Arrrrr! 🏴☠️ Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Category Pirates. Each week, we share radically different ideas to help you design new and different categories. This "Contributing Pirate” series features successful Category Designers who have effectively carved out a niche in their market. For more: View the mini-book archive | Listen to a category design jam session | Dive into an audiobook | Enroll in the free Category Accelerator email course
Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,
What do Disney theme parks, Tough Mudder races, and Burning Man have in common?
They aren’t just experiences — they transform who you are.
According to Joe Pine, a fellow category designer and co-author of The Experience Economy, transformative experiences are the future of business. It’s not about selling products or “vibes.” It’s about guiding your customers to become who they want to be.
Think about it:
Disneyland doesn’t just sell tickets. They let you become a Jedi in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
Tough Mudder doesn’t just offer obstacles. They turn you into someone who thrives on the impossible.
Burning Man isn’t just an art and music festival. It’s a utopia where you rediscover freedom, creativity, and community.
Companies that create experiences aren’t just selling—they’re changing lives.
In this Contributing Pirate mini-book, we’re diving into Joe’s work on transformations.
If Joe’s name sounds familiar, it’s because his work shapes how we think about customer experiences as narrative-driven adventures. In The Hero’s Journey, Joe challenged us to reimagine the customer’s path as a story of transformation. Today, he takes it even further to show how to design experiences that engage AND fundamentally change lives. He’s been using this approach for decades to help businesses create new and different categories that no one else can compete in.
“Transformations” isn’t a word he uses for flash — it’s intentional Languaging.
It’s also not a sleazy sales gimmick to get people to spend more money.
(Joe will explain why).
When you move beyond memorable experiences, you can begin to deliver transformations that change how people think, act, and live.
Imagine your business helps people achieve their deepest aspirations: becoming healthier, mastering a new skill, or designing a fulfilling career. (Like how Apple watches turn health tracking into a movement toward longevity. Or how Peloton is a community that inspires you to become the best version of yourself.)
Joe will break down why transformative experiences matter, how to create them, and why they’re the key to building loyalty so deep that no competitor can touch you.
Ready to reject the transactional mindset and help your Superconsumers achieve their deepest goals?
Let’s dive in.
Every word that follows comes straight from Joe Pine. We're sharing his wisdom exactly as he wrote it. Because when a fellow category designer creates something legendary, you don't mess with it. 🏴☠️
Memorable Experiences engage people in an inherently personal way.
Note that first word: memorable.
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