Experiential Marketing Campaigns That'll Stop You In Your Tracks

Human beings are not that complicated. We absorb vibrant, colourful, and exciting life experiences, store them as memories and file them away into our brains. It is then the brightest of these memories, whether consciously or subconsciously, which have the power to influence our future decision-making processes.As a brand or organisation, crafting an engaging experience for your customers that captivates them with originality, surprise, or exceptional creativity is a guaranteed path to ensuring that your company's campaign or event becomes etched in the memory bank, shaping their future behaviours.Experiential marketing is a highly effective way to connect with your consumers; it’s a powerful force that can stick to their attention and draw them into your organisation’s work. Not everyone has heard of the concept, however, a considerable 77% of marketers use experiential marketing as a vital part of a brand’s strategy.

Key Elements of Successful Experiential Marketing Campaigns

To whip up a successful experiential marketing campaign, you'll want to carefully incorporate key ingredients into the mix, to ensure that your campaign rises to success. Each ingredient, from engaging storytelling to interactive experiences, plays a crucial role in crafting a campaign that not only captures people’s attention but also leaves a lasting impression on your audience, making your brand stand out in a bustling market. Fear not, as we're here to guide you through the exciting process of crafting a triumphant experiential marketing campaign.The first component to consider is involvement. Your campaign must find a way to get customers interacting with your brand. Experiential marketing shifts the experience of traditional marketing which is somewhat 2D; a presentation of your product or service, to a 3D or even 4D event. Make them have goosebumps on their skin or a tingling on their taste buds; create something that gets them talking to their friends. Consider the last time you ate at a restaurant and really enjoyed your time there, it's likely that what made it memorable extended beyond the food alone—it is the complete experience that leaves a lasting impression. As technology has successfully zombified our once-lively brains, when planning your campaign, it’s important to think holistically: what will be memorable enough to stick in consumer’s minds?The second ingredient of successful experiential marketing campaigns is understanding your target audience. What age are they? What are they interested in? What needs can you fulfill for them? All of these need to be considered in your campaign planning. The more you know about a group of people, the easier it is to connect to them, and the easier it is to make them feel seen and heard. Finally, the magic ingredient: create exceptionality. Like other marketing techniques, to be the flamingo in a flock of pigeons your organsiation has to create something extraordinary for your target audience. Curiosity and surprise are the two crucial elements to great experiential marketing campaigns that can propel people to engage with your brand. Designing your event to have elements of the unexpected helps to make sure that your brand will stick in people’s memories.

Immersive and Interactive Experiences

In our daily lives, technology reigns supreme—it’s a double-edged sword of fortune and frustration. It's a reality where each generation stares in astonishment at the leaps and bounds of progress, leaving us to wonder if our past selves would believe the extraordinary possibilities now at our fingertips. Virtual and augmented reality are some of the insanely cool outcomes of the tech revolution. If the aim of the game with experiential marketing is to reach out and grab your customer’s attention; what better way to do it than create a whole new reality for them? IKEA demonstrates this in their use of augmented reality for a delightful ‘try before you buy’ experience. Through their app, you can choose a product from their catalogue, aim your smartphone at a designated space in your home, and virtually arrange furniture to visualise the look of your room. Pretty snazzy, right? Sephora has also tapped into the potential of augmented reality by integrating facial recognition features into its app and website. This enables users to see themselves in real time, digitally trying on products. It's a handy tool for determining whether you can confidently rock that vibrant Barbie pink lipstick or pull off the bold blue luminescent eyeliner – because, let's be honest, they're not everyone's cup of tea.In an inspiring mission, the shoe brand TOMS, has harnessed the power of virtual reality to provide customers with a direct and immersive experience of engaging in shoe donations. Through this innovative approach, customers are transported into the heart of the giving process, witnessing firsthand the joy of children receiving shoes and gaining insights into their living conditions. Using VR to emotionally engage customers, TOMS has not only raised awareness about their impact missions but have also effectively inspired individuals to contribute to the cause through their purchases.By crafting an interactive experience, VR and AR technologies can enhance engagement with companies, streamline purchasing processes, and give valuable customer insights. Despite being in its early stages, VR and AR tech are already making a substantial impact in the world of marketing.

Experiential Marketing Campaign Examples

Need some examples to inspire you for your own campaigns? We have curated a list of some of the best experiential marketing campaigns from around the globe, exploring what it is that has made them so successful.

Coca-Cola's Experiential Triumphs

A closer look at some of Coca-Cola’s best campaigns and how they achieved brand loyalty through a feel-good experience.It’s impossible to talk about experiential marketing and not mention Coca-Cola. Commencing in Australia in 2012, their ‘Share a Coke’ campaign has become one of the world’s longest-running marketing campaigns. The secret to its success lies in the core principles of experiential marketing—creating a unique experience and fostering a sense of individuality. The campaign achieved this through personalisation, printing the 150 most popular names in Australia on bottle labels and adapting the practice to each country the campaign reached. Consumers felt a personal connection, as if the product were tailored just for them. Coca-Cola even set up kiosks for on-the-spot personalised label printing and an online platform for consumers to add their names to the next batch sent to their city. The campaign's triumph echoes the success of Nutella's 'My Nutella Jar': another venture aimed at printing people’s names on products to deepen the connection with their customer base.Another fundamental aspect of Coca-Cola centres on their approach to evoking emotion and establishing a strong connection with their brand. For years, they've achieved this through iconic taglines like 'Open Happiness,' 'Have a Coke and Smile,' and 'Life Tastes Good.' Frequently employing experiential marketing, they seamlessly connect these emotions with tangible experiences. For example, the ‘Happiness Vending Machine’, secretly filmed students at a university campus receiving things like flowers, pizzas, sunglasses, a seemingly never ending supply of Coca-Cola from a vending machine. As a continuation of the ‘Open Happiness’ campaign, they brought a Happiness Machine to the UK, targeting British students by dispensing unexpected items to bring them joy. A crucial element of this campaign was the use of the internet and the viral video that ensued. But more on that later on…Concluding our exploration of Coca-Cola's experiential wonderland, it's important to take a look at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a museum, theme park, gift shop and tasting room, where visitors can celebrate life’s ‘Moments of Happiness’ at the Coca-Cola theatre, take a photo with the iconic Polar Bear and enter the vault where the ‘secret formula’ is supposedly stored, as well as the opportunity to taste Coca-Cola products from all around the world. Although this all sounds a little cult-like, there’s no denying it’s pretty impressive; not many brands are able to achieve the marketing feat of people willingly paying to be exposed to a product advertisement.

Barbie

Moving on, let’s take a look at some other top experiential marketing campaigns. Regardless of your feelings toward Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie (although if you didn't like it, let's be real, you are wrong), it’s indisputable that their marketing campaign was executed brilliantly; for many months there was no escaping the cotton candy fantasy land.In Malibu there’s a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse that’s bookable through AirBnb, a themed Barbie boat cruise in Boston, in the UK, the iconic London Eye and buses turned pink. People were actively engaged in Barbie land, months before it was even first released in cinemas. The anticipation was real. You’re lying if you won’t admit to being even the slightest bit intrigued at what the movie would have to offer. A standout feature of the campaign was the immersive AI Selfie Generator, enabling users to become their own Barbie Doll cover. Emphasising inclusivity, both in marketing campaigns and the movie, Barbie celebrated the diversity of Mattel's rare toy releases. The marketing team brilliantly executed this concept through their AI tool, fostering a sense of representation in the movie and making individuals feel immersed in the Barbie fantasy experience. There’s no doubt that Barbie will continue to be remembered for years as experiential marketing done right.

The Rise of Pop-Up Stores

Pop-up stores are a type of experiential marketing that can bring a lot of buzz. It helps brands access new markets at a relatively low cost, and they are able to test out whether a particular location will work or not. Pop-up stores originated with the fashion brand Comme des Garcons back in 2004. Founder and designer Rei Kawakubo opened a series of ‘guerilla stores’ installed in raw urban spaces, selling seasonless merchandise for a limited period of time. Since then, the phenomenon has really taken off. According to one Storefront survey, more than 80% of global retail companies found they achieved successful outcomes after they had opened a pop-up store. The magic behind their success lies in their experiential charm—immersive and interactive setups with elements such as touch-screen displays, product demos, and vibrant decor. The limited-time allure is crucial: people flock in, fearing they'll miss out, which creates a buzz and excitement around the products. Plus, pop-ups are social media magnets, with visitors itching to snap and share their unique experiences online. Here’s some fun examples from around the world.Ever wondered what colour tastes like? Colour maestros Pantone attempted to answer this question by running a pop-up café in Monaco during the summers. Pantone Café sells a selection of food and drinks that are branded with their signature colour swatches, blending the worlds of gastronomy and art. It became a must-visit destination, and generated a lot of attention from the press and on social media. The fusion of culinary delights with vibrant aesthetics showcased the limitless possibilities when creativity takes the spotlight in the world of food and design.In an effort to challenge the stigma surrounding periods, Kotex, the menstrual product brand, took action in New York. They organised a weekend pop-up shop featuring a mix of feel good treats like ice cream and chocolate, relaxing manicures, comfortable clothing, and their Kotex U products available for purchase. This unique initiative not only aimed to create a positive and supportive environment but also associated the brand with a charitable cause. All proceeds from the pop-up shop were directed towards supporting a women's homeless shelter, adding a meaningful dimension to Kotex's campaign.For some, a book launch is publicised and celebrated perhaps with a book talk, or a social media post. Carole Matthews however, decided to create the world’s first edible garden in Russell Square in central London to launch her new novel, ‘The Cake Shop in the Garden.’ Made of out 15 different types of cake and taking over 450 hours to bake, build and install, visitors to the square were allowed to dig into the sweet treat border, nibble on the cake wall, or eat the edible creepie crawlies. This inventive approach not only engages people in an original way but also serves as a brilliant example of experiential marketing.

The Power of Branded Hashtags in Experiential Campaigns

Let’s take a look at empowering your campaigns with hashtags. Now, we’re not talking about the kind that say #dinner #friends that you would add to your instagram posts when you were a teenager, but rather a well thought-out, strategically incorporated branded hashtag. Creating a hashtag as part of your campaign will help it to reach and connect a broader audience, garnering more engagement with your organisation. A branded hashtag is powerful in its ability to connect people with ideas, and boost your brand recognition. For it to be successful, make sure your chosen hashtag is easy to spell, pronounce and devoid of unintended connotations. Define what message you want to convey early on in your campaign, and integrate it into your social strategy as a hashtag. Ensure that the hashtag you have chosen aligns with and reflects your organisation's ideas and brand values; avoid ones that don't naturally fit, even if you think they might boost your campaign. A well-suited hashtag has the power to leave a lasting impression on customers well beyond the live event or campaign, and, if done right, it might even propel your content to viral status.Two impactful hashtags have emerged as part of experiential marketing campaigns in the UK in recent years, both centered on the theme of female empowerment, showing a shift from merely highlighting product performance to forging meaningful connections with the target audience. Procter & Gamble (P&G), recognising confidence as a key aspect of their company, initiated the #LikeAGirl campaign through their Always UK brand. This campaign aimed to challenge the common use of the phrase as an insult. A viral video was a big part of the movement, which explored the true significance of what 'Like a Girl' means to young women. Since its launch in June 2014, the video has gained over 85 million views across 150 countries, demonstrating how the campaign's hashtag message really resonated globally and contributed to reshaping perceptions of what it means to be a girl.Likewise, Sport England's #ThisGirlCan campaign centred around fostering female confidence and encouraging women to engage in regular sports. The campaign showcased a diverse array of girls across various age groups, playing all different sports to emphasise the wide range of what amazing things girls could achieve. In an innovative move, they also introduced an online tool allowing users to create their personalised #ThisGirlCan posters, which enhanced engagement and personal connection to their audience.

Key Takeaways

Experiential marketing goes beyond pasting a logo over events, or handing out freebies to passersby. It gives people an immersive and memorable experience. Through engaging multiple senses and creating a personal connection, brands can really capture attention and build lasting relationships with their target audience. Experiential marketing events are a unique way to ensure brand loyalty, and encourage people to share what they’ve experienced with their friends and family. By investing in experiential marketing campaigns, your organisation can step into the spotlight, distinguishing itself from the background noise and laying the foundation for long-term success.

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