Credits

Most of the ideas in The Experience Economy—certainly the core frameworks that form the foundation for our thinking and writing—owe their origins to the time, attention, and (often) money others have provided to us. Our work with and for certain individuals stands out as particularly important to credit as we consider the impact this book has had and continues to have in the marketplace of both ideas and action.

First and foremost, we acknowledge the work of the late Rohan Champion of AT&T, whose work with Joe led to the visualization of the five distinct economic offerings as the Progression of Economic Value. It has proved to be a much more powerful presentation than was our original pyramid framework.

We also appreciate the opportunity given to Jim by Fred Rockwood and Chris Ruberg of Hillenbrand Industries to work with Batesville Casket and Forethought Insurance. It was during this early work trying to more richly express the differences between mere services and memorable experiences that the mnemonic T-H-E-M-E was born, growing into the theming methodology we have since employed with countless other clients.

We devote two-plus chapters (counting the book’s Intermission) to the topic of how customizing a service turns that service into an experience. We are of course indebted to Stan Davis for originating the concept and coining the term mass customizing in his seminal book Future Perfect, which inspired Joe to write his first book, Mass Customization. After reading Joe’s book, Jim sent him a brief complimentary letter for articulating what he was also thinking about. Jim also enclosed a video capturing his tale of “Aaron the Shoeshine Man” about Kalamazoo’s Aaron Davis and his airport business. Aaron exemplified the very essence of customized customer relationships, and without him and Stan, the two of us may have never become collaborators.

With regard to our work in Mass Customization, we must also acknowledge the work Joe did with Bart Victor and Andrew Boynton in enhancing their Product-Process Matrix (found in figure N-1 in endnote 7-24). This framework is known by many people as “the Two-by-Two,” and in fact it was this model from Joe’s Mass Customization that compelled Jim to send that fateful letter to Joe!

Among the numerous sources we drew on in crafting the three chapters on the concept that “work is theatre,” we especially acknowledge the importance of Sally Harrison-Pepper and her seminal book on street theatre, Drawing a Circle in the Square. It was in reading this book that Jim first saw the connection between street theatre and Mass Customization (see figures 7-1 and 7-2, and again endnote 7-24). We discovered her book while immersing ourselves in researching various theatre principles—based solely on our view that experiences are staged. Taking in Sally’s findings from her time observing street performers in New York’s Washington Square proved to be the climactic moment in our studies. Interestingly, Sally had studied at New York University under Richard Schechner, whose work in performance theory had already highly influenced our thinking (see figures 6-2 and 8-1).

We’d also like to acknowledge select individuals (among the many we could name) who have helped transform our thinking into action. First, a very few of those who have championed in business the ideas and frameworks we write about in this book: Arnold Donald and John Padgett of Carnival Corporation; Dan Cathy and Jon Bridges of Chick-fil-A; Lee Knight and Dee Silfies of Exhibitor Magazine Group; Robert Stephens, founder of the Geek Squad; Jean-Philippe Gold of Hauts de France Tourisme; Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality; Gerry Givnish and Jim Cummings of Life Celebration Inc.; the late Joel Spira and also Mike Pessina of Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.; David Peckinpaugh and Greg Bogue of Maritz Global Events; Mark Greiner, CXO at Steelcase; and Josh Gitlin of Whirlpool. Second, a few of the many consultants who have used our ideas to help their clients shift up the Progression of Economic Value: Albert Boswijk (of the European Centre for the Experience Economy); Steve Dragoo (in groceries and food service); Doug Johnson (retail); Jeff Kallay (college campuses); Dave Norton (consumer insights); and Andre Wiringa (training). The healthcare industry has proven fertile ground for our ideas, for which we’d like to thank in particular Gary and Leigh Adamson, Rolf Benirschke, Matt Jenson, Shareef Mahdavi, and Sonia Rhodes.

Finally, one framework in the book is worth singling out among the many others: the four realms of an experience in chapter 2. It is by far and away the most academically researched model among the many we have developed, with scores of journal papers written on it. We thus feel compelled to share how it was first conceived. The two dimensions that frame the model came in a moment when Jim was contemplating the Christian sacraments of communion—“take eat, this is my body,” as Active-Absorption—and of baptism—as Passive-Immersion. (The parallel with Passover and circumcision in Judaism was also evident.) The profundity of this discovery was cemented in reading Psalm 27:4, where all four realms are represented (read it and see).

And so to conclude, we must here acknowledge the shared faith that brought the two of us together, and credit the sovereign Lord who providentially led us to craft this book. We do sincerely hope The Experience Economy continues to inspire untold enterprises to create economic value that enriches the lives of peoples everywhere.