Have you ever been at an event or sales space and felt … underwhelmed?
Here’s the thing: It’s not always the event or product itself that stops you from wanting to purchase or visit again – it’s the experience you have.
Experiential marketing, also known as ‘engagement marketing’, is a marketing strategy that involves marketing your product or service through custom, memorable experiences. By inviting your audience to interact with your brand in a participatory and hands-on way, you’re reinforcing what you offer in an engaging way and making your customer feel as though they’re part of your brand.
According to Forbes, experiential marketing can bolster a lasting connection between you and your customers - and some brands have it nailed. Here are three great examples of brands that have incorporated interactive technology into their experiential strategy and struck gold.
Coca-Cola: FIFA World Cup VR Experience
During the FIFA World Cup in 2018, Coca-Cola cleverly placed a unique AR experience in Zurich Central Station. Footage of Swiss player Xherdan Shaqiri was taken in front of a green screen, before being adapted to allow participants to play alongside him. The interactive experience had more than 1000 interactions over just two days. Of course, brand ambassadors were there to give out Coca-Cola too.
Nutella: Swaying Westfield’s Shoppers
In October 2013, the lucky shoppers of Westfield had the chance to “win a day everyone will love”. In this innovative move from Nutella, participants had to draw their ideal day on a bespoke touchscreen – that happened to be a two-metre high virtual slice of Nutella-covered toast! The results? Sampling of Nutella was boosted by 17 percent, they received 15,000 competition entries and their Facebook page gained over 300,000 more followers.
Mattel Games: Public Pictionary
Mattel surprised the children of Toronto with a live, interactive Pictionary game nestled in an ad billboard in 2014. An actor, who was in a nearby room, was streamed live onto the billboard and challenged passing shoppers to an interactive game. Those who won struck lucky, winning prizes from huge teddy bears to a performance from a marching band! Their viral compilation video gathered 100,000 views in the first day alone.
Experiential Marketing: The Conclusion
Experiential marketing is a great way to shake up traditional marketing campaigns and provide something memorable and fun for your audience.
Has your brand had success with interactive marketing campaigns? Tell us what worked for you!