.3)

Esprit Dior Seoul Exhibition 2015 ©Jooyun Kim

A space that inspires immersion works as the most powerful aesthetic identity in business. 
For spacebranding, the above words should be realized as an immersive space of surprise combined with the identity of the business, and it should be a space where customers can emotionally sympathize.

Esprit Dior Seoul Exhibition 2015 ©Jooyun Kim

The unexpected space where customers are immersed is the highest level of emotional communication pursued by the brand. The sense of immersion of the unexpectedness experienced in space is participatory, communicative, playful, and continuous.4) A happy immersive experience where the business space and the customer become one makes the customer a fan of the business.





<Summaries>

"The unexpected space where customers are immersed is the highest level of emotional communication pursued by the brand."

"The sense of immersion of the unexpectedness experienced in space is participatory, communicative, playful, and continuous."

"Customers want something to show off proudly, something new spatial symbols of the brand."

"Surprising in a space is a strong pleasure given by novelty and impression, and that pleasure leaves a positive perception of the brand."

"The space for spacebranding should provide an unexpected surprise in simplicity."




Jooyun Kim <Spacebranding> pp80-83
1) Thomas Gad, Customer Experience Branding: Driving Engagement Through Surprise and Innovation, Kogan Page, 2016, pp. 33, 42, 44-45
2) Masuda Muneaki, 增田のブログ, CCCメディアハウス, 2017, pp. 376
3) https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/몰입
4) 하은경, '디지털 미디어에 의한 공간체험의 몰입구조에 관한 연구', 홍익대학교 박사학위 논문, 2010.6., 89-114쪽


Jooyun Kim

jykim@hongik.ac.kr






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