Your customers aren’t keeping score.
They’re keeping memories.
And those memories aren’t a complete record of their experience with you — they’re edited highlights. Two moments do most of the heavy lifting: the peak and the end.
Everything in between matters less than you think.
Peaks make the story worth telling
The peak is the most intense, emotional, or delightful moment.
It’s the unexpected gift in the package. The one jaw-dropping scene in a commercial. The instant a customer service rep goes above and beyond.
It’s the part they’ll retell when someone asks, “How was it?”
The goal isn’t to have a dozen small “nice” moments. It’s to engineer one or two unforgettable ones that become the anchor for their memory.
Endings decide how they feel about it later
A perfect meal can be ruined by a bad dessert.
A great campaign can be tainted by a clumsy follow-up.
The last touchpoint isn’t just the end — it’s the lens through which the whole experience is judged. That’s why luxury hotels invest so much in checkout, and why strong brands treat the “thank you” page like part of the sales pitch, not an afterthought.
The middle is overrated
If you try to make every moment “perfect,” you’ll burn resources in the wrong place. Customers simply don’t recall the middle stretch with the same intensity.
The smartest brands spend disproportionate energy on:
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Creating one or two high points worth talking about
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Ending on a deliberate, emotional high
Everything else should support those moments — not compete with them.
Designing for memory, not just experience
When you plan a campaign, product launch, or customer journey, don’t just map the steps.
Ask:
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Where is the peak?
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How does the end reinforce the feeling we want them to carry?
If you get those right, customers won’t just remember you — they’ll remember how you made them feel. And that’s what brings them back.
