A New Era For Experiential Marketing

Experiential marketing has been around since the days of the traveling salesman. But with a strong assist from technology, it now it is re-emerging as the backbone of many branding plans.

Came across this wonderful article on CMO and felt it was worth sharing. 

The article captures the key changes and the fact that the empowered consumer has made experiential marketing a necessity in some areas, such as retail and electronics, where showrooming is turning products into commodities. 

And with the rise of online and mobile shopping empowering consumers to commoditize products, a tactile experience becomes a good way to set one product aside from another.

Read the full article here on CMO

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Got Milk? A digital activation.

Soy, coconut and almond milks are saying they’re healthier than real milk. But why? What’s in them? Here is a website to celebrate just that, all the ingredients that go into imitation milk. 

Has been Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the Califonia Milk Processors Board to drive awareness.

I liked the thought, the strategy and the integration of devices; however, I did feel that the video interface makes the experience a little jerky and not as much of fun as I would have liked it to be, especially on the mobile device.

Visit the website here

Cost per contact is high. Really?

When compared to traditional advertising media, experiential is often overlooked and under-rated because of a perceived lack of reach, or high cost per contact. While there is the basic logic of "counting your reach" vs "reaching those who count" and the quality of the "engagement", even in terms of reach experiential engagement scores high.

Another bit from a research undertaken by EMF and IMI International in the US, shows that Experiential Marketing has effective reach well beyond consumers directly impacted. When considering sampling costs “per person impacted”, be sure to account for the amplification benefit.

Experiential Marketing - leads to trials.

If you are trying to get consumers to try a product / brand that they do not normally buy / use - do not rely on your ad campaign to transform behavior.

Recent results of a research undertaken by EMF and IMI International in the US, where they asked consumers what influences them to purchase brands they don’t normally purchase, and which of the tactic has the greatest impact in that switch gave the following results;

While 52% by way of Experiential Activated and hence more one on one marketing is exciting - what is even more impressive is that this has stayed consistent over the last 15 years - where-in there is so much of a change in the media consumption pattern.

Nice to note, promotion is another 20%.

Awareness driven communication, does drive sales, but only to the extent of 24%.

The last mile just got longer! Contd..1

1. Consumers no longer believe commercial messages. End of story.

The promises made by commercial messages are tough to digest and while they might increase recall, the consumer takes the core messages with more than a pinch of salt. Consumers need to believe in the product’s virtues to become passionate enough to demand it by name and then defend the choice over others in the category.

There has to be a two-way conversation. It must be a longish conversation – not just 30 seconds – that not only informs but also resolves a consumer’s concerns. It is a conversation that facilitates a pre-purchase hands-on evaluation, a conversation that furthers the consumer’s belief that the brand fits his lifestyle or that his lifestyle matches the brand. The fact is each customer wants a personalised experience regardless of their value to you.

Go to 2. A consumer’s source of information, research, evaluation and influence are not led by an organisation or brand.

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