Experiential Marketing: How to Make Experiences Work for Your Brand LevelUP
Experiential marketing is known by a few different names in the marketing industry including engagement marketing and ground marketing. It is a strategy based on hands-on experiences, designed to encourage individuals to engage and participate in an event. It makes it possible for guests to connect with the brand through a pleasant and memorable experience that can be part of an event or it can be the whole event itself.
There are many benefits associated with experiential marketing, which can provide brands with a unique method to approach their target audience and engage with it. It is an essential part of a better success strategy and building a loyal customer base.
The benefits of experiential marketing include the following:
Boost brand awareness;
Strengthen customer loyalty;
Improve engagement;
Increase sales.
How to Build an Experiential Marketing Strategy?
There are many ways to build an experiential marketing strategy. The first key step, however, is having a great marketing team with plenty of experience. Such a team, backed by insight and know-how can create the perfect conditions and cultivate the right approach.
Here are some popular examples of what experiential marketing can be:
Pop-up stores
Solo experiences
Product sampling
Tours
Classes and workshops
In recent years, thanks to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), even more and more opportunities for experiential marketing are emerging.
If you’re having trouble figuring out where to start, break down your experience by the 5 senses.
Sight: What do your customers want to see?
IKEA is a prime example of a brand that has successfully incorporated technology into its experiential marketing strategy. IKEA has developed and released an augmented reality app called IKEA Place. The app utilizes the camera and display of a user’s smartphone to create an interactive, 3D representation of furniture pieces. Users can select from thousands of IKEA products, place them in their desired room, and get a sense of how the furniture will look and fit in their actual living space. This feature provides customers with a virtual “try before you buy” experience, which can help them make informed purchasing decisions and reduce the likelihood of returns.
Sound: What do your customers want to hear?
Sound is an essential component of experiential marketing that can evoke emotions, create atmosphere, and establish brand identity. Music, storytelling, and interactive installations are all effective uses of sound in experiential marketing that can engage customers and create a unique and memorable experience. By using sound to tell a story, brands can create a more immersive experience that aligns with their brand identity and establishes a strong emotional connection with their customers.
Smell: What do your customers want to smell?
The sense of smell is a powerful tool in experiential marketing, yet it is often overlooked. Experiential marketing can incorporate the sense of smell to create a unique and memorable experience for customers. Brands like Lush Cosmetics and Singapore Airlines have successfully utilized scents to evoke feelings of relaxation and build a strong, emotional connection with their customers. By creating a signature scent or infusing a space with a particular aroma, brands can differentiate themselves from competitors and create a lasting emotional connection with their customers.
Touch: What do your customers want to touch?
Touch is an important sense to consider when developing an experiential marketing strategy. Brands can incorporate touch by offering product demonstrations and interactive installations that invite customers to physically engage with the brand. These tactile experiences can help brands differentiate themselves from competitors and create a more immersive and memorable experience for their customers.
Taste: What do your customers want to taste?
Supreme Lafayette, the new cafe and bakery in New York
Supreme Lafayette cafe and bakery opens in New York to give customers a taste of French pastry and streetwear. A collaboration between the iconic brand Supreme and the renowned French bakery Lafayette Grand Cafe, the cafe provides customers with the opportunity to indulge in delicious French-inspired pastries while shopping for limited-edition Supreme merchandise. This partnership creates a memorable experience for both – food and fashion enthusiasts and attracts a diverse crowd to both brands.
In order for your experiential marketing efforts to be successful, you need to focus on multiple channels to advertise and connect. Use various media sources, social media, in-person appearances, and anything else that gets the word out and gets your brand in front of the public.
At the end of the day, the most important part of experience marketing is to create an experience worth sharing—something that makes people connect with your brand and remember what a great experience they had because of you.
If we caught your attention and you would like to learn how experiential marketing can help your brand, don’t hesitate to contact us!
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