The Rise of Experiential Marketing
Don't miss the creative way companies are deciding to market their brands!
Imagine you're walking down the street and a random person stops you. They ask, somewhat forcibly, if you want to buy their new product. They don't wait for you to stammer and mumble a lame excuse - you have to get to work, rush to a meeting, walk your friend's dog, train for a marathon, really anything else you would rather do than talk to this street vendor. They completely ignore your reluctance to talk to them and start their sales pitch. The reality is, you have all the time in the day to talk to this person and hear their spiel, but you don't want to. The experience is awkward, weird, and all out uncomfortable.
Situations like this happen ALL THE TIME. People go into defense mode in these cases, making sure they check their phone or keep their eyes down so they can do anything to not be swindled on the sidewalk. These encounters are useless when companies are trying to reach an audience that won't participate back.
Experiential marketing has changed the game. The rise of experiential marketing has shifted the uncanny and awkward pass-bys to memorable personalized experiences. Here are the benefits to this creative concept, and why companies have decided to invest in this avenue of marketing.
1. The Personalized Experience
With a society that's so technologically driven, experiential marketing creates an experience that forces consumers to put down their phones and fully engage. This experience establishes a positive brand to consumer relationship and keeps the consumer interested for the future. On top of that, the customer will walk out, and want to let everyone know what they just experienced.
2. The Tangible Take-away
The key to leaving a lasting impression is having something tangible to take away from the event, like custom apparel. Every time customers look at or wear the merchandise, they'll recount the brand and the positive experience they shared. In fact, according to the 2017 EventTrack Survey, about 70% of brands say that customers are more consciously active with brands that provide a branded experience than customers that are not. The branding opportunity is there for the taking, and companies will benefit even more for adding that little something to bring home.
3. Opportunity for Newfound Partnerships
Most experiential marketing projects find partners to help alleviate some of the workload. Creating partnerships allows you to establish new connections, and work toward expanding capabilities. Some brands decide to partner with branding companies to help create authentic and personable products. Other companies partner with local shops or events to foster growth in their community. Either way, partnering with another company or branding agency for an experiential marketing campaign can allow for exponential growth.
4. Social Media Marketing
Remember when I said that consumers will physically put down their phone during an experiential marketing event if it's good? It's true. They will fully engage with the event that's being put on. And, if you're lucky, they will take their phones out, snap a picture, and spread the word - especially millennials. They might even slap a hashtag to their post. Getting attendees to help market the event on social media is an amazing way to grow your brand awareness.
It comes as no surprise that our society is pushing for bigger and better. With technology at the forefront of our lives, the opportunity to create unconventional, other worldly experiences is within reach. Experiential marketing has pushed the boundaries and has encouraged even the most phone obsessed consumers to put down their device, look around, and experience something profound.