The Holy Trinity in retail at the RetailDetail Congress

Peter Decuypere’s Holy Trinity Method is a surprisingly fresh take on marketing, especially for retailers. The former music festival pioneer has now hit the stage himself, for instance at the RetailDetail Congress 2017. 

Starting with your – probably – most famous concept: the Holy Trinity Method. Could you briefly explain it?

P.D.: “The Holy Trinity is a very old story from the Christian tradition, about three elements that can each be distinguished separately in a triangle, but cannot be separated. For the Christian faith, this is about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

I transferred that idea to a triangle with the product as god. In my previous experiences in the event business, the artists are gods. Consider Bono on stage or Messi on a pitch, these are the gods we look up to.

On the other end, we have the (M)E-xperience, something you experience yourself. At an event, that could be food prepared by Sergio Herman or a jacuzzi, clean toilets or whatever you want it to be.

The third angle is the (W)E-xperience, meeting other people and the art of keeping that process going.

If you have plenty of gods, combined with plenty of (M)E-xperiences and (W)E-xperiences and get those all connected, your event will be all the richer and more intense.

Easily put: you could have the best artists on stage and a lousy venue, which makes the overall proposal less interesting?

P.D.: “Yes, you are right and we are not even talking about the venue. Imagine the toilets being broken, you would leave if you had to go. This can also be turned around positively: the toilets at Tomorrowland have almost become an experience. Therefore, this is not merely about avoiding negative (M)E-xperiences (like bad toilets).

In the old days, it was enough to have good performers on stage, but now, that is no longer the case. I am not saying it will not work, but it is no longer the most important aspect of event management.”

The point of view is mainly event-focused, but could you apply your method to a retail example?

P.D.: “In a Uplace keynote, I said that the gods actually do not make a difference, because there are too many gods. That is also the case for retail but on a product and brand level: it is very hard to distinguish yourself with a product or brand, especially for every-day items. The current omnichannel environment gives me the opportunity to buy a Canon camera from either Coolblue or a store, with no distinction between those products or brands.

Retail has to consider whether those (M)E-xperiences can be enhanced and I particularly believe that it is a store’s duty to make sure these (M)E-xperiences and (W)E-xperiences can fully develop. (Click here to see the Holy Trinity Thinking approach applied to Albert Heijn)
 

Let me give you an example: there are two ways to sell a camera. Number one is to say “here is the product” and people can come and see it in real life and then look for a cheaper option online. The second option is to organize a workshop with, for instance, Lieve Blancquaert to talk about the camera, which is an entirely different experience altogether.

The customer will not only learn something about photography, but also meet new people, who are also interested in the same hobby. On top of all that, the product can be bought at the workshop and that is what the Holy Trinity Method is. This way, you will not be forced to target the lowest price in order to get sales. Pricing is still important, but it is probably even more important how a customer gets to know a product. Is there an emotional connection to the discovery of that item?”

Were you surprised your book and methods were so easily applicable to the retail world?

P.D.: “Holy Trinity Method and Holy Trinity Thinking are another way of thinking, for events, retail and even personal things. It is a very simple model, but the roots trace back in time and it still works now. 

To be clear: I have not invented the wheel and I am not saying this is the only model that still works. No, it is just another way of looking at the situation.

I often hear that people get new ideas for their business during one of my keynote speeches and that makes me happy. The model is immediately applicable and I think that is why it is so popular. People read it and wonder “whether things could be that easy”. Well, they can be.”

What will be your message at the RetailDetail Congress on 27 April?

P.D.: “I will briefly explain my model based on a few case studies. My keynote will discuss the Holy Trinity Events and further explore retail to show that you can apply it in a broader sense. If the audience feels like they can do something with it and get the story, I will be very pleased.

Those who have heard me speak before, know that there are plenty of cases and that I try to explain things with a touch of humour and passion. I like telling my story and if people respond to it, all the better. I have no problem digressing from my prepared speech.

Every single one of my ideas hails from reality. With my smartphone in hand, I walk through my day and constantly run into situations I can use. That is why I cannot send my keynote speech three weeks in advance, because often I am still working on it an hour before I have to give the speech itself.”

Want to know more about Holy Trinity Thinking in marketing? Peter Decuypere will tell you all about it at the RetailDetail Congress on 27 april 2017 during the Game changers introductory program. Subscribe now!