Mobile technologies are changing the way people interact with brands and, therefore, understanding how it can affect consumers and the engagement you can create from such platforms is key for a successful marketing activity.
New technologies that can be used within an experiential marketing environment are of paramount significance for enhancing your brand’s interaction with consumers, especially when you are looking to achieve a ‘cool’ factor and a ‘wow’ factor. As people are increasingly accessing information and connecting with each other through technological platforms, using mobile initiatives to engage consumers can lead to improved sales figures and greater customer feedback. However, by being overly technological, brands can run the risk of alienating consumers. Therefore, how can you strike the perfect balance between engagement, interactivity and an all important usability factor?
In a world of ever evolving technologies, a new class of creatives have emerged, to provide solutions that go above and beyond a brand’s usual strategies. The desire to remain innovative and ahead of the latest trends has encouraged brands to implement mobile applications and online platforms more and more. Calling for deeper insights, smarter strategies and measurable results, brands expect agencies to think outside the box and focus on things that matter – inspiring people to interact and share the brand, through simplifying and engaging methods of participation.
The launch of O2 Priority Moments illustrates this approach perfectly. A mobile platform that offers location-specific deals to O2 customers represents an opportunity for brands to reach O2 users in a relevant and effective way. Other mobile apps such as Voucher Cloud and SKVNGR are also providing great content and offers, extending the connection between brands and consumers across various devices and interactive applications.
Consumers love their gadgets and the changes in human behaviour brought upon by new technologies is becoming even more personalised. Mobile devices are now an important element of interaction within experiential marketing, as the platform allows easy access to relevant information on demand, and is a fantastic mechanism for connecting digital with physical. We have seen great examples from eBay’s QR code pop-up shop and McDonald’s ‘Pick’n’Play’ billboard, as discussed commented in our Celebrating Creativity blogs.
In our blog article Key Trends in Experiential Marketing that affects consumer behaviour, we also discussed some other great examples of mobile technologies used by brands. As we highlighted, the Digital High is allowing brands to respond with a host of innovative activities, combining clever digital executions with some fun and interactive ideas. When consumers are able to experience products or services through a mobile platform, the measurement of brand perceptions and interactions can be evaluated in real time. By capturing this impact as it occurs, it is possible to understand the effect that your brand has upon consumers, allowing you to better analyse their emotional response and how it leads to purchase.
Today, consumer behaviour is greatly evolving, and people now have increasingly new expectations of brands. Mobile devices including phones, tablets and digital screens can offer endless interaction opportunities, on a personal level. Experiential techniques form a perfect partnership with mobile technologies, adding value to the consumer experience, whilst engaging them with exciting content that they will be eager to share with others.
As experiential marketing is all about building an emotional feeling, offering a fun experience will certainly entice people to interact with your brand.
Simultaneously, marketers are consumers in their own right. When thinking as a consumer, what would entice you to interact with a brand? We would love to hear your thoughts! Please tweet us @Hotcow!