Bring your brand to life to stand out and be memorable
Experiential Marketing, also known as Engagement Marketing, happens when businesses create a tight bond between their brand and the consumers by engaging them in memorable and fun experiences. Having great products and services, priced competitively, is just not enough anymore, and this is why:
- Overstimulation: Your consumers are always ‘on’, being constantly flooded with personal and business emails and requests, news and weather alerts, social media updates, etc. Brains are overstimulated and not always receptive to take in yet any more data.
- Multi-device syndrome: Multitasking? No problem. However, there is seldom just one device near your consumer. Browsing the Internet while watching TV, having cell phone alerts pop up while working on a desktop computer. Again, your marketing has to be really creative and clever, in order to stand out and be memorable amongst all those competing messages.
- Consumer driven: Your clients demand to touch, feel and experience your brand. Simply telling them about it is not enough any longer. From simple tasters to large-scale events, consumers want to be immersed in the action.
- Repeat experience: If an experiential marketing event stirs genuine positive emotions within your consumers, then chances are that they are associating those emotions with your brand. This experience is more memorable and effective than a simple banner or Facebook ad, and consumers are more likely to seek repeat interactions with your brand.
This all sounds great in theory, but how can this be implemented? Let’s look at some recent examples of brand activation right here in Ottawa:
- A pack of roving T-Rexs roamed the streets of Downtown Ottawa and crashed Parliament Hill Yoga, delighting both yogis and tourists, as a promotion for the Nature Museum’s new “Ultimate Dinosaurs” exhibition. (June 2016)
- Westboro FUSE Festival (June 10- 12, 2016): Bringing the Westboro neighbourhood brand to life, showcasing local vendors and artists, local food and simply have a weekend-long street party with free programming for the entire family.
- Glowfair (June 17-18, 2016): Another example of a neighbourhood showcase. Glowfair is a fun and free block party featuring many local bands and DJs.
- Richcraft LIVE partnership announcement (August 18, 2016): Instead of a simple press release, this announcement was made at Canadian Tire Centre just before the Tragically Hip took the stage, immersing consumers in the concert experience right then and there.
- Infinity Convention Centre Grand Opening Gala, hosted by Ben Mulroney (October 13, 2016): An ultimate showcase of venue flexibility, extraordinary AV capabilities and farm to table gourmet food offerings—a first class affair celebrating Ottawa’s newest and most impressive event space.
While the focus is on creating experiential marketing experiences, traditional and digital media played a big role in all the above examples, including event websites, social channels, signage, press releases etc. Don’t isolate your brand activation event. Involve multiple channels to maximise your reach and success.
Have the courage to be different! Challenge traditional media approaches and aim for a memorable experience. We’d love to help you achieve that. Experiential marketing does not have to be complex. Contact Knock on Wood Communications + Events today to initiate your brand activation.
Photo credit: Andre Gagne, Westboro FUSE Festival, June 2016
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