Part 1
Dear PR Matters,
Being in the marketing field, my colleagues and I are often urged to make our programs more experiential, especially when addressing millennials.
Everyone talks about experiential marketing, but since this is a relatively new concept, we want to understand what it really means and the best way we can do it well. Will it be possible to enlighten us on this?
This will be especially helpful to us.
Sincerely,
Bernie S.
Dear Bernie,
Your inquiry is very timely, as experiential marketing is a new concept aimed to reach out to the younger market, especially millennials, who value experiences. But you are right in saying that sometimes what it truly is often escapes those asked to do such programs.
Experiential marketing is a growing trend which involves marketing a product or service through experiences that engage customers and create an emotional attachment to the product or service. That is why it is also called engagement marketing, on-ground marketing or participation marketing.
What makes it so intriguing is that brands like Google, Lavazza Coffee, and Red Bull have invested heavily in experiential marketing, achieving massive returns in the process. We will give examples of this in next week’s column.
In a marketingprofs.com article, The How and Why of Experiential Marketing: 7 Tips to Do It Right, John Millard says that “the premise of experiential marketing is giving marketers a chance to be truly creative in their approach and engage their audiences like never before,” there is a downside. As in the case of the recent Frye Festival catastrophe, it can go wrong and have a detrimental impact of the people and brands involved.
So, “whether you’re organizing an immersive pop-up event, on-site virtual reality installation, or a full theatrical performance or live event,” Millard shares with us “a few things that should be kept top of mind to make it mean more, and ultimately deliver the numbers you’re looking for.”
Experiences make people happy. “People love to be entertained,” says Millard. And more than that, “65 percent of consumers say that they are far more influenced by positive and memorable experiences than traditional advertising and marketing gimmicks.”
This is especially true for millennials, “72 percent of whom would prefer to spend their money on experiences and [for whom] Instagram content is king.” A well-targeted, enticing experiential campaign that they will associate with your brand will prove to be invaluable.
Focus on people and relationships. Experiential marketing can create a sense of brand loyalty among as its target audience. Millard cites Disney’s “immersive and often theatrical marketing initiatives that have people feeling loyal to the company from cradle to grave, spanning multiple generations with their appeal.”
“When customers experience something truly memorable and personalized, they begin to develop a much deeper relationship with brands, embracing them for their shared values” says Millard. “Customers that become more experience-focused are the ones succeeding in the new landscape.
Don’t try to save time, invest in it. Gone are the days when marketers are tied down to 30-second time slots in the broadcast media. “Marketing,” says Millard, “is no longer about saving time to deliver great customer service; it’s about time well-spent.”
With this, “customers are willing to dedicate time to experiences that brands are offering, especially when those experiences are designed around their needs and interests.”
He urges brands “to recognize this opportunity,” and “be grateful for the time consumers are willing to put into their hands, and invest in a captivating experience that will make the time spent worth it—for both sides.”
Enhance, never interrupt. Authentically integrating your company or brand into an experience in a way that doesn’t interrupt the audience is one of the challenges of experiential marketing.
That is why “it’s a good practice to find event-specific opportunities to eliminate pinch points and invest in tactics that deliver true value to the people interacting with your brand,” says Millard. “The experience you provide always needs to add value to the consumer’s journey.”
Human connection is key. As in all forms of marketing, the messenger is often just as important as the message in experiential marketing. That is why “casting and training authentic ambassadors for your brand engagement is the difference between a good idea and great experience,” says Millard.
These ambassadors “can set the tone for the relationship between consumer and brand,” making it imperative to cast ambassadors with an authentic passion for your product and industry.
Millard further urges us to “train them as an extension of your brand, and give them the tools to make each interaction mean more.”
Solve, not sell. “No one wants to be sold to,” says Millard. “But most customers are open to education on how products can solve a problem or satisfy a need, especially if it’s a pain point their experiencing themselves.
That is why “experts that focus on the needs of each consumer and can tailor information to the individual can achieve a level of unmatched credibility.”
Bring the joy. Millard says that brands that are able to provide excitement, entertainment and memorable experiences ultimately get the customer’s respect, and sales.
That’s why “each experience should apply the 3 E’s—engage, entertain, and educate—for the highest impact on relationship building and on ROI.”
All in all, “if you keep these things in mind and you’re willing to be bold and to dive into experiential marketing head-on, the sky’s the limit.” And we are going to give some examples of best practices in experiential marketing in next week’s column.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
Image credits: FREEPIK.COM