Latest Unthinking - November

Ready for your next course? 🍽

When we (Unthink) talk about memorable moments at our Learning Experiences, we talk about creating intense emotion that makes us gasp, laugh, smile and on occasion fight back the tears.

Humans crave experiences that stir emotions and make us feel alive.

After all, most events in life are all too forgettable… and companies are missing a trick here. When we put their design hats on and take the time to spot opportunities to create remarkable moments, we can build loyalty, brand equity and turn audience into community.

And we’re not talking about spending thousands of pounds to hire posh venues or send expensive gifts.

We’re talking about thoughtful gestures that others cannot or would not replicate.

Here are 4 stories that have caught our eye from companies who have personified this approach.

1. Fizz off

   Sarah Thomas, Unthink Co-Founder, received a tool box from Halifax after buying her house, instead of the usual bottle of fizz in the fridge. A bottle of fizz is a nice touch, but predictable. Of course, it will get drank but in the chaos amongst moving house and assembling furniture, Halifax opted for practicality and difference.

2. Happy Birthday Kiddo

   7/11 - there is one company who could do this, and that’s why they did.

   

    

3. And for your final course…

   Eleven Maddison Park - when General Manager Will Guidara overheard a family on their final stretch of their New York vacation mention they’ve not even had a hot dog yet, he knew what would make this dining experience remarkable. Within ten minutes he’d bought a $2 hot dog off the street and convinced the chef to plate it so he could return to the table with an improvised and hugely personal gesture.

4. A fun purse

   Ritz Carlton encourage their staff to surprise and delight their customers by giving each of their staff $2000 to spend however they want with no sign off, under one rule: it must create a memorable moment. This isn’t just for front of house too… The WHOLE team have this authority. One example is a little girl who left her giraffe at the hotel in Florida. They didn’t just send it back, they took it on a tour of the hotel, photographed it having a great time around the resort, printed the photos and posted the album back along with the toy. Magical.

   

Everyone has heard the stories about Berlin’s infamous nightclub, Berghain - and its legendary gatekeeper, Sven, whose piercing stare can decide your fate.

The door isn’t just an entrance; it’s a test. The queue outside hums with nervous energy as locals and tourists wait, each hoping to be chosen to cross the threshold into something almost mythical.

No one enters unless they are chosen. You might have been to underground parties before, but Berghain is different.

No matter what time you come (it opens from Friday night until Monday morning. It's described as marathon clubbing at its best), there’s always a queue.

Inside, Berghain is like nothing you’d ever experienced. The music hits like a pulse - deep, physical, consuming.

No one cares who you are or what you do. In here, there are no roles, no judgment, just presence.

What makes Berghain truly different is what’s missing: phones.

No photos, no social media, no distractions.

The experience is sacred, meant to be lived, not captured.

It’s a radical idea in a world obsessed with sharing every moment.

In a world obsessed with sharing, Berghain asks you to simply be.

True freedom isn’t about giving up everything - it’s about fully engaging with what’s in front of you and embracing the experience. The hardest door to walk through isn’t Berghain’s… it’s the one that shuts out the noise of the outside world.

What else is coming up?

2026 book club starts again on January 30th… Radical Candor by Kim Scott is up first and rightly so. As always, you’re invited, just respond “book club” to this email to get the invite.

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See you again in December!

Team Unthink 🫶

Graphic of the month chosen by Owen Waters. P.S, in 2026, these will be chosen by you, the readers - send us scroll stopping graphics and see them feature in our newsletter.