Testimonial—dan O'Brien

Dan O'Brien's testimonial is a turning point for Xsense and inspired this documentary film. Xsense was founded with the primary goal to offer more culturally connected real estate. Places people feel in love with, not because how large and expensive they were but because what they meant, how they felt and how they inspired humanity. 

However, what was missing was a sober calculation of the ROI of spending time and money on the research we do at Xsense. In real estate these calculations demand patience. It took a decade to come up with a good set of numbers and Dan was the person who took it upon himself to make the assessment. 

Dan was the person who hired Xsense during our formative startup years. He brought us into the team not because we could promise a certain ROI, but because he instinctively knew that the development had historic roots and the local community wanted these roots to be honored. Dan had faith in Xsense in bringing historic roots and modern development together; he challenged us and together we pulled incredible value out of what was real, true, meaningful and indisputably authentic.

Thank you, Dan!

—Uta Birkmayer

Dan O'Brien: We know the value of a strong brand that conveys who and what we are in an instant; some say invaluable. But as a CPA I know the generally accepted methodology of calculating that value. You can find it within the financial statements of any great company; it’s called Goodwill. Starbucks carries $3.5 billion in Goodwill or nearly 20 percent of their total assets. It’s important and meaningful to their shareholders. 

Dan O'Brien:  Experiential Design is what the next level of branding looks like. Experiential Design breathes life into inert real estate, especially when based on deep, cultural research. Gives it meaning, and drives purposeful development. As president of a leading residential life-style developer I learned the incredible value of this initiative. Xsense is the preeminent provider of Experiential Design or the Living Brand—anything you see, smell, hear, feel, and taste about a brand. It's culture. This is the brain child of founder, Uta Birkmayer. Authenticity is her secret sauce.

Dan O'Brien: Uta and her team at Xsense investigated the history of those properties in which I was interested in acquiring. Through their investigations they would reveal the true story of the land, including the contextual nature of that story. This story drove our strategic plan for honoring that history not only in brick and mortar but the way we intended to deliver services to our members. This gave meaning to the work we were doing. Our sales staff understood how each element of hospitality related from the design of our buildings and gardens, the naming of streets and our culinary delights, to the types of healing activities undertaken in our spa. Members embraced our offerings, feeling special in a place that was truly unique and authentically rooted in its place.

Dan O'Brien: We enjoyed a true competitive edge. We had a place with a true (not manufactured) story that none of our competition could claim. Some tried, on their own. But it was insincere, fake; a cheap veneer. It failed, as they demonstrated that they could not be trusted. Authenticity is critical; that means telling the good and not so good. I remember one of the pioneers was a bit of a tyrant. We told that story but in the context of his being surrounded by a very harsh environment that few survived. Being authentic, truthful and honest in telling our story paid off handsomely. We enjoyed a 3.50% premium in our prices compared with the competition. That may not sound like much, but on a home price averaging $700,000, that is a $24,500 premium on each home we sold which equates to $27 million additional income to our bottom line. All this even though we launched in 2008!

Dan O'Brien: Our business, like most businesses, is very fragile. One day you are on top, the next day you are on the rubbish heap of also-rans. It is incumbent upon all of us to remain fresh and relevant. There is no better way than telling your timeless authentic story and no one better than Uta Birkmayer and Xsense to tell that story and to pull that thread through all that you do. Your customer will appreciate it and reward you handsomely.

“Xsense, particularly through the concerned, aware, focused and professional input of Uta Birkmayer, was critical to the establishment of a cultural connection between the local Chumash community and Chevron Corporation, so that the entire community of Avila Beach could potentially benefit from that relationship. Due to the evolution of that cultural relationship, we are optimistic that an envisioned Chevron Avila Beach Tank Farm project will become a reality and a manifestation of cultural presentation and exchange that may well be a beacon that is recognized and applauded throughout the world.” 

“Xsense is exactly what’s always missing in projects. It’s the glue that keeps things together so that projects don’t fall apart.” 

“Uta Birkmayer is an important contributor to our international Experience Academy Executive Course in Europe. She and her team give life to our theme of Value Creation through Experience. Extracting meaningful experiences exactly fits our view on a new perspective on the Experience Economy. Xsense approaches experiential design not as marketing trick but as an important process that has the ability to transform our lives. This is an important reason why we invite Uta Birkmayer to contribute to our course and develop a multicultural executive course in the USA.” 

“The Xsense process brings together marketing, social science, and design knowledge into a holistic approach to placemaking that is unique and unprecedented. At a time when many academics are discussing the true nature of place and struggle with finding methods to capture its essence, Uta has distilled a set of practical and innovative tools to make the places in which we live healthier, more resilient, meaningful and beautiful.” 

“As Director of Community Design, responsible for the ‘vision’ of lifestyle architecture, site design, and landscape, I was impressed and intrigued by the personal connection and innovation that Uta and the Xsense team brought to our envisioning process. Through reconnaissance, insight, and inspiration, expressed in words, visuals, and mementos, Xsense guided the crafting of a relevant story of place through collaborative design. Our client will benefit from their unique ‘kit of ideas’ to better position and foster a distinctive ‘lifestyle culture’ for the community.” DTJ Design

“Collaborating with Xsense has reinforced for us the notion that great place making requires the ability to integrate design concepts with local customs and cultures into understandable, compelling, and memorable experiences for a project’s end users. The staff at Xsense works extremely hard at going beyond the superficial aspects of a storyline, creating experiences of depth and nuance for a project.”  W+P

“Uta and her Xsense team have been integral to the success of our Trilogy communities. This is particularly the case when we have brought them on board in the earliest, conceptual stages of our planning and design process. The world-class skill-sets that Xsense offers, as an augmentation to our team’s vision, have become fundamental to our success. Through their extensive research, creativity, and meticulous execution, Xsense has been invaluable in helping us establish not only a decisive competitive advantage, but also create communities that feel right to our residents. The value-added ingredients that Xsense delivers, far beyond the ‘bricks and mortar’ of their home, give our residents a sense of belonging to a real community, in the true sense of the term. That was always our goal when we conceived the Trilogy concept and Xsense has helped us raise the bar on the delivery of our vision.” Trilogy

“Who does an ‘out-of-the-box’ company call when they want fresh, inspired and innovative ideas? My company, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, called Uta Birkmayer because she asks great questions that get to the heart of what we’re trying to achieve. Moreover, unlike some consultants who leave you just hanging with the questions, Uta helps supply the answers – in multiple forms. In our case, this meant that she created many new ideas for our four-star luxury boutique Hotel Vitale on San Francisco’s waterfront. Not only did she come up with the ideas, but she sent us samples and visual inspirations. She’s a holistic thinker who is able to amplify the soul of your business.” JDV

"Private clubs have long struggled with the notion of membership marketing due to the inherent conflict between the exclusivity of membership and the selling process. Uta’s notion of experience marketing is one of the most successful methods I have seen to solve this challenge. She understands that membership demand is driven by creating high perceived value. By focusing on services and programs first, she helps clubs create a membership experience that people want and then communicates this to prospects through effective collateral materials. For the Tokyo American Club, Uta addressed the international membership’s unique needs as expatriates away from home and focused external marketing as well as internal product development on managing culture shock and bridging the cultural gap. Instead of being a ‘fortress’ of Western lifestyle, the club became a ‘gateway’ into a foreign culture. Special emphasis was put on the businessperson, as well as spouses and their families. In 2004, this experiential management approach is an emerging concept; Uta employed this strategy a decade earlier in Japan. This link between organizational strategy and the marketing plan is an innovative approach that is highly effective in creating a significant competitive advantage and increasing membership sales. " McMahonGroup

“Uta is a creative power thinker. Heavily armed with the latest research, her results-driven approach will focus entirely on your company’s essential customer experience. Working with Uta is highly motivating – and so are the results. Xsense elevates your ideas into a strategy that really works. I have general doubts about ‘regular’ consultants, but Uta is not one of them – she is in a class by herself.”  Airbus

“Few convert challenge to brilliant inspiration. For the decade I have known Uta in Asia, this was her routine. As a business woman immersed in masculine cultures, this is an additional achievement. Her perennial state of energy, self-challenge, innovation and organization is the genesis of her Xsense genius. For Uta the cliché is to practice what you preach and connect to culture in meaningful ways. Her efforts are exponential – with results anything but cliché.” HarmonyProject

“Few consultants understand and have internalized our ideas and frameworks in The Experience Economy better or more thoroughly than Xsense. Their design work across the hospitality, spa, and other high-touch industries, truly Xcite the senses to create compelling and engaging Xperiences.” StrategicHorozons