Luxury brands used to rely upon experiences at the boutique level. But not anymore, they're fighting to highlight their heritage and quality as consumers flock to the convenience of online shopping.
Experiential marketing is an opportunity to provide the high-level, white-glove experience that’s missing in the new digital customer relationship. Here are some dazzling experiential marketing ideas that are perfect for luxury brands wanting to bring that wow-factor back:
- Align With Meaningful Causes to Involve Your Consumers
- Leverage Technology to Create Cutting-Edge Campaigns
- Have a Dedicated Pop-Up for a Product
- Create an Immersive Experience
- Play on Trends that Resonate With Your Audience
1. Align With Meaningful Causes to Involve Your Consumers
Luxury spirits brand LOUIS XIII Cognac’s most recent activation is a great example of how luxury brands can benefit from joining forces with meaningful causes. This appealed to consumers’ growing desire to feel their purchases are part of something bigger.
They created the campaign “100 Years: The Song We’ll Only Hear If We Care,” in which the brand pioneers the need to combat climate change. It also highlights the century-long process that goes into making a single bottle of this luxurious brandy.
Partnering with Pharrell Williams, they recorded a song created specifically for this cause. It was then stored in a safe and will only be publicly released in 100 years’ time.
2. Leverage Technology to Create Cutting-Edge Campaigns
You can leverage technology in your experiential marketing campaigns by creating virtual reality experiences. Utilise augmented reality and invest in cutting-edge tech to make your creative dreams a reality. Now that technology is virtually all around us (pardon the pun), it’s possible to create immersive experiences like never before.
Featuring global adventurer Bear Grylls, Land Rover launched their new car, Defender, with an adrenaline-fuelled VR experience. It enabled visitors to travel to the ends of the earth and train as an aerial photographer on Land Rover’s ‘Special Operations’ media team.
They competed with other users to capture the perfect photo of the new SUV, showcasing the way it navigated testing terrain with ease. After the experience, visitors were encouraged to share their mission across all social channels.
3. Have a Dedicated Pop-Up for a Product
Marc Jacobs Fragrances have been a staple since 2007. In preparation for their new Daisy Love Eau So Sweet fragrance, they debuted it with a pop-up experience.
The millennial-inspired oasis took place on the aptly named Floral Street in London’s Covent Garden district. It featured scent discovery experiences, perfume bottle personalisation, interactive games and brand giveaways as part of the offering.
Pop-up shops and white-glove experiences aren't exactly a new thing. However, they’re a great way to connect with your consumers and offer a unique experience that they might not typically get with an affluent brand. An amazing 85% of consumers said they were more likely to purchase a product or service after attending an experiential marketing event.
4. Create an Immersive Experience
A pop-up was created to celebrate 20 years of luxury makeup brand Nar’s iconic blusher. Think of it as a funhouse for adults. It consisted of five interactive rooms, each dedicated to one of the senses.
Some highlights from the event included swings through perfumed clouds, a carousel photobooth and a touch-and-play latex balloon room - all designed to make you feel joyful and stimulated.
It featured an interactive digital experience too just to up the ante. On entry, you were presented with a Nars digital RFID card where you gained entry to each room and collected images of yourself throughout.
At the end of the tour, all guests were sent the pictures, presented with a goodie bag and then were taken through the new limited-edition capsule product collection that Nars launched in tandem.
Immersive, dream-like experiences are the perfect way to completely envelope your target market in your brand and delight them beyond the normal customer service avenues.
5. Play on Trends That Resonate With Your Audience
Johnnie Walker worked with HBO to deliver a limited-edition product inspired by the iconic TV show Game of Thrones. Sharing namesake with the ice villain himself, White Walker’s release tied perfectly with the final season. So you could drink your sorrows away when your favourite dragon queen met her demise.
Unveiled at the Frozen Forest whisky experience, the label content reminded drinkers that Winter is Here. The blend itself takes muse from the North and boasts delicious caramelised sugar, vanilla and fresh berries flavours.
The event featured a whisky masterclass that showcased the innovative Scotch in three specially created cocktails: The White Walker, The Long Winter and The Night King.
Both Jeff Peters, the Vice President of Licensing at HBO, and Johnnie Walker recognised there was a fan appetite for a Game of Thrones whisky and delivered something perfect for sipping during the season finale. They capitalised on the popular show and created something truly special for the fanbase.
If you’re on a quest to engage your audience with experiences, there’s no better way than learning about experiential marketing and implementing it into your existing strategy. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Get Your Experiential Marketing Playbook for More Dazzling Insights
To help your next experiential marketing campaign be memorable, we’ve created the ultimate playbook which contains pretty much everything you need. From how you can run your own campaign successfully to examples of real-life activations plus so much more.
To get your hands on this free playbook and leave your competitors in the dust, click on the link below.
