GVSExperiential Marketing; the one marketing method customers can’t resist and brands can’t miss.
Using this guide to experiential marketing, you can create a truly irresistible campaign to excite and engage potential customers. Whether you are launching a new product or simply trying to get your name out there, experiential marketing is for you.
What is Experiential Marketing?
Otherwise known as “engagement marketing”, “live marketing”, “participation marketing” and a great deal of other expressions, experiential marketing describes a strategy whereby consumers are engaged and involved with the promotion of a product or brand. Through providing entertaining or physical interaction with a product or brand and turning those experiences into memories, consumer engagement is heightened.
Simply put, experiential marketing brings products and brands to life through activations (e.g. samples, activities, events and more) to forge connections with consumers.
When done well, experiential marketing is the opposite of traditional marketing; straying from intrusive ‘salesy’ approaches, and instead encouraging consumer-led interaction. Essentially, you want consumers to be so intrigued and excited by your campaign that they approach you, and perhaps don’t even realise it is a marketing strategy at all.
However, experiential marketing relies on more than handing out samples or creating a fun interactive experience, researched is vital. Before launching any campaign, awareness of target audience, campaign goals and follow-up process is fundamental. From ensuring your experiential campaign is physically and chronologically well placed for maximum exposure to target audience, to finding a way of measuring campaign success, experiential marketing takes planning.
Below shall explore experiential marketing examples, highlighting novel solutions to experiential marketing. With the universal rise of handheld accessible technology, experiential marketing has taken on additional forms and reached new audiences in innovative ways.
Facts About Experiential Marketing
Just in case you weren’t already sure experiential marketing is the best modern marketing technique, here are some reasons you should adapt your strategy.
Almost 95% of business owners believe events lead to the best engagement
In a study conducted by Bizzabo Event Marketing, they found almost 95% of surveyed business owners believed branded events were the best way to get potential customers engaged with their brand. Even in this digital age, nothing beats forging a real-world connection and creating memorable experiences for consumers!
85% of event attendees are likely to purchase from the brand afterwards
The Event Track 2018 Summary found that of all the event attendees surveyed, 85% were likely to purchase from the brand after attending an event/experience. Even better – 91% of those surveyed had more positive feelings towards a brand after attending an event/experience. Not only will your brand be remembered and adored after your experiential marketing event, your sales with soar!
98% of consumers create digital or social content at events
In 2019, Chaos Theory found that of those who attended events, 98% created digital or social content. There is no denying the strength of social media and personal recommendations; able to reach far more people in an organic way. Create an engaging event and let the consumers get snap-happy then, voila, free online marketing!
Experiential Marketing Methods/Examples
There are so many fun and engaging ways to create memorable events for consumers. From handouts on the streets to huge art installations to grab the attention of the world, here are some examples of experiential marketing.
- Weird and wonderful installations – Used often for film releases, larger-than-life installtions of characters or products instantly grab attention. Remember the huge Marshmellow Man coming out the floor of Waterloo Station in 2016? With so much media attention, unexpected installations market themselves!
- Free samples – Who doesn’t love a sample? From supermarket stalls to free handouts in public, we have all experienced the joy of trying something new without spending a penny. Consumers can be hesitant and wary about spending money on something they may not even like, but by sampling your product for free, the nerves are removed. Ensure your branding is clear so your product is remembered and spotted in the shops. Take a look at how our mobile vending solutions have helped others with experiential marketing. [case studies]
- Social media selfies – Brands often run campaigns that encourage customers to share pictures of their products online using a hashtag, usually with the incentive of a potential prize. By doing this, customers are unknowingly doing your marketing for you, ensuring your product ends up on thousands of screens across the world. Adding a hashtag is a helpful way for you to keep track of your campaign; by simply searching the hashtag, you can see how many people have taken part.
- Personalisation – Consumers like to feel special, hence the success of campaigns with aspects of personalisation. Take Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign for example, in which customers found coke bottles with their names on, bought it, posted a picture, and make everyone else want their own personal bottle. For consumers, the hunt to find their name was on. And for Coca-Cola? Sales rocketed!
Get Started with Global Vending Solutions
Here at Global Vending Solutions we have been helping brands create unforgettable activations and forge connections with consumers across the world for over 15 years. Specialising in fully brandable mobile vending solutions, we provide you with the ultimate experiential marketing tools. From food and drink, to toys and testers, our vending solutions are perfect for your product, no matter what it is.
To elevate your next experiential marketing campaign, contact Global Vending Solutions today.
