Creating a brand identify is the easy part. Creating a total brand experience is the hard part.

A brand identity is how you want others to perceive your brand. It includes many components such as your logo, tone, tagline and typeface. A brand experience, on the other hand, is what causes people to feel emotion toward your brand.

How Disney Has Created an Experience – Not Just an Identity

Consider Disney. People don’t just see Disney and think Mickey Mouse or 2-hour tearjerkers in the movie theaters. They feel Disney. Many of us can agree that Disney brings us back to our childhoods. Seeing families posed in front of the castle reminds us of our own vacations as kids.

If you’ve ever been to the theme park, you’ll find that the Disney brand is etched into every experience, from the hotel rooms to the restaurants to the transportation. Everything done at the park is tied into the Disney experience, which is why people are able to fully immerse themselves in this culture that is separate from Florida.

As wonderful of a job as Disney does creating this experience, it couldn’t happen without its employees. The “Most Magical Place on Earth” isn’t going to be joyful if the employees are rude. All Disney staff realize their role in supporting the overall mission of the company.

How You Can Build a Brand Experience

Disney is an exceptional example of a company that has achieved a high level of branding, but that doesn’t mean your smaller business can’t learn a thing or two. Let’s dive into some of the ways that you can create a complete experience that humanizes your brand and engages consumers.

• Think Holistically. The experience you provide customers with needs to be consistent and complete. Consistency means that customers know what to expect each and every time, while completeness requires that you give attention to each and every touchpoint.

• Execute Tonality. Your tonality should be consistent with your marketing, otherwise you won’t be able to emotionally connect with your customers. Your tonality – or personality – should always be a conscious effort.

• Include Your Employees. Much of your brand’s personality will come from your employees. Your friendly website doesn’t mean anything if customers aren’t welcomed by a friendly team. Include your employees in your decision making, whether it’s coming up with design elements like signage, ways to support the company or ideas for a custom trade show booth.

• Enlist Key Leaders. It’s important to have key leaders throughout your organization, as these individuals have a deep understanding for your brand promise. Any new store launchings, product campaigns or trade show events should be led and supported by these key individuals.

• Refresh the Experience. While consistency is vital to the brand experience, you must balance this with innovation. Customers need their experiences refreshed so that they are constantly engaged, and you’re able to bring in new audiences all of the time.

Creating a brand experience is one of the most exciting challenges of being a brand. By following the tips above and using corporations like Disney or Lego as inspiration, you can gain insight as to how to best utilize every touchpoint for a complete and memorable brand experience.