Consumers are just not that into traditional marketing anymore. Instead, they’re falling head over heels for experiential marketing that connects them with brands in creative ways. But although brands of all sectors and sizes are eager to get involved, many are still looking for inspiration in everyday life.
Here are six real-life experiential marketing examples that are sure to invigorate your own campaigns.
- Coca-Cola’s Campaign for Beachgoers
- Luke’s Diner Pulled Straight From Stars Hollow
- Paramount Pictures' Terrifying Prank
- HBO Escape Room
- Ikea’s Furnished Climbing Wall
- Sony Making a Splash
1. Coca-Cola’s Campaign for Beachgoers
On a blistering day at the beach, there’s nothing better than cracking open an ice-cold beverage. So when 500 cans in a solid block of ice landed on Ipanema Beach in Brazil, it was sure to excite lounging beachgoers.
Behind this popular stunt were top dogs in the experiential marketing game, Coca-Cola. They decided that the best way to unveil the brand’s new packaging was to give away free cans in a highly creative and original way.
Through this great experiential activation, Coca-Cola cleverly managed to make consumers in Brazil desperate for its famous drink. They picked up hammers and even used their body heat to hurry along the melting process. Making them work hard for the cans extended the duration of the stunt, ensuring there was more time to strengthen the bond between them and the brand.
2. Luke’s Diner Pulled Straight From Stars Hollow
In celebration of the 16th anniversary of Gilmore Girls first episode and in anticipation of the new series, Netflix opened over 200 coffee shops across the country. Not just any coffee shop - the iconic Luke’s Diner.
Fans of the show waited eagerly in lines around the block to receive their free coffee and feel like a local in Stars Hollow. Not only was this an effective way of increasing awareness of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” but it was also perfect for the ‘gram.
3. Paramount Pictures' Terrifying Prank
Experiential marketing is a powerful tool for bringing brands to life in everyday situations. However, there are probably characters you don’t want to see reanimated in some clever marketing campaign.
Take Paramount Pictures, for example. The company behind the iconic horror movie The Ring used a ghastly stunt to drum up attention for the upcoming sequel. This prank-style activation was set up in an electronics store, preying on unsuspecting customers and reenacting the girl crawling out the TV scene in real-life.
It gave a whole new dimension to the chilling scene and created a social media storm, raking in just over 3.5 million YouTube views in only 48 hours of it going live. It illustrates how important it is for brands to create something with the potential of going viral.
4. HBO Escape Room
Riding on the momentum of popular escape rooms, HBO created the ultimate experience for fans of their shows. Each room looked as if it were plucked straight from Veep, Silicon Valley and of course, Game of Thrones. Winter didn’t arrive, but the benefits of a successful experiential marketing campaign definitely did.
This experiential marketing tactic was inspiring because it gave attendees no choice but to engage. HBO is known for its captivating shows so recreating the sets for fans to immerse themselves in was an innovative way of bringing these fictional narratives to life. They were hot on popular trends and incorporated them in a way that really resonated with their audience.
5. Ikea’s Furnished Climbing Wall
To promote the opening of France’s 30th IKEA store, the Swedish furniture company installed a vertical rock climbing wall where the hand grips and footholds consisted entirely of IKEA furniture.
IKEA’s experiential marketing activation in the midst of the French city was a nine-metre tall wall and looked just like a showroom - if your head was tilted at 90 degrees. Passersby were invited to climb the wall with a safety harness and guidance from a professional.
This was an imaginative and effective way for IKEA to not only build conversation about the brand, but with the furniture being used in such a way, it also proved the durability of its products in a fun and interactive way.
6. Sony Making a Splash
Tech giants Sony well and truly made a splash with their impressive experiential approach. It wasn’t just a drop in the ocean and it achieved a lot more than getting attendees talking. The brand delivered an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience when it unveiled “the world’s first underwater store” in Dubai.
Bringing Sony’s branding to life in unforgettable fashion, VIPs, members of the press and competition winners were invited to experience the incredible Xperia Aquatech store. Which, without a doubt, was the best way to tangibly demonstrate the waterproof capabilities of Sony’s devices.
Donning scuba gear, participants swam out into the sea to test out the handsets and document the experience with selfies. Sony’s commitment to experiential excellence left behind a memorable event for both those involved and those watching it after it doing the rounds on social media. Most importantly, not a single bowl of rice was needed.
Creating a campaign that's as successful as these real-life experiential marketing examples is more achievable than you think. It’s made even easier when you have all the information and inspiration to get you going.
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