Seoul, KOREA ¶ Dec 12, 2011 (Whowired) -- Experiential marketing, most notable in consumer electronics and automakers industry in Korea for now, is gaining traction in the marketplace with a new entrant rapidly applying this emotionally loaded marketing technique to win the hearts of customers: The hospital industry.

In the face of the current economic downturn, the medical industry including hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities, is revamping its general interior design to provide customers with special experience: amusement, affection and achievement by effectively managing the five experiential factors (sense, feel, think, act and relate). 

And this trend is uniquely prevailing in obstetrics, cosmetic surgery centers and dental clinics -- places largely targeted at female customers who appear more sensitive to emotions or experiential factors. Waiting room, for example, is undergoing transformation with it presenting itself as a kind of cafe with a feel of luxury where customers feel like they are well taken care of as in the place like a posh hotel.

Design of ward rooms are going through some change;  beds have been made in a streamlined shape and overall interior design delivers customers a unique feel as if they were taking a holiday rather than taking a treatment. Besides, state-of-the-art technology like a recovery capsule with oxygen therapy is enhancing the customers' experience at the place.

Making experiential-zone as a kind of a cafe is all the rage in Korea in particular. Samsung, for example, opened “Sam’s CAFE" recently. This is a multi-purpose cafe zone where young customers can casually enjoy the company’s up-to-date smart IT devices like Galaxy Note, Samsung Slate PC. And automaker brand such as Hyundai and GM Korea, teamed up with Korean coffee franchises to give customers a unique chance to feel and touch their new car models while seeping a cup of coffee.

Running a variety of target-specific experiential programs will help companies appeal to a wider range of customer groups in the long run. For instance, Nike’s “We run Seoul 10k” marathon event promoted Nike products as well as provide customers with opportunities to experience life styles Nike aspires to. And this marketing trend, first introduced in 1998 when the term of “experience economy” by strategy consultant B. Joseph Pine II, Bernd Schmitt (professor at Columbia Business School in New York), will be a lasting and dominant force in the marketplace.

Sam Kim (press@whowired.com)