07.06.18
By Lisa Major
Experiential marketing has evolved in a massive way over the past two decades. Things that were unheard of 20 years ago like virtual reality and data security are at the forefront of the industry today. In this edition of Happy Hour, we’ll take a deeper look at those, as well as some experiential KPIs that will put any campaign on the path to success. We’ll also take you back in time by taking a look of some of the most memorable nostalgia marketing campaigns. Cheers!
“Companies are beginning to understand the potential that VR represents as an engagement tool for branding, and, as a result, VR exhibitions are becoming more and more common for branding purposes.” ~YDreams Global
Technology has taken experiential marketing to new levels, levels we never dreamed of years ago. As experiential continues to grow and to become a strategy of choice for many brands, keeping up with the latest trends in event technology is imperative. While virtual reality has been around for several years, we are starting to see more and more brands utilize this type of event technology to engage consumers in highly immersive and personalized experiences that add brand value. Here we will take at how virtual reality is opening up new doors for brands looking to create memorable experiences.
“The real measure of success could be customer experience related, ROI-related or social-related. “ ~Julia Manoukian
Event measurement has improved drastically over the past several years thanks to technology and social media, but it’s still one of the biggest challenges that experiential marketers face. Determining ROI and ROE is not a one size fits all approach. It’s a different process for every brand, and for each activation. Therefore, one of the first steps for any experiential campaign should be determining the KPIs and which ones carry the most weight for your brand and your event. This article covers 11 KPIs that will guide you through the process while covering each stage of the buyer’s journey.
“Data security is not the sexiest topic, but it can no longer be ignored.” ~Ben Nazario
Event marketers constantly collect data from event attendees, whether it’s a lead generation campaign or event registration forms. But, as this article points out, event marketers are far behind most industries in understanding and following data security regulations. Here, Ben Nazario at Sparks outlines 4 of the most important data security concerns that marketers must get a handle on, and quickly.
“The positive impression a brand builds in a live event carries over into more effective digital communication. In this way, the off-screen and on-screen complement each other perfectly, and the whole marketing strategy becomes greater than the sum of its parts.” ~Ariella Brown
We live in a saturated digital world filled with screens, push notifications, and social ads. So saturated that ads become lost in our day-to-day lives. Enter experiential marketing. Experiential cuts through all the noise, humanizes brands, and engages the senses. In turn, it creates memorable and positive experiences for consumers. But with these two very different strategies, can marketers successfully blend the two together to create an effective campaign? As this article points out, brands can offer a live marketing event to create rapport with consumers, that rapport can then be carried over into digital marketing efforts. Marketers that do this, use a blend of both digital and experiential, are seeing results and reaping the benefits of both worlds.
“Brands are taking a trip down memory lane to deliver experiences that truly resonate.” ~Event Marketer
From a life-size version of Candy Land to the Gilmore Girls’ pop-up coffee shops, brands are offering throwback experiences that whisk consumers back into their childhood, giving them that warm and fuzzy feeling. Over the past couple of years, more and more marketers have tapped into the nostalgia trend to delight consumers of all ages, particularly Millennials. And reliving the glory days has proven to be a successful way to reach this generation. Take a look at how these brands have embraced nostalgia marketing and pulled off some totally rad events!
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At ATN, we take pride in staying on top of the latest experiential marketing trends to better ourselves and to better serve our clients. We love to help companies reach their event goals by finding the right people for each and every event. You can count on ATN for all of your experiential event staffing needs.
