Memorable experiences shape our lives and leave lasting marks in our memories. Similarly, brand experiences can involve customers’ emotions and turn them into loyal ones. This is where experiential marketing comes in.
Data shows that 85% of customers are more likely to purchase after participating in an event or experience. And creating such experiences is what an effective experiential marketing strategy should do.
In this blog, we’ll dive into the concept of experiential marketing and explore some of the most powerful strategies to create a cohesive brand identity.
What Is Experiential Marketing?
Experiential marketing also known as “Engagement Marketing” or “Event Marketing” is an advertising strategy that focuses on creating memorable and meaningful experiences to engage customers with a brand.
Unlike traditional marketing, it relies on human feelings to connect to a brand rather than products or services. In experiential marketing, brands build unforgettable and positive experiences that create excitement and word of mouth around a product.
This way, they can turn their customers into brand ambassadors. In other words, you connect with your customers on deeper levels and give them the trust they need.
What Are the Benefits of Experiential Marketing?
Let’s put it this way: is experiential marketing effective? The answer is a strong Yes backed up by data.
According to reports, 85% of customers say they are more likely to purchase after participating in an event or experience. Additionally, live events have 2x more leads than traditional marketing. The content engagement rate for experiential marketing is also 98%.
With this proof in hand, let’s explore some of the most important advantages of an experiential marketing strategy:
1. Improve Brand Awareness
Every marketing strategy aims to build brand awareness. Creating events and experiences can help spread the word about a brand, its values, and its benefits. People may not even know you until they participate in your workshop or pop-up shop.
2. Build Strong Connections with Customers
This is the main benefit of experiential marketing. Since you address your customers’ concerns, pain points, or frustrations, you can win their hearts. So, they will become your active brand ambassadors who talk about your products everywhere.
3. Improve Engagement
Experiential marketing is also called engagement marketing. That suggests how engagement plays a role in this strategy which builds meaningful connections through face-to-face or deep conversations. It also allows you to gain valuable insights into your customers’ preferences.
Top Experiential Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business
Choosing the best experiential marketing idea depends on your goals, target audience, and needs.
We’ll discuss the best practices for effective experiential campaigns. But first, let’s explore top experiential marketing ideas to inspire your next campaign.
Best Experiential Marketing Strategies
1. Pop-up Shops
Since the first pop-up in 1997 in Los Angeles, pop-ups have been great spaces to immerse customers in a brand and convey their messages. Pop-ups offer benefits to both customers and brands.
For customers, they’re fun and exciting. They’re also the best opportunities to explore new products. Pop-ups allow businesses to reach their potential customers and improve brand awareness.
There are many memorable pop-up examples in the world of experiential marketing. M&M Flavor Rooms and House of Vans are just some of them to inspire you. Consider these tips to make the most of your pop-up store:
- Choose a theme or design that aligns with your brand identity.
- Offer exclusive products to attract more customers.
- Create Instagrammable moments to encourage social sharing. Just like M&M Flavor Rooms did!
- Use this opportunity to collect data about your customers.
2. Brand Activation
One of the best experiential marketing examples is to create an emotional connection with your customers through showcasing your new products. This strategy helps you build brand awareness and improve your brand image.
Starbucks Sparkle Shop to promote its new line of Teavana teas is a great example of brand activation events. To attract more people to your brand via brand activation events, define your audience beforehand (know their demographics and interests).
It’s also crucial to create a unique experience. So, try engaging ways like product installations, games, and mobile vans to develop a memorable experience.
3. Gamification
This idea involves incorporating game-like elements or interactive activities into non-game environments to engage customers. Everybody loves participating in fun and exciting activities and that leads to greater brand exposure.
Let’s dive deeper into Benefit Cosmetics’ Lashtastic Virtual Media Campaign as a great example of gamification.
Benefit Cosmetics encouraged its customers to participate in an interactive experience where they could collect Virtual Atoms (as in-game currency), play games, and win prizes.
However, to have an effective gamification campaign, you have to offer relevant incentives, as Benefit did (it offered mini and full-sized mascaras to winners).
4. Product Sampling & Demos
Simple yet effective, product sampling is an old example of experiential marketing. This method offers many benefits, from improving brand awareness to building trust and attracting new customers.
The good news is that there are many product sampling examples out there you can explore for inspiration. For example, the Tesla Test Drives campaign offers free drives at its stores to convert customers into buyers.
Suggested Post: Brand Awareness Strategies on Instagram
5. Workshops & Classes
People love learning, and it would be fantastic if you could create this experience around your product, right? Let’s get to the point and explore a great example that can offer valuable insights:
Purebaby is a baby clothing brand that hosts Nesting Workshops for parents who want to learn about how to care for their first baby, including changing diapers, napping routines, and bathing.
The workshop is a group session and face-to-face experience where parents can engage in real-time conversations. Additional resources, such as checklists, are also available during these classes.
The lesson is clear: Purebaby creates an experience that offers value and encourages consumers to participate in the brand’s purpose.
Experiential Marketing Best Practices
Whether you choose a pop-up shop, gamification, or a combination of different strategies, there are several key points to consider for a successful campaign. Here are a few:
1. Know Your Audience
In the first place, take some time and use surveys, social media analytics, and other resources to collect enough info about your audiences. Remember, you need a deep understanding of your potential customers. So, create a detailed buyer persona that includes needs, desires, and preferences.
2. Define Your Goals
Why are you creating this experience? To get brand awareness, promote a product launch, or drive more sales? Clearly define your experiential marketing goals and core values to make sure you convey a consistent message throughout the campaign.
3. Create Immersive Experiences
This is all about designing experiences that engage your customers’ five senses to create lasting memories. We’re talking about visual appeals like eye-catching displays, colors, images, product sampling (taste and touch), or augmented reality.
4. Measure & Analyze
To track your campaign’s performance and create future strategies, you need specific KPIs. These metrics vary based on the campaign type. For instance, social media campaigns often focus on engagement (likes, shares, comments), while pop-up shops measure sales, conversion rates, dwell time, and foot traffic.
5. Follow up
Don’t cut off relationships with your customers after the event ends! Send thank you emails or texts to follow up with new and existing contacts. Offer incentives to encourage them to share their feedback or experiences on social media.
This is about user-generated content. If you’re wondering how to get fans to create UGC for you, just read our blog.
Best Experiential Marketing Campaigns
We’ve created a list of some of the most inspiring examples of experiential marketing in various industries. Let’s get inspired:
1. Oreo’s Wonder Vault
Just close your eyes and imagine a Wonka-like laboratory featuring a giant Oreo cookie filled with chocolate volcanoes, milk waterfalls, and parachuting cream centers! Oreo ran this huge campaign to introduce its new “Filled Cupcake” flavor in 2016 in New York.
The campaign could successfully use visual storytelling to capture the eyes. It was an effective multi-sensory experience that went viral on social media as well.
2. Game of Thrones Studio Tour
GOT Studio Tour is an immersive experience that takes fans to Westeros and behind the scenes of the show. It started in 2015 and is still popular among fans who can take a tour of the Iron Throne Room, the Dragon Pit, and King’s Landing. It’s interesting to note that there are also shops to buy pieces of this amazing experience like clothes, maps, etc.
Game of Thrones Studio Tour
3. Gucci Garden
The biggest fashion brand’s concept store, museum, and restaurant opened its doors to fashion lovers in 2018, in Florence, Italy. Gucci Garden is a journey through the brand’s history.
It also includes a boutique offering exclusive products and collections. If you want to taste Gucci, just book a table at Le Buchette, the brand’s restaurant.
4. Nike Run Club App
“Let’s run together”! This is the motivational slogan behind the Nike Run Club app which started in 2006. It allows runners to track their runs, set goals, join challenges, and even connect with friends.
The app is a full-package running experience including gamification elements like badges, leaderboards, virtual races, training plans, audio coaching, and integration with other fitness devices.
Final Words
In conclusion, experiential marketing is not just about events. It’s a powerful strategy to build trust and lasting relationships. Once you immerse your consumers in brand experiences, you can create brand loyalty and ultimately, drive more sales.
However, it’s crucial to choose the best strategy that fits your goals, target audience, and budget. The examples we explored throughout the blog can inspire your next campaign.
FAQs
Now that you know all about experiential marketing meaning, ideas, and examples, let’s answer some FAQs about it:
1. What Is an Example of an Experiential Product?
An experiential product is something you buy to experience, rather than own. Movie, sports events, concert tickets, and restaurant reservations are the best examples of experiential products.
2. What Are the Biggest Experiential Marketing Challenges?
Here are the most common obstacles when performing experiential marketing:
- Cost: Experiential marketing campaigns are usually expensive and require large staffing and logistics.
- Lack of Real-time Data: Gathering real-time data like customers’ feedback, product sales, or the number of visitors is challenging.
- Trained Staff: It’s difficult to find experienced staff who have expertise in experiential marketing strategies.
- Time-consuming: Manual operations and tasks are time-consuming and error-prone.
