There’s no doubt about it, when experiential marketing is done well it can have a huge impact on consumers and make a lasting impression. But how successful is it at reaching out to the right people and affecting their purchasing decisions?
It’s all in the name really. With experiential campaigns, brands can truly own the experience and create something that looks tastes, sounds and feels a world away from shopping.
Put simply, experiential marketing takes the retail experience to a whole new level and offers something people can emotionally engage with.
Consumers today are inundated with information, ads and technical jargon from a huge number of brands who are all competing for their attention.
Something unique, something that you can immerse yourself in is obviously going to be a refreshing change from traditional advertising. And it really doesn’t matter what the product or brand is – a good experiential campaign will always have the potential to capture the imagination and sway consumers.
To be influential you have to be able to tap into consumers’ emotions and experiential marketing is renowned for this. It’s all about reaching out to your target demographic while affecting new people – those who may not have even considered your brand before.
Traditional advertising can feel very two-dimensional and like a one-way conversation where consumers are put into a ‘listening’ mode and not participating at all. But with experiential campaigns you have the opportunity to surprise, inspire, and involve potential customers with your product and your brand.
Because there are so many brands and products competing in the marketplace, the more traditional style of advertising where consumers simply listen to what brands have to say often falls on deaf ears – particularly in a digital world where consumers can skip ads and literally tune out.
Today, it’s much easier to resist being sold to and we’re less likely to believe what we see and hear.
But there’s much evidence to show that companies who use experiential marketing see significant results in consumer loyalty and satisfaction, as well as product sales.
Promotions have a more personal touch and are much more individualised than mass media campaigns, and because of this they’re able to engage people and win them over. There’s no doubt that consumers today demand more than old-school marketing techniques can deliver – they’re looking for emotional experiences and inspiration.
Only then will brands be able to build relationships with consumers and truly set themselves apart from the rest.
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.
