Marketing brand experience

Catching the undivided attention of today’s audiences and creating a meaningful bond between them and your brand has become a more difficult marketing responsibility. Consumers are more jaded about marketing (and thus less trusting about selling efforts that they encounter), and savvy about messaging (making them a more discerning lot).

Integration, customer engagement, brand acceleration, activation and participation are the current buzzwords and are listed as decisive factors for marketing victory. These new labels are applicable to any marketing communications platform, whether you are striking up a conversation with 5,000 people at a sales rally or a multi-city mobile marketing initiative directed at the youth. Terms like “impressions” and “eyeballs” are now relegated to the backseat, and pretty soon will be classified under the “things of the past” list.

These new standards point to an unspoken recognition that it takes more than a one-minute TV or radio spot or a dominant-size print ad to move people towards your desired response. The research undertaken for the event marketing industry by the George P. Johnson Company indicates that special events (conventions, road shows, trade launches, concerts and the like), and its latest nomenclature, experience marketing (EM), is one of the most effective marketing channels available to modern-day corporate or business communicators. EM, at its most basic, is a more gradated road map compared to the umbrella and all-encompassing traditional live-event approach.

The strategic mix of the appropriate plan, unique copy proposition, cut-through design, competitive creative direction and execution is key in creating the all-important linkup with various target niches. It necessitates an effective interface with a brand’s attributes on a more profound plane, fashioning a full familiarity with the brand. EM affords an influential venue to connect with defined audiences, and it magnifies the effect of the entire event portfolio and other marketing components if suitably integrated.

Last year, EventView completed data collection from interviews of nearly 900 senior marketing executives worldwide on EM and special events management. The following is a brief overview of some of the key data:

• 48 percent of marketing executives consider EM or special events either the lead tactic or a vital component in their overall marketing plan.

• 23 percent stated that event marketing provided the utmost return on investment (ROI) in marketing, compared with 18 percent for web marketing, 15 percent for sales promotions, 14 percent for PR and 10 percent for direct mail.

• Of those who listed event marketing as the greatest ROI generator, 40 percent selected trade shows as the main driver of those results; 22 percent claimed that conferences and seminars were the major contributors.

• 71 percent said they engaged in post-event evaluation and measurement initiatives.

• 76 percent of companies that engaged in post-event measurements were likely to receive increases in marketing budgets, whereas only 24 percent of companies that didn’t conduct post-event measurements were likely to see an increase in budget.

• 80 percent of marketing executives said they plan to add EM to their mix.

• Of those planning to add EM to their mix, 74 percent said they would definitely add it within the next 12 months. The primary reason cited for the move to EM was the advantage it had in conveying the value proposition for the brand over traditional marketing efforts.

An article by Tom Domine for the International Association of Business Communicators’ Communications World demonstrates the growing value of EM. He cited the case of BMW, whose brand awareness generally polls at 98 percent — a figure that doesn’t directly equate to sales. According to information shared by Jan-Christiaan Koenders, director of brand communication for BMW Group, EM was a key component in increasing revenue. He named the EM example of product campaigning at high-end resorts, where guests experienced driving BMWs as part of their stay. Such an event was preceded by e-mail and merchandising supported by additional promotions and sales efforts. The integrated endeavor proved that an event planner could be a visionary strategic partner rather than a logistical tactician.

In the same Domine commentary, Steve Waugh, manager of worldwide demand-generation event marketing for IBM integrated marketing communications, rationalized the need for EM. Waugh stated, “Event marketing is an opportunity to tell our story in the most engaging manner possible, and the telling of that story is certainly enhanced by a powerful brand presence.”

In Waugh’s experience, storytelling through events is an effective way to turn brand awareness into bottom-line results. He added, “EM is a methodology that event marketers can employ to heighten engagement with their audiences. It’s a natural complement and extension of what we have been doing for a long time. The marketing world knows that to cut through the clutter and fragmentation of traditional channels, ‘going experiential’ can be a point of differentiation and create lasting value for a brand.”

In today’s competitive environment, EM is proving to be one of the most powerful tools available to marketing communicators. EM is truly powerful since it provides a physical connection between you and the people you need to touch. Regardless of your motivation, here are 10 guidelines for planning great EM programs:

• Appreciate the importance of research.

• Be strategic with apparent communications goals and quantifiable objectives.

• Generate a stimulating visual experience by choosing the suitable venue, program elements and other components of your EM project.

• Connect to people’s emotions, not just their thoughts.

• Stimulate their senses in every appropriate way possible.

• Build an engagement strategy that will move your targets to heightened levels of interaction, thus creating brand champions and cheerleaders.

• Shield the integrity of your brand.

• Be generous with every bit and piece of your EM initiative. Remember, God is in the details.

• Make sure to leave an unforgettable impression.

• Document and share your EM results with the media and other vital partners to optimize promotional value.

• Chart each EM scheme with the goal of dusting off the stuff of everyday life and replacing it with something germane that can bring about an experience of great significance. You should be creative and distinct — and sometimes even calculatedly wild or over the top.

The above data discussion points to the powerful elements of EM and how it has emerged as one of the most effective tools in achieving your defined business objectives. In the current environment, live experiences and experiential marketing offer a way to connect meaningfully with audiences and can help establish long-term relationships between a brand and the audience.

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E-mail bongo@vasia.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.