We are all confronted with so many adverts today — both online and off — that we are generally blind to them. We block them out and disregard them. A study from 2007 found that city dwellers are exposed to over 5000 ads a day. It is safe to say that number will be even higher today with the advent of social media. As a result, clever marketers have to come up with other ways to get our attention, which is where experiential marketing can have an impact.
More and more people are looking for different experiences. The desire to share them on social media is partly behind this. However, increasingly people are looking for experiences rather than more stuff.
What Is Experiential Marketing?
Experiential marketing allows you to build brand awareness through direct face-to-face contact with consumers. Moreover, it is about connecting with them by providing authentic experiences. Consumers interact with your brand in a manner that they cannot via traditional or online marketing. It allows customers to buy products or services as well as to experience them.
Experiential marketing is not the same as event marketing, although it may include it. Experiential marketing aims to engage customers on a deeper level, not just through a one-off event. For instance if you created a fantastic new office with a photo booth and interactive history exhibition, that would count as experiential marketing. However, the offices are there to stay. They are not just one off events.
Benefits of Experiential Marketing
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Better Connection with Customers
Experiential marketing elicits emotional responses in participants that they are likely to remember. A 2020 survey found that 83% of people are more likely to buy items from brands to which they have emotional connections. With experiential marketing, you have the ability to connect more deeply with customers than you do through traditional or online marketing. Use the experience to provoke a strong emotional response.
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Personalized Marketing
People like to be treated as individuals, rather than just being numbers. Personalized marketing makes customers feel special. A 2020 Salesforce report found that 92% of marketers’ customers and prospects wanted personalized experiences. In addition to this, 78% of marketers found personalisation to have a “strong” or “extremely strong” impact. Experiential marketing is great for creating a personalized experience for the customer. From customized invitations to thoughtful gifts and immersive experiences, there are many ways to make the customer or prospect feel special.
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Memorable Experiences
We may be blind to adverts, but we remember experiences. If customers have memorable experiences with you, they remember your brand and products. This in turn potentially leads to greater sales.
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Tangible Value Offered to Customers
Investing in experiential marketing might seem expensive. However, the rewards will be greater than most other forms of marketing. If you give customers great experiences, they tell their friends and share on social media. This brings you the benefits of word-of-mouth and potentially more customers.
Examples of Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing works best when it is truly personalized, for instance taking customers out on a yacht or to a sports match. However, for more generic ideas, do one of the following:
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Trade Shows and Exhibitions
Trade shows offer great opportunities for live marketing and interacting with customers and prospects in a face-to-face setting. Try to make your stand an immersive experience for the visitor. Do this by including virtual reality software, demonstrating your products, hiring a magician or entertainer, or stimulating all the senses of visitors. Exhibition stand contractor Quadrant2Design incorporates various forms of technology built into their stands to create a unique experience for visitors.
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Pop-Ups
Pop-ups are temporary shops or events that support a brand’s marketing strategy. Offer freebies to those who provide their details, or a promotional discount. For instance, Louis Vuitton often hosts pop-ups on Rodeo Drive in LA that reflect the brand’s luxury image. They feature artistic installations and customized social media filters.
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Product Launches
Issuing personalized invitations to a product launch event make customers feel special. Giving consumers exclusive insights into new product launches and showcases is a great way to make new sales and get customers to remember you. Apple does this very well whenever launching a new product.
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Classes or Workshops
Participation is at the heart of experiential marketing, so hosting a class or workshop is a way to engage customers. This doesn’t have to be in person; it could be an online workshop. Educating your audience and in turn informing them about your brand are great ways to connect with them.
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Competitions
Competitions are good ways to engage prospective customers. They answer a few questions for chances to win experiences or your products. These can be live, at trade shows or events, or online through social media. For instance, IKEA hosts regular “IKEA Swede Dreams Takeover” events, where consumers enter to win spaces for special in-store events like yoga sessions and sleepovers.
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Virtual or Hybrid Events
Events don’t have to be live. They can be online or a combination of both to form hybrid events. Virtual events, when done well, can work well for experiential marketing. For instance, during the pandemic with all in-person events cancelled, Quintessa vineyard in Napa Valley switched to online tours and tastings. Participants had the wine delivered to their home ready for online tasting events.
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Internal Events
Experiential marketing isn’t just for customers. Businesses can also use it to engage and motivate staff. All-hands and kick-off events bring employees together. In addition, they strengthen bonds and boost morale. For instance, BT takes its best performing managers out sailing on Americas Cup yachts as rewards for good work.
Common Features
The common features of the best experiential marketing ideas are as follows:
- Clearly Defined Goals – What you are trying to achieve will influence the type of experiential marketing you choose.
- Authenticity and Credibility – Experiences must reflect the brand and its values.
- Engagement and Participation – Both are achieved from participants.
- Data-Driven Insights – Marketers should gather data about the participants and results to steer future campaigns.
Summary
Experiential marketing is about creating authentic, memorable experiences for consumers. Although it often represents a bigger outlay than many marketing activities, it is likely to be more successful. This is because customers like a personalized experience. Moreover, they like to feel special. People are much more likely to buy from a brand with which they connect. Experiential marketing will encourage the connection. Experiences are also remembered in ways that other forms of marketing are not. This, they make your brand live on in consumers’ memories.
