Experiential marketing is all about creating a moment between a brand and potential consumers. It’s about making a consumer feel good about a brand and what that brand has to offer.
This marketing strategy works on the emotive purchasing power of consumers, acknowledging that many individuals are consciously aware of the brands they are buying into. If a consumer experiences a positive emotion through a brand event, they are likely to associate that emotion with the brand, creating a bond and therefore increasing their propensity to purchase or engage in future.
The IPA Bellwether Report has noted a consistent increase in budgets for experiential marketing over 19 consecutive quarters, and in the Q1 2019 report, Events was one of only three categories that saw an investment increase. Brands are becoming more aware that in a world of digital, experiential marketing stands strong, leaves a lasting impression that far surpasses that of an online advert glanced at for a brief second while scrolling social updates.
Reach for the stars
When it comes to Experiential marketing, campaigns can reach consumers both directly, and indirectly. Most commonly, brands are looking for a direct reach. Creating brand loyalty directly with their target audience by way of immersing the consumer into a real-world experience. This can be achieved by activating a simple product sampling campaign, allowing target audiences to try a product and become familiar with the brand. In addition, activating a pop-up or incorporating activities or participation to exhibitions and events are all great ways to achieve direct reach in an experiential way.
However, these campaigns are unlikely to achieve much indirect reach. If you are not present at an event, did not participated in an experience, or receive a product sample, you are unlikely to build brand loyalty just by hearing these activities took place. However, experiential campaigns can be targeted to an indirect audience with great success – just think of the Tesla Roadster orbiting Earth right now. We didn’t experience it, but we’re certain Google searches, PR coverage, word-of-mouth, and ultimately interest in the brand made it one of the greatest experiential marketing stunts of all time.
Getting it right
Naturally, most brands want the most bang for their buck and this can sometimes be hard to analyse when ROI is not always measurable with such campaigns. However, with clear objectives, well-researched demographics for target audiences and an experienced agency, experiential activations can drive long-term advocacy and yield benefits far greater than an immediate ROI.
Check out the case study on our recent experiential activation for Blue Diamond – Almond Breeze.
If you would like to activate an experiential campaign, get in touch today to see how we can help – hello@highjam.co.uk
