If you’re looking for a way to create connections with consumers that will stand the test of time, experiential marketing is the answer. Immersive experiences that allow customers to interact with your product or service are an increasingly popular way to forge memorable moments and positive associations with your brand in the real world.
Hosting an event can be a great way to harness the power of experiential marketing — and Eventbrite is here to help you optimise the process of ticketing your activation, promoting it to the proper audiences, and alleviating some of the guesswork in your planning process.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of experiential marketing and how your brand can organise an event that will leave a long-term impression on your target audience.
What is experiential marketing?
Experiential marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on creating immersive experiences that allow consumers to interact with your product or service in meaningful (and hopefully memorable) ways. The goal of experiential marketing is to create an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand, which can lead to long-term loyalty and advocacy.
Don’t think of an experiential marketing event as a place to sell your product or service (though that is absolutely an option). Instead, view it as a place to associate positive experiences and feelings with your brand, ensuring that its top of mind when attendees are ready to make a purchase or share advice with a friend.
Refinery29’s 29 Rooms pop-up, which tasks local artists with creating eye-popping installations that guests can explore, and the House of Vans concert series, organised by the shoemaker, are excellent examples of experiential marketing. Both are activations that exemplify the ethos and culture of the brands they’re organised by — and they’re accessible and desirable to people without any knowledge of the brands behind them. And if you’ve ever visited SXSW, well, you’ve been in the hurricane of brand activations and experiential marketing!
Why host an experiential marketing event?
Hosting an experiential marketing event for your brand might seem like an expensive proposition, but the value that these types of activations can create for your business is considerable. Here’s why you should consider going the experiential route with your next marketing campaign.
- Building awareness: If you’re having trouble standing out from the pack, experiential marketing is a great way to spread the word about your brand or organisation and quickly build awareness — especially if you’re willing to go big with unexpected events like a free concert or photo-worthy activation.
- Direct connection: You spend a lot of time attempting to connect with audiences in digital spaces like social media and advertising, but an experiential marketing event is an excellent way to interact with your customers in-person and learn more about how they view your brand.
- Something different: So much of marketing is tied up in conventional advertising and social media campaigns, but experiential marketing is still novel enough that it can often break through the noise. Hosting an event can attract a lot more eyes than another banner ad campaign.
- Creating loyalty: Are you more likely to purchase a product or service from a brand that ran an advertisement on your favorite TV show or a business that threw a disco dance party in a local park. Giving something to your (potential) customers via experiential marketing can create loyalty — and might also create some organic advocacy for your organisation.
- Generating leads: Having trouble finding the people who might need your product or service? An experiential marketing event can bring them directly to you. Plus, you can easily collect information that will make it easy to contact them with more information about your offerings in the future.
Ideas for experiential marketing events
If you’re ready to give experiential marketing a try, you still have important decisions to make. One of the most crucial ones is what type of event you should host. Here are a few ideas to get your creative marketing juices flowing.
- Product launch event: There’s no better way to generate excitement and build buzz for your new product or service than by making an event out of its launch — and offering an opportunity for consumers to try it out (and share their impressions with others) before anyone else gets the chance.
- Sampling event: Much like a product launch event, a sampling event is all about letting potential customers give your product or service a try before they buy it. Think about creative ways to not only distribute your product, but also to host an event that demonstrates the spirit of your brand.
- Trade show: Don’t settle for a boring booth with a simple banner at your brand’s next trade show appearance. Create an event within an event by putting together an experience that will become the talk of the show floor — it could be a pop-up concert, an eye-popping photo opportunity, or an interactive Q&A with the people behind your product or service.
- Charity event: An experiential marketing event doesn’t have to be all about your brand. Find a charity, cause, or organisation that resonates with your business’s mission and partner with them to host an event. Proceeds can benefit your partner — your brand will benefit from the goodwill that comes with lending a helping hand.
- Educational event: Connect with consumers by teaching them a thing or two about your offerings and how they might benefit from using your products or services. Educational events give attendees a reason to show up (knowledge!) and provide you with the ability to generate leads along the way.
- Customer appreciation event: Show off the perks of being an existing customer of your business by treating your clients to a cookout, a concert, or a yacht party. This type of experiential marketing helps building loyalty, while attracting potential customers that want an invite to your next party.
- Brand activation: Instead of featuring a specific product or service, try organising an event that communicates exactly what your brand or organisation stands for — in a way that is attractive to potential customers. You could host a pop-up art exhibition, organise a poetry slam, or host an afternoon of complimentary drinks.
Read more: Experiential Marketing, Defined — and Examples to Inspire You
How Eventbrite can help
If you’re looking to host an experiential marketing event, Eventbrite is a valuable tool. You can easily create a listing for your event and sell (or give away) tickets to anyone who wants to attend.
If you’re looking for help promoting your events, Eventbrite‘s marketing tools automate and simplify ad creation and measurement. You’ll reach high-intent audiences and sell even more tickets. You can target the people most likely to attend your event with social media and email campaigns while gaining insight into your event’s performance — and what you can do to improve it.
Ready to take your brand to the next level with an awesome experiential marketing event? Discover all the tools you need to promote your brand’s latest activation.
