Okay you guys, I’ll be honest. I had a really vague idea of what experiential marketing was before this week. Is it tradeshows? Is it user research? Is it anything that goes viral? I realized that maybe everyone else is in the same boat. So in preparation for our speaker next week, the fantastic Ian Lawrow, I thought I’d share some more information on experiential marketing.
I’ll admit, I had a moment of pure bliss when I searched experiential marketing, and this was one of the first things that popped up:
TNT: A Dramatic Surprise On A Quiet Square
https://youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw
After watching the video again, I was basically like:
I’d seen this a few years ago circulating facebook, and it had such a huge impact on me. Cleverly done and expertly showcased, I thought this was one of TNT’s best ads EVER. Little did I know I was about to hit the jackpot of amazing ads while researching for this blog.
BUT FIRST! Let me explain experiential marketing. According to Wikipedia (because I can trust it):
“Experiential marketing, sometimes called “engagement marketing,” “event marketing,” “on-ground marketing,” “live marketing,” or “participation marketing,” is a marketingstrategy that directly engages consumers and invites and encourages them to participate in the evolution of a brand.”
To boil it down, brands – big and small – have a constant problem: no matter what they do, their audience eventually grows immune to their advertising tactics. That’s where experiential marketing comes in. Only 30 percent of people remember what they see and hear, compared to the whopping 90 percent of people who remember what they do. Experience is everything.That’s why you forget a book you read six months ago but remember family vacations forever. Because you lived it.
Experiential marketing breaks through the barriers that people have constructed around themselves to block out advertisements. A well thought out experiential marketing strategy engages the audience in a way that sticks with them. An even better strategy makes sure the audience reactions are recorded and have the potential to become viral online. The best part of all? 65 percent of brands that use it say it positively correlates with sales.
Before I go on anymore, you’ve got to take a look at some of my other favorites:
Zappos: #Pay With A Cupcake
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jxco-DHnt5I
Lean Cuisine: #WeighThis
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HGYUiLxoJFA
Misereor: The Social Swipe
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcqsRhMHo8o
Google: Bay Area Impact Challenge
I confess. I think this is probably the coolest type of marketing out there. You might be thinking your business isn’t fit for experiential marketing. We’d like to challenge you on that. Well, technically, Ian Lawrow would like to challenge you on that. Come to the luncheon next week to hear more about experiential marketing and how you can use it for your business!
I’ll be there, the epitome of a drooling ad nerd!