An experiential marketing campaign is the most effective way to connect with your customers. That’s because experiential marketing takes engagement to the next level. It’s a marketing strategy that goes all-in by creating memorable experiences to connect with a target audience in person. Brand messaging is then amplified via social media.
In fact, over 75% of event attendees said they feel more connected to a brand following an experiential event and these experiences can increase customer loyalty by as much as 40%.
When the popular dating app, Tinder, wanted to reach a new demographic of millennial customers, it used experiential marketing to get their attention. NVE helped the brand design Summer Series with beach vibes, using a high-profile social destination in Montauk, NY – the weekend beach destination for social-focused millennial New Yorkers. The campaign featured a series of exclusive social events that engaged guests with branded beach games and served up refreshing surf-side cocktails. It was the place to be for millennial influencers and provided great exposure for the Tinder brand.
Experiential marketing is an approach to customer engagement that utilizes the authenticity of real-life interactions, the exclusivity of curated experiences, and the power of social engagement to create a ripple effect through digital marketing channels. Experiential marketing is also mutually beneficial and a change from endlessly blasting brand messaging on social media channels.
Listed below are the top 5 reasons that brands should consider launching an experiential marketing campaign in 2022.
About three-quarters of consumers feel they are more likely to purchase a product or service after a positive experience and companies that use experiences for marketing agree–their sales go up.
There are no gimmicks; experiential marketing works to build customer loyalty because it’s rooted in authenticity. It may be a curated event, but the viral social media content that it inspires is an authentic reaction to the engagement.
If you want influencers to talk about your brand, give them a reason. The power behind experiential marketing is in the online visibility boost that follows the actual event, taking your audience from 100 or so attendees to thousands–or millions online. The photos, videos, and messaging inspired by the event and posted by influencers help recreate a digital experience that further expands their reach.
Forget about focus groups and research surveys. There are dozens of ways to extract meaningful analytics from experiential marketing campaigns. From attendance and lead generation to sample tracking and digital engagements, it’s easier to quantify the reach of an experience.
Boost brand affinity with all the right stuff – excitement, word-of-mouth, and a customer engagement that doesn’t feel like a sales pitch. Plus, customers are likely to spend 140% more after a positive experience.
Experiential marketing is like event marketing but geared towards forming deeper, emotional connections. It’s like taking social media engagement to the next level by bringing it to life. It’s the ideal opportunity for brands to provide personalized experiences, which are necessary for attracting Millennial and Gen Z consumers. And they’re a powerhouse of opportunity for brands looking to elevate brand awareness and build customer loyalty.
Creating a successful experiential marketing campaign starts with a decision: do you want to entertain, disrupt, facilitate, or appreciate? These can all elicit strong emotions and provide the basis for meaningful brand-consumer connections. Take a look at how NVE has used each of them with these past campaigns:
NVE helped FX bring the horror genre to real life using themed pop-ups called the Night Bites Bakery to generate buzz for a new launch and 10th anniversary of the American Horror Story franchise.
It works because it’s engaging and fun. We rarely have an opportunity to step into the worlds of our favorite characters or stories, so when we do, it instantly becomes memorable.
NVE teamed up with Baileys and influencer makeup brand Winky Lux to launch the Galentine’s Brunch event. First, it’s brunch–a fan favorite among social diners. Second, it’s a chance to dress up and look your best for the camera.
It works because we all like to feel appreciated. Feeling good also sets the tone for building a relationship with attendees.
NVE and Fire TV came together to create a spectacle to introduce the future of digital entertainment and allow attendees to test out new products. The event included four days of live engagements and 10 days of intensive content production for digital engagements. Also featured were art displays of defunct entertainment technologies upcycled into something new. In addition to photo ops, contests and giveaways, and a VIP party.
It works because you get people putting their hands on your products and ‘shopping’ without even realizing it. These events are fun, amplifying positive feelings that the attendees associated with the brand and the product.
NVE helped Red Bull create a themed pop-up space for pro athletes called the Red Bull Consulate for athletes to work out, relax, and, most importantly–host media interviews. The beachside LA hub was designed to be a local cultural experience, showcasing details of LA beach life with all the amenities. The experience was fully branded by Red Bull, so when athletes shared content on their platforms–it was branded. When they took media interviews–they were branded.
NVE and Doyenne created an experience called A Day of Advocacy that immersed 200 inspiring women in business, policy, and culture designed to engage, educate, and connect as dozens of branded touchpoints came together.
It works because the audience is genuinely interested in connecting with like-minded people, so NVE created the opportunity and used it to market a brand.
Experiential marketing can be event-like, but it’s deeper than that. The goal of an experiential marketing campaign is about meaningful engagement. They also create opportunities for going viral on social media by encouraging attendees to share branded content. It’s one of the most powerful word-of-mouth strategies in the digital age; a balance that reaches an in-person and online audience. Ultimately, experiential marketing campaigns are a great opportunity to elevate your brand awareness, build brand loyalty, and drive sales.
Contact NVE today learn how your brand can launch an experiential marketing campaign in 2022.
