Experiential Marketing Still Works

We're all familiar with those marketing campaigns where the marketer talks AT the consumer. They list all the product's features and benefits hoping that something will stick.

If your product or service truly delivers on its promise, why not let your offering speak for itself? Enter experiential marketing. Experiential marketing has been deployed by cutting-edge agencies since the 1990s. It’s a live event technique that facilitates direct consumer engagement in a focused branded environment.

Experiential marketing is more than just a focus on products.  It connects consumers’ experience with your products to the emotions they develop regarding your company. It moves consumers’ thinking from “this is a great widget” to “this brand and all they offer is good fit for me and my lifestyle.” 

At live events, this is often accomplished by transforming exhibits into branded hubs of activity.  Rather than a focus solely on product information, provide educational activities or games in which your audience can interact with your brand.  Stay away from hard calls-to-action or sales pitches, and focus on ensuring each consumer can truly experience what you offer. Pay attention to how they interact, as that is a source of valuable insights.

The goal is for the customer to walk away with positive emotions toward the brand, and a tendency to purchase from you again.

A successful experiential marketing campaign generates positive word-of-mouth both in person and online—during and after the event. If you’re successful, your visitors will share their experience and user-generated content through social media.

Where to Start?

Experiential marketing is a great medium for rolling-out a new product. Rather than designing an entire product line internally, let consumers design the packaging or create a video that could become part of the company’s next ad campaign. There are many talented experiential marketing agencies out there that can help you execute the best event for your marketing goals.

Brand ambassadors are also integral to a successful experiential marketing campaign. These are not sales people or marketers but more like undercover public relations professionals.  These individuals gel easily with the target audience, know the products inside and out and create a friendly, fun environment that welcome prospects.

Isn't This Just Branding? What Are the Results?

Experiential marketing contributes to brand awareness and loyalty.  It’s truly a marketing strategy that yields results and influences measurable ROI. Experience-based strategies frequently lead to increased purchases and work well for B2B and B2C companies alike.

For example, the Experience Marketing Forum published the results of Panasonic's successful experiential marketing campaign. Here are some of the highlights:

Challenge: In 2007, Panasonic released a new HD Plasma TV which featured the sharpest picture quality to date. Executives at Panasonic found it hard to sell the screen's clear picture using static print and television advertisements. They found that consumers couldn’t really experience the picture without seeing it live.

Solution: Panasonic partnered with an experiential marketing agency to set up its "Living in High Definition Tour," a tractor-trailer tour that stopped at electronic retailers nationwide to display the new TVs to shoppers.

Results: According to its agency, 60-percent of the visitors to the Panasonic tour made a Panasonic purchase within 30 days.