Experiential Marketing gives customer an opportunity to engage and interact with the brand product and services. Experiencing product helps people to get direct connect to the brand and help consumer to make intelligent and informed purchasing decision.Experiential Marketing drives traffic; create awareness among the right user and helps the brand in increasing the sales.
It makes lots of difference telling people about the features of the product or services and letting them experience the benefits for themselves helps the brand to reach a loyal consumers segment.
In today’s scenario if we look at the number of channels increasing rapidly, 47% of the consumers switch the channel when the ad comes, 17 % of them who saw the ad recall the brand name. 64 % of the consumers are saying experiential is an effective tool for a brand and memorable.
Experiential Marketing as a tool
Consumer get chance to interact with the brand rather than just getting ‘told, about the brand by television.Consumers believe that the experiential marketing is more personal form of advertising.The one who is representing your brand should be trained thoroughly about the features of your brand. The promotional staff should be friendly and interactive. They should encourage customer to try the product, which they would not normally purchase.
Experiential marketing is emerging as an essential element of the marketing mix. The secret of success is integration. Companies often spend millions perfecting their marketing message with a heavyweight media campaign only to execute live activity that is not reflective of the brand’s consistent communication with buyers.
Consumer Believes
- Traditional media is no longer impactful
- Consumers want trial and interaction before purchasing
- They want to be educated about the product
- They remember experiential campaigns that stimulate interest, emotion and excitementIn addition, tell others about their experience about the brand.( word of mouth spreads)
Thought provoking stuff, Pradeep.
ReplyDeletePerhaps experiential marketing can have a greater impact because it does not appeal to the lowest common denominator, as most large media campaigns do.
It allows marketeers to address consumers more intimately, even individually, and that's what makes it more engaging.
the most important part of experimental marketing as of any experiment is feedback or inference or result.
ReplyDeletelot of the times what excites everybody in the room may not find customer approval or vice-versa. but more importantly it opens the advertiser eyes to features/uses/flaws which while considered trivial at board room are very important to the consumer
I agree with that but how as a company do you that without going broke, I attempted something similar with offering my products free and could not afford to ship them and consumers who inquired wanted them but have been so fooled by the industry weren't willing to pay for the shipping.
ReplyDeleteI've been running experiential marketing as a strategy for a number of years through (mainly other peoples)seminars and events - the idea that the user or general public can experience your brand doesn't mean that you have to give away everything for for free, but if you can do a contra deal or offer something at little actual cost but high percieved value, you can get in front of people face to face and that's realy important in a tough market where building relationships is SO important.
ReplyDeleteThere is usually a way of doing this, but it does take a little out of the box thinking
Tina
www.tinajesson.com
Thinking through and commenting on the other posts... agreeing, expanding
ReplyDelete1. brands are back and forth exchanges between companies and their consumers. It is about understanding and that understanding is gained through experience over time. A marketing campaign cannot create a brand, though it can attempt to accelerate aspects of awareness... but a real brand involves the outgoing messages AND the beliefs of a companies consumers about the company. It is a collaborative process that happens over time. So a company cannot be the "Hot" new gizmo no matter how much it positions and spends unless its customers AGREE IT IS the hot new gizmo. Example: I am a PC campaign by Microsoft. Will it work? (I love my PC) But is a PC ever going to be cooler/hipper than a MAC? Does the fact that Microsoft is spending more than the GDP of most small nations change MY perception of their brand?
2. Customers/consumers can experience a brand without free giveaways of products. The proof is in the pudding, but you can get creative BEYOND free giveways. Sometimes FREE sends the opposite message... remember the saying "you get what you pay for...". So what is your free (and well intentioned!) product worth to the consumer? What does it reflect on your brand? I am not suggesting that it is a uniform message to all recipients either. So how can consumers experience your products without cheapening the value of what you offer? Testimonials and References from those they view as peers. (I loved it, everyone with children should take them to see this movie) Authority Figures sanctioning also works. You can be creative in how this is done. (ie 4 out of 5 doctors recommend trident for their patients who chew gum!) Also seconding Tina Jesson on giving away pieces or aspects of... very powerful and makes people grateful enough to buy the whole thing.
I've been doing 'experiential' marketing ever since I got into the Ad Biz. Not only would I try each product I was to write for -- I'd actually go out into the field and ask people what they thought of the products -- or previous versions -- and what, if anything, they did not like. Before you engage the prospective customer, you have to know what makes them tick -- and how they relate to your product -- or product categories. Instead of spending a day at a focus group in New Jersey (The Focus Group State), I could get excellent information by just talking to people. It usually paid off very well in increased response and sales. I used to call my ventures out into consumerland "Consumer Attitude Focus." As an example, when I was writing for consumer electronics products, I always talked to both tweaks and non-tweaks alike.] I learned what their needs and interests were -- then wrote copy, based on what particular product benefits corresponded with their needs. The result was that my ads always drew the highest reader response in hi-tech publications. So, 'experiential' copy is not new -- but it is a powerful way to promote products -- and sales. I do the same with the catalog copy I write -- and the brochures -- radio spots -- even billboards. That's because it works effectively -- everywhere. The key here is to know both your product -- and your prospective customer. Otherwise, you're just talking to a blank wall.
ReplyDeleteReply To sender
To all
ArchiveThis message will be moved to your archived messages. Reply whenever you like. Forward
You have noted a very relevant point in contemporary marketing strategies. However I would just like to point out one of the issues with experiential marketing, which is standardizing the experience delivered. experiential marketing is a real time phenomena thus lending itself to several variables which can significantly alter what the consumer actually experienced and what you as a marketer wanted them to experience.
ReplyDeleteso as you have rightly pointed out, this has to be used as a tactical measure and is one of the elements of the marketing mix, however would still need the over arching multi-media campaign for you to be able to guide the consumer's imagery\beliefs\perceptions about your brand.
--amit
marketingbrew.blogspot.com
It would be interesting to see Experiential marketing beeing used in the Banking world. Traditional,silo led busineses find it harder to become customer centric and possibly the customer is looking for some basic experiences here: can i be recognized when I walk into a branch or call, can the bank know what products I have already bought from the bank? How do you move to the next level of customer centricity where you make the customers experience unique by relating to him or her at a segment of "one". Does data and analytics provide a solution here? Do you know of anyone who has done this really well? We have had some experience in building customer centric solutions-check us out at www.cequitysolutions.com
ReplyDeleteToday marketing mix has really changed, with the change of products in the market consumer has changed their behavior and so is the marketers like us. It is true that advertisements are not seen with much interest by today's consumers, so the idea must be clear and to the point when we are delivering the basic idea for our product. Customer centric solutions differ from product to product and so it is difficult to say what to do when.
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason "lifebuoy" started capturing rural market with a caption of "tandurusti" and became hit and didn't even touched 26% of urban market initially.
Customer-centricity is the buzzword. Positioning companies, services or products is a technique which helps in easy brand recall due to its approach of occupying separate place in customer’s mind.
Experiential marketing is the next marketing methodology that can bridge the disconnect between customers' increasing demand to engage marketers and brands on their own terms and the slow-footed reluctance of traditional marketers to move away from mass-media marketing. Today, traditional marketers continue to contend that mass media is still relevant to the customer, especially while launching a new brand.
According to me the bottom line is “Experiential marketing provides experience of the brand and not just the product.”
Very Interesting Pradeep. This is one part of the integrated marketing mix that I have seen work so well. What better than letting a prospect 'experience' the brand and guide the marketing process. Part of consumer guided marketing which has worked for our company in many cases too. The results are more accurate and give the opportunity of the program being tracked too.
ReplyDeleteWill read more of your posts. Even the basics are well explained!
Hanuwant
Experiential Marketing is plain common sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd it starts from within.
It's we who love using jargon confuse things for ourselves, preferring to work in silos.
Let me share with you an example of common sense brand building. It's also a great example of 'experiential marketing'.
One "common sense" brand builder that I admire is Mother Teresa. She figured out that "First world countries feel guilty about people dying in the streets of Kolkata". We'd call that a "key prosumer insight". What Mother Teresa did instead was not bother with powerpoint presentations and set up ways to reach her potential patrons by starting Missionaries of Charity in the US and UK and other first world countries that funded her phenomenal work in the streets of Kolkata.
And in New York and London and the hundreds of Missionaries of Charities that she set up across the First World, she offered the same "brand experience" that westerners (her patrons) could get in absolving their guilt when they come to serve at Mother House in Kolkata. Or take an easier way out and simply donate money.
Those "missions" in first world countries are run by nuns who live a life of austerity and practice "dignity for the dying" (We'd call that a "branding idea"). Because there are "homeless" people also in New York and London.
Now Mother House in Kolkata has become a pilgrimage destination. The ultimate brand experience in absolving one's guilt for the brands first world patrons.
Those of you wo will tell me but Missionaries of Charity is not a "commercial brand" will do well to know that Missionaries of Charities is one of the best funded activities in Kolkata.
But that's because they practice without preaching. They live their branding idea every day: Dignity for the dying.
And they apply common sense brand building. Give your patron their brand experience where they live.