So we’ve talked about what Experiential Marketing is…but now you are probably wondering where to start, and if this type of marketing is for you. Well, experiential marketing may not be for everyone, but with a little creativity even the most obscure brands can benefit from this type of marketing.
When you begin to consider how to launch an experiential marketing campaign for your brand, we suggest you consider three very important things: your brand, your audience, and your desired impact.
1. Your Brand
What is your brand? Is it sweet and cute or sassy and bold? What’s its story? Is it a household name or an unknown contender?
Sometimes it is hard to take a step back and really look at what you have created–so we suggest asking a friend these questions! Figure out what your brand conveys and how it makes people FEEL. Yup–that’s right–we went there. Brands are deeply tied with emotions. If you don’t believe us, think about the Pepsi vs. Coke debate. How many people do you know (including yourself) that refuse to drink one or the other? You may think the debate is purely based off of taste, but in actuality, much of it is due to brand loyalty.
Your brand may not be as recognizable as Coca Cola, but it certainly still has it own personality. Find out what that personality is and use that as the core of your experiential marketing campaign.
2. Your Audience
This is an important one. How can you tell a Coke person from a Pepsi one? Differentiating your audience is key when it comes to Experiential Marketing. You can’t know what your audience will like until you know who they are. For example–what kind of audience does IKEA have? You know that people shopping there may have just moved somewhere new and are looking for relatively inexpensive furniture. From there you can deduce that the audience is relatively young (because of the price range) and may even be in college (because they are moving somewhere new and want affordable furniture). Once you have pinned down your target audience, than you can think about how they connect with your brand and what kind of experience they would enjoy.
3. Your Desired Impact
If you could be a fly on the wall at your Experiential Marketing event, what would you want to hear people saying as they leave?
“Wow, I am so impressed by how Patagonia really embodies their ‘common threads partnership’ with their repair truck–what an inspiring company.”
“I can’t believe IKEA let us sleepover! That was so much fun!”
“What? I can win prizes at baggage claim?! The Zappos ‘wheel of fortune’ was unforgettable!”
Inspiring, fun, unforgettable–every marketer would love to hear their target audience saying these things about their brand. An Experiential Marketing campaign should be memorable and leave the participants with a positive sentiment towards the brand. Participants in the “IKEA sleepover” will always have a fun memory associated with the store, which will influence them to choose to shop at IKEA in the future. Even non-participants become invested in the campaign just by watching the YouTube video. You can’t deny that you feel a little differently towards the store after watching the sleepover.
So, when it boils down to it–Experiential Marketing Campaigns are about your brand, your audience and your desired impact. What about your brand do you want your audience to remember, and how do you want them to feel about it?
And remember, you don’t have to be a big-name company to have a successful Experiential Marketing campaign–here are 3 Examples of Small Businesses Using Experiential Marketing.
Until next time!
Ride for the brand,
SSM
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