I’ve been in the marketing profession for more than a decade and it still surprises me that some marketers and brands don’t understand experiential marketing. And while we have seen the success and traction that this form of marketing can provide brands, some are still slow to come to grips with the concept.
In a nutshell, experiential
marketing is about creating positive brand experiences for consumers. It’s like
what is happening at the movies these days. People are no longer satisfied with
watching a film, they want to be part of it and experience it, hence the
popularity of 3D. It’s the same for consumers – they want to have a
three-dimensional experience and a two-way conversation with their brands, not
just a monologue, which is sometimes the case with more traditional forms of advertising.
Lately the question on my mind has been: If we marketers are all striving to engage with consumers, why are some brands not
adding experiential into their marketing mix? I think the answer lies with some
serious misunderstandings or even myths surrounding this type of marketing.
Myth #1: It’s just an event – Experiential is definitely more
than handing out samples at a hastily planned event. It’s about creating an
experience, which is based on specialist training in consumer behaviour
marketing techniques and analysis. You can’t simply organise an event without
fully understanding the specific market you are targeting. This is the main
difference between experiential and traditional forms of marketing such as
radio and TV – you are creating something for a target market rather than a
mass audience.
Myth #2: It’s expensive – Many people think experiential has to cost the earth to be effective, but it doesn’t – and you need to look at the return on investment to see the full value. For example, you need to consider:
- Sales – What has been the increase in sales?
- Footfall – How many people attended the marketing event/experience?
- Length/depth: What is the level of engagement that has been reached with your target market?
- Digital traffic – How many clicks, hits and likes on social media were achieved?
- Press coverage – Did
the brand/event/experience achieve the desired coverage and in the right
publications (online and print)?
Myth #3: It’s just one channel of communication – Experiential marketing relies on immersing the end user in an experience where they can take away a message. But the way that is done can be just as varied as the companies and clients we work with. The challenge for us as experiential marketers is to come up with new and effective ways to communicate with our clients’ customers.
We built a maze in the
middle of Melbourne to educate people about the depth of Singapore. We also
developed a matrix-like ‘photo booth’ in Sydney’s CBD to help consumers
experience the power of the latest technology available to them. We use various
channels to communicate with customers. When we use a combination of
experiential with digital and public relations – that’s when we hit what we
call the ‘sweet spot’ – a truly integrated approach to marketing a brand.
Myth #4: It’s just a one-off thing – Experiential marketing is
definitely not a fad or trend, but how marketing has to evolve. Just look at
how consumers have evolved, combined with the growth of social media. Everyone
around the globe wants to have experiences and share them with their networks.
Therefore, brands need to capitalise on this, with experiential marketing
becoming part of an overall brand strategy and mix. For some, such as Red Bull,
experiential is the cornerstone of their marketing strategy – it just depends
on the brand and the message you want to convey.
Myth#5: Anyone can be an experiential marketer – This is absolutely a myth. Experiential can fail dismally if not activated at the right time and without proper planning. I mentioned earlier the various channels of communication we use to speak to consumers, and deciding which channels should be used depends on the different sectors or industries and your target audience – knowing which to use and when comes from expertise in the use of experiential marketing.
Steve Fontanot
Director/Creative Director
Chieftain Communications