This is an extract of the book that is available at http://experiencedesigners.net/LittleBookShop/

1. ,
J adooore
K e n a z a r t E x p e r i e n c e D e s i g n e r s

2. Ingredient No.4 of J’adooore
Table of Contents
Introduction to the J’adooore series 08
An autopsy of enchantment 20
Facial cues that give away surprise 24
Why bother surprising people? 28
Three starting points to create surprise 34
21 leads towards good surprises 38
Frame surprises to limit bad ones 74
Six strategies used by storytellers 76
The component of mind-blowing surprises 93
Dazzling people online [interview Voyages-Sncf.com] 102
How to create ongoing enchantment as a large corporation 109
Four downsides to creating surprise 119
Other things I meant to say 128
Annexes 143
Checklist for Surprise (130). Interviews: Voyages-Sncf.com (102).
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J’adooore six ingredients that create fans
6 7

3. It was the beginning of November and I was finally taking my 3-day
retreat to Brussels. I stayed at the Bloom Hotel. My days were filled with walks in the city and stopping at cafés
or restaurants to enjoy my book... or books, I should say. At some point, as I was savouring my dinner at a nice
restaurant, the waitress asked me what I was reading. As I gave her the title of my book, she replied that she would
have the kitchen hold the next dish for a while. With a beaming smile, she added: “I understand now”. She knew
what it felt like to read the Twilight saga.
I was at a point in my career where I didn’t have much motivation to
carry on being a website expert. I would spend all of my energy helping users that I rarely met face to face, leaving
me feeling lonely and disconnected. I spent endless days protecting them from a horde of technical glitches and
marketing professionals in order to just keep the website simple. It’s not that this vocation was bad, but it wasn’t
providing any new challenges.
As I was walking through the city, I realized that I was looking for
something. Perhaps every time I walk in a city, no matter which city, no matter which country, I am always looking
for the same thing. My blog had a specific section just for this. The one containing the most posts, actually. As I was
walking through Brussels, I was looking for shops, restaurants, activities...with a look, a concept... an experience.
Lush, the fancy soap company, wasn’t satisfying for me any longer; I had seen them in New York, London and
Paris. I guess that I’m always looking for the same thing whether I am in Helsinki, Stockholm, Montreal, Porto, or
Barcelona. I’m looking for places with a signature experience. When I discovered the Mr. Potato-Head-all-you-can-
Why this book? fit-in-the-box-challenge in New York, I was satisfied. The concept is as follows: no matter how many pieces of the
Mr. Potato Head collection (ears, hats, shoes, bag,...) you manage to put in the box, as long as it closes, you pay
a flat rate of $18. When I discovered that a youth hostel in Stockholm had rooms on a river boat, I was satisfied.
As I was walking in the streets of Brussels, thinking about my great book, my great hotel room, this great little café by
the Parliament; I was thinking that there should be more great books that you don’t want to put down, more great
restaurants that people are willing to queue to get into, more hotels where you are just delighted to open your hotel
room’s door.And this is what was missing from my profession. I was working hard on taking away elements of negative
emotions, frustration, anger, misunderstanding, and complexity instead of doing what the entertainment companies do:
generate positive emotions... on purpose. I would spend all my energy making websites easy to use, instead of making
them great to use.
That was it... I finally had gotten it. I wanted to become an experiential
designer, a designer whose purpose was to generate emotions. I wanted more of those great products on Earth.
I wanted to make our everyday life more fun, delightful, even –dare I say– fulfilling. Once I was back in Paris,
I decided that I needed to increase my technical skills. Throughout the last 10 years, my hobby has been personal
development: I acquired some knowledge about the flow as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the languages
of love... but I needed more. I’m a technical gal; I need data, I need patterns, I need analysis. Checking out the
psychology curriculum in several universities made me pass on that option. I didn’t want to have my brain focused
on diseases and pathologies. As I couldn’t find a university curriculum that would teach me and certify me as an
expert on positive emotions, I decided to write a book. From my previous experience writing a book, I had realized
that it was a great way to simultaneously collect information, get interviews, reflect on topics from a distance as well
as provide focus.
Extracts of J’adooore Ingredient N°4 - Download full version at http://experiencedesigners.net/LittleBookShop
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans INTRODUCTIOn to the j’adooore series
8 9

4. “Pride: what is it that makes
us proud to work for a
company?’’
I was going to look into
“Passion: what produces the
spark that lights the fire?’’
emotions, one at a time.
And “J’adooore: what is it that
creates fans?’’
I had ideas for several
books:
What made me write this book
Have you noticed how some people are willing to queue all night long, on a chilly November night, just to be able
to get a pair of €130 Jimmy Choo shoes? Have you noticed how some people are willing to wait in line, in freezing
December, in order to get the new iPhone, the same one that will be available in all the shops the very next day? Have
you noticed how some teenagers, although averse to English lessons, are willing to break the law and download
episodes of their favourite American TV shows in its original versions as soon as they air an episode in the US? Have
you noticed how “I-show-no-interest-in-books” 9-year-old children are happy to pick up a 700-page book and can’t
wait for the next one? Have you noticed, how the “I-never-read” teenager reads the same book 3 times in a row?
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J’adooore six ingredients that create fans INTRODUCTIOn to the j’adooore series
10 11

5. Extracts of J’adooore Ingredient N°4 - Download full version at http://experiencedesigners.net/LittleBookShop
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans INTRODUCTIOn to the j’adooore series
12 13

6. ,
J adooore
Ingredient No. 4
Extracts of J’adooore Ingredient N°4 - Download full version at http://experiencedesigners.net/LittleBookShop

7. An autopsy of enchantment
Someone is part of a story line, He or she starts to understand that He or she shows signs of surprise
he or she expects something. something different is going on.
They might not feel concerned. They are It’s not one of those typical Oprah moments in which she
probably worrying about something different. surprises people: this time, she is the one in for a treat.
He or she checks with peers He or she ponders He or she expresses full He or she shares it with others
to make sure that it is OK to be enchanted. the meaning of it all. blown enchantment. over and over again.
And the key to it all is held within...
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE an Autopsy OF enchantment
20 21

8. 21 leads towards good surprises
1
AbercrombieFitch store openings
around the globe.
Size, super-sized/mini-sized
L’endroit
2 Plenty of
something
we love: when
I say plenty... I
Located in the Batignolles neighbourhood, this restaurant mean plennnnty
offers a wide variety of salads. Should you see one no matter what the eye
making its way to a table, you are bound to notice the candy is, the girls’ gleeful
diner’s face, full of signs of surprise: eyebrows raised, expression remains
mouth wide open. The salads are super-sized. the same.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE 21 leads TOWARDS GOOD SURPRISES
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9. 5
Misplacing, high-jacking
Ikea celebrated the 30th anniversary of the
Billy bookshelf by setting up numerous Billy
loaded with books at the famous Bondi Beach
in Australia.
Château d’Estoublon created a sensation in the
gourmet world with this perfume-bottle shaped
container for olive oil. While Veuve Clicquot
went the other way around by packaging its
champagne in what looks like a paint bucket.
Ultimate enchantment strikes worldwide as
Michelle Obama stars in a sitcom. Totally
unexpected coming from a first lady.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE 21 leads towards good surprises
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10. Creating a good surprise by
helping customers.
Providing unexpected acts of service will particularly
resonate with some of your clients.
12 The potential for quality time
Quality time is one of those moments in which a special someone
gives you undivided attention or when you share an activity with
someone.
SFR A mother
The French mobile company, back when they were In a magazine for young parents, you can read the story of a mother
popular and on the rise, would call you when your service who likes to surprise her child by taking him out of school for lunch
package wasn’t adequately tailored to your usage. They and go to a nice place with him. Just the two of them.
didn’t try to sell you anything else in the process. They
simply would say: “We just wanted to tell you that you
13
Le Quinzième
could be paying less money”. It was perceived as an act of
services, particularly for those customers that don’t really Cyril Lignac is a French chef who is often on TV. He owns a
take a second look at their monthly statements... As well restaurant in Paris, in the 15th arrondissement. Should you go there,
as for those that think it’s too much trouble to call and he might pop by your table and greet your party... in other words, he
figure out what plan might be adequate for them. might give you a little undivided attention. You should have seen my
friend’s face when he appeared. I hadn’t warned her that he might be
coming by.
Apple... again

When the first MacBook Air was released, Loïc Le Meur,
Le Comptoir des Cotonniers
the serial entrepreneur with 78,000 followers on Twitter,
mentioned via this platform that he was having some sells clothes for women. When walking into the shop, you will find
trouble transferring the data on his MacBook Air. A few clothing styles that are more appropriate to young women’s taste
hours later, he posted : “Someone from Apple just called on one side, while on the other side of the shop... the style will
me, they asked if they could help me!!!!” delight women of a more mature age. Le Comptoir des Cotonniers is
designed to please daughters and mothers alike, particularly those
shopping together. This means, the shop encourages mothers and
Apple when you are not Loïc Le Meur. daughters to spend some quality time together, under the same roof.
Carla, who proofreads this book, tells me that the other They organize fashion shows where they cast mother and daughters.
day she had an issue with an app on her iPod touch. She On their website, special links to promote complicity contests.
contacted their customer service department online. Not
only did they gave her a quick and appropriate response, The sons of the creators of Le Comptoir des Cotonniers have recently
but they also checked back on her 24 hours later just to launched their own brand, The Kooples, following a similar concept.
see if she had sorted out her problem. On the left of the shop, clothes for women are on display, while on
the right, clothes for men. They dress couples. That feeling of surprise
Carla is the kind of person who is starting to get a bit strikes when the shopper realises that it is a place designed to bring
annoyed with all the Apple blablabla going on, and they one’s significant other to spend - yet again - a little quality time
still managed to enchant her. Could you pull a Tony Micelli on your customers? together.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE 21 leads towards good surprises
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11. By creating an underdog,
Dolores Umbridge, a character
digging out adversity from Harry Potter and the
Daegu 2011: Usain Bolt creates a sensation Order of the Phoenix, creates a
as his false start disqualifies him from the surprise by demonstrating how
100 metres final. This jaw-dropping turn of mean and nasty she can be. By
events left journalists in a buzz: because of introducing this character into the
the new rules established by the committee, plot, the school itself becomes the
any false start would mean disqualification, underdog.
no second chances allowed.
The plump, pink-clad, kitten-lover
Therefore, this new rule would change the tortures students and undermines
outcome of the race: if Bolt, the fastest man respected teachers. She even
in the world couldn’t win it, who would? goes as far as firing the beloved
The whole world debated the new professor Dumbledore! She finally
regulations, in a good part disagreeing and establishes numerous regulations
qualifying it as “unfair”. to oppress all of Hogwarts, school
of witchcraft and wizardry, to
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mLrt0xuxsE almost suck all the joy out of it.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE Six strategies USED BY STORYTELLERS
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12. ‘‘That’s really nice. But my
product is not a story and my
audience is not in a restaurant.
What can I do to dazzle them?’’
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE DAZZLING PEOPLE ONLINE
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13. Let’s investigate the high-end W hotels,
a chain which is part of the Starwood group.
A place which they advertise as being uncommon, a place where
as they hand you the bill, they make the promise that every stay
will be a new experience. A place where employees are called
Talents. A place in which, as you are about to have breakfast,
the hostess invites you to pick a mug out of a wall of cups, every
single one being different, unique. Guests can then choose from
the latest designer mugs, to a 15 litre one, put it on his/her table to
mark his/her seat and then head for the biggest and most eclectic
Smörgåsbord I have ever seen.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE ENCHANTMENT FOR LARGE Corporations
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14. Seven other things I meant to say:
Make sure the place that holds
the most experience is in your
product. The more your product
will hold the surprise, the more
you will sell of it.
If you are anything like me, you
If you don’t surprise your will probably be scared.
If you enchant your audience If some of your audience audience enough, they won’t
once, they will look to see if has guessed right, they pay attention to you any When it comes to creating
there is more. will be proud about more. awesomeness, I noticed that
getting it right. your product doesn’t have
to be perfect, always funny,
always surprising, always
If you surprise them enough
different - to create the magic.
repeatedly, whenever you are
creating suspense they will stop No matter how many I’ve found that a standard
trying to guess the answer, they surprises (or good surprises good product sprinkled with
will give up control and just wait you create) your core a few jolts of surprises works
for your awesome solution. product has to be good. just as well.
J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE Other things I meant to say
128 129

15. those six other sources of revenue and the associated costs in your
business plan.
Five thoughts to The client is not the subscriber. The subscriber is more likely to be
my conclusion an early-adopter as described by The Rogers Adoption Curve: a
01. The business model is somewhere else
In this model, generosity is the key to the J’adooore, to creating
listening ear willing to take risks and try on new products. The very
one that will push new-found treasures on to their friends, again
and again. A sought-after persona who has finally declared him
or herself, providing you with their personal mailing address, skin
word-of-mouth. The money has to come from somewhere else than colour and hair type. Their $10 subscription is merely a token of
from the subscriptions. Birchbox and other clones have created their sustained interest.
associated sites where people can buy the full-size versions of
the products, involving loyalty points. Customer insights forms
are gathered a couple of weeks after the box has been received,
providing a great source of information for companies, straight
02. Trust
To those who are still defining their business strategies while
from the market. It provides them with data, that they are willing to
pay for. Some Birchboxed brands have claimed that they definitely reading these lines: get a face, a voice to curate your box, to act
have seen bumps in their sales after hosting a monthly give-away. If as the green light that declares the content of your box to be cool.
a new product has been showcased in a box, Sephora might even The more confidence your subscribers will have in your team, the
label them with stickers such as ‘‘products buzzing right now’’. I easier it will be.
03.
know that Vente-Privée.com charges the brands for the promotional
material they create to present the items that are for sale. The
money has to come from somewhere else, otherwise the source of
Integrated into their world
bad surprises are too high to be sustainable in a 5 to 1 ratio of good If we look at the fine line connecting their boxes to good surprises, I
surprises with your clientèle. find that one of the tangible keys to their enchantment is showing that
A word of advice to readers eager to embark into this fabulous you live in the same world as they do. It’s not about your company, or
adventure of producing a Surprise box.: You might want to include
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J’adooore six ingredients that create fans ingredient n°4 SURPRISE Annex 2- BEAUTY BOXES CASE STUDY
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16. Full download of the book at
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