It is the Holy Grail for event marketers everywhere – creating memorable brand experiences that drive engagement and have a long-lasting, positive effect on both consumers and a brand. With the numerous online and offline marketing channels available today, reaching people isn’t the challenge—but connecting with people on a personal level is.

So how do you create an engaging brand experience and interact with your audience in a meaningful way? Let’s take a closer look at two of the most talked about events in the global calendar to find out:

 1.    Super Bowl

Music and Sports is a winning combination—and no event epitomises this more than the Super Bowl.

Brand experiences - Super Bowl

While the Super Bowl is an American institution, the half time show has developed a global cult following of its own. This year, the event ignited our screens on Feb. 1, when pop star Katy Perry took the halftime stage for a glitzy 12-minute set. NBC broadcast the show to an audience of 110 million in the U.S. alone, and millions more streamed the show live on their mobile devices across the world. In all, the event was viewed in 230 countries and territories.

Why do so many people tune in for the Super Bowl?

Sports and music are a natural pairing, as they are both highly emotional and moment oriented. They can be used in tandem to expand the ability of a brand to have relevancy, notably among the millennial generation.

If you can find an authentic way to leverage the passion your fans have for sport or music, you can create an engaging brand experience that resonates at an emotional level.

2.    Comicon

Comic Con is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention that has built up a large, dedicated group of followers in its 44 year history.

Comicon - brand experiences

Marketers know this and spend thousands of dollars ensuring that their brands get seen and heard at the iconic event.

Last year’s iteration in San Diego attracted 170,000 fans of comics, video games and fantasy; the attention of whom many a brand fought for with interactive brand experiences: Fox orchestrated an immersive brand activation for crime series Gotham, by constructing a miniature Gotham City skyline through which fans could zip-line à la Batman, while TV network FXX was competing for the attention of attendees with its Simpsons’ activations. The network enhanced the brand experience by transforming a large area of the festival into a Springfield haven, where Marge’s Sweet Station granted free blue candy floss, and Homer’s Dome served as the convention’s biggest activation. Inside the head was a giant video screen displaying a computer-generated voyage through Homer’s mind.

Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.