Episode 4: Arpad Molnar (Obsidian Wine Co.)

Arpad Molnar, Co-founder of Obsidian Wine Co.

Even more than corporate workplaces, retail businesses felt the massive surge of the experience economy when consumers started shopping predominantly online, forcing stores to rethink what their physical footprint means and why shoppers would want to make the effort to travel there. Enter the deluge of experiential retail with brands creating whole brand “stores” that had no product--or very little--and focused the physical space around aspirational lifestyle moments and brand storytelling.

In this episode of the Soundbite Series, we talk to Arpad Molnar, co-founder of Obsidian Wine Company, who has always understood that experience is a fundamental part of selling products or services. As a student of commerce and culture, an entrepreneur and citizen of the world, Arpad has built his business to lead with experiences that build community. The outcome of that work is a new adventure series that prizes culture, connection and education as the connective tissue that imparts the brand ethos. What comes from that, organically, is product sales.

Listen in to hear Arpad reflect on the importance of brand values and connection to creators and community in building a business and indeed, bolstering the bottom line. Whether in retail, in lifestyle services or corporate work environments, well designed brand experiences make the difference in building emotional connection and human loyalty. Whether businesses are trying to win customers or keep valued employees, creating an engaging retail experience across the brand ecosystem is the linchpin of elevated performance.

The difference between a brand that behaves as a marketing story, and one that lives and breathes its authentic values can be felt in a well-crafted experience. And when people feel what is real and true—reflected in every touchpoint of the environment and the narrative—they buy in—to the product, the purpose and the passion. 

Arpad’s Soundbite Topics:
-A Return to Community in Retail
-Crafting Environments Opens Creativity
-Experiential Retail and Community Building
-Experiential Settings Create Connection
-Experiential Storytelling Sells Product
-With Increased Access, Consumers Seek Values and Community