It’s crazy to us that some business owners are still a little dismissive of experiential marketing. Take this stat for example - 70% of people who engage with a brand via an experiential marketing campaign become regular customers.
It’s hard to argue with numbers like that. If you’re still on the fence or you’re looking to get started, this post will cover what it is about this form of marketing that really resonates with customers.
Why Experiential Marketing is So Successful
So, how does experiential marketing work?
Start By Telling a Story
Part of the reason it performs so well is because it gives you the opportunity to really tell a story. Good storytelling is about a million times more important than good selling. It’s the lifeblood of human connection and is more likely to lead to the formation of genuine relationships with customers.
Say you’re looking to buy a new mattress. There are plenty of good websites and brochures out there that outline the importance of high-quality box springs, mattress toppers and bed frames. Are you going to fall in love with a mattress on a website? Probably not.
Now, imagine you’re still looking for a mattress and you get the chance to be part of a huge sleepover event at your local IKEA. That’s exactly what happened a few years ago to around 100 lucky competition winners. They received expert massages and manicures before a celebrity read a bedtime story. Oh, and there were also IKEA specialists on hand to help the winners find their perfect mattress.
Even if you weren’t part of the event, if you see what happened shared online then you’re likely to be attracted to the story. IKEA’s visual storytelling highlights the fantastic experience that people had during the sleepover. This positive connection stays with you and means you’re more likely to choose an IKEA product in the future.
Subvert Expectations and Surprise Customers
Experiential marketing is successful because it’s not what a customer expects to see from your brand. Social media posts, television adverts and printed materials - they’ve seen it all before.
Apple says to ‘think differently’ and that’s exactly what experiential marketing is all about. Surprise your customers and they’re more likely to think about your brand in a positive way and share their experience on social media.
Everyone knows the mobile game Angry Birds. You slingshot birds at little green pigs for some reason to earn stars and progress. Passersby in Barcelona got the chance to play the game too. They picked up the phone as normal and hit play. Only it wasn’t a normal game. Instead, it was a real-life version that played out in front of them. Check out the video below.
Challenge Inhibitions
Subverting expectations is a good start but to really make an impression, you could challenge your customers. Be the brand that created life-changing experiences. Traditional marketing just can’t cause the same emotional response and this is why experiential campaigns work.
Ever been in an airport and been tempted to fly somewhere else? If you were a little braver, you’d just walk in and ask to be on the first flight out - wherever it’s going. Heineken gave passengers the opportunity to do just that. People could just drop everything, hit a button and have their destination decided for them.
Instead of flying home, those brave enough to hit the button were given free tickets to Laos, Cyprus, Thailand and other amazing places. Those people went to the airport with their plans set and with a little push from Heineken, they ended up winning once in a lifetime trips.
For the rest of their lives, these people will always remember that it was Heineken who allowed them to step out their comfort zone and do something amazing. You don’t need to offer free flights to countries all over the world but you can do something in the same spirit.
Encourage customers to do something they normally wouldn’t and you can form personal connections that turn someone into a loyal brand advocate.
Experiential marketing works because it makes customers feel something. This isn’t always easy to do which is why it takes huge statements like the examples in this blog to really lead to breakthroughs. The scale of the event isn’t important. What matters is that you make someone stop what they’re doing and really connect with your brand and its message.
This is what makes experiential marketing work and why 52% of marketers say that it drives more business value than any other marketing channel. If you’re ready to get started, you’ll need our playbook.
Get Your Free Experiential Marketing Playbook
We’ve put together an all-in-one playbook that features everything you need to know to get started with experiential marketing. Get your free copy using the link below and create a campaign that ensures you stand out from the competition.
