12.16.22
By Lisa Major
With a new year comes new goals, budgets, and trends to monitor. And as audiences continue to shift their attention to new and emerging channels, marketers must know where they are going before they even get there. That’s one reason why Forrester’s Q3 B2C Marketing CMO Pulse Survey reports that “95% of respondents plan to increase their marketing budget in 2023.”
Interestingly, research from WARC projects global ad spending to increase only by 2.6% compared to 8.3% in 2022, as reported here. This infers that CMOs are allocating marketing budgets to more non-traditional marketing tactics like experiential marketing. But to make the most out of an experiential marketing campaign, brands must consider the tactics they will use to reach their target audience. Below we look at four noteworthy experiential marketing trends brands should consider in 2023.
Pop-up experiences are impactful in their ability to surprise and delight audiences with something unique and out of the norm. Brands that creatively connect with their consumers through engaging and immersive experiences are rewarded with long-term favorability and brand loyalty. For inspiration, check out these 15 Creative Examples of Branded Pop-Up Shops.
Although in-person events are back in action, many companies learned that virtual events are still effective, especially in reaching a wider audience. For the best of both worlds, conferences, conventions, and trade shows continue to explore hybrid offerings to ensure audiences can attend in any capacity. Digital solutions and MarTech offerings make this more accessible and keep all attendees active and engaged.
Great for garnering attention, starting conversations, and organic exposure, branded art installations are simple in execution. Still, the opportunities for engagement are plenty – especially if you leverage street teams to amplify the message on the ground. Having them available to answer questions, take pictures or encourage sharing while passers-by take in the artwork connects a human quality to the larger-than-life installation.
Putting everything together, brands are back to planning large-scale PR-worthy events. Following Red Bull’s myriad of stunts and sponsored events as an example, brands of any size can capitalize on this trend with the right creative idea for their audiences. Your brand ambassadors then work to introduce the concept or event, promote and hype it, then engage with crowds in real-time.
If the past few years have taught marketers anything, it’s to be highly adaptable to the customers’ wants or needs. And when audiences need some excitement and a break from routine expectations, experiential marketing delivers new and inventive ways to get their attention.
ATN Event Staffing is your partner in planning top-tier experiential marketing events. Our expertise makes the hiring process of event teams or brand ambassadors a seamless part of your planning process, earning you positive brand engagements and connections. Our clients look to us for local, regional, and national events, where we’ve provided experiential professionals for over two decades.
