WHY BRANDS NEED TO EMBRACE EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

By: Megan French Calderone, Influencer & Experiential Marketing Director

It’s all about the experience. In our increasingly virtual and remote-friendly world, people are craving in-person, immersive events more than ever. Experiential marketing is a wonderful way for brands to stand out and make meaningful and lasting connections with customers, media and influencers.

According to a recent EventTrack survey, 91% of consumers reported they were more likely to purchase a company’s product or service after participating in a brand activation, and 40% said they felt more brand loyalty. Experiential marketing allows brands to show off their products and services in action, get stakeholders engaged and exponentially increase brand awareness with both the event attendees in the room and beyond.

Brand events bring products to life and capture people’s attention and emotions in a way that screens can’t replicate. The ability to see, touch and pick up a product in real life is paramount for turning someone into a loyal customer or brand advocate. For instance, FWV recently planned a gifting lounge event in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to give journalists, celebrities, influencers and stylists a chance to check out our clients in the Western industry. Over the two-day event, more than 75 guests stopped by the hotel suite to grab a drink and bite to eat and spend quality time learning about our clients, which each had their own dedicated activation space. All the positive feedback reinforced that attendees were thrilled to connect in-person and test out items rather than simply reading about them online or hearing from us via email. They were able to spritz all the Tru Western fragrances, see the handcrafted detail on Heritage Brand’s handbags up close and sip on delicious Pendleton Whisky cocktails. We received more than 30 organic social media posts, dozens of media and influencer product requests and strengthened our relationships for future opportunities. The recipe for success was a personalized experience that allowed attendees to have meaningful, one-on-one interactions with our team.

Experiential moments are also crucial for getting key stakeholders — whether you’re targeting VIPs or everyday consumers — engaged with your brand. Our efforts for FWV client Downtown Cary Park make the perfect case study. We recently planned and executed an event for 35 local media and influencers ahead of the park’s grand opening to build buzz in the community. Attendees were treated to an exclusive first look at the green space during a hard hat tour of the construction site followed by cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and mingling at a nearby restaurant. The event resulted in over 100 pieces of social media content showcasing the park’s unparalleled amenities and facilities — but it also served as the first touchpoint in cultivating long-term relationships with these important stakeholders. The media and influencers felt in the know and many continued to act as unofficial ambassadors for the park by sharing social media updates on the park’s progress, writing additional stories for their outlets and even volunteering to appear as extras in a Downtown Cary Park TV commercial. The event was the first step in building brand loyalty and lifelong fans. 

The last and most important reason that events should be part of your marketing mix is that the impact extends beyond the people in the room. When leveraged correctly, experiential activations provide robust and wide-reaching brand awareness, which makes the investment in the activation even more worthwhile and increases ROI. Even a more intimate event can be used as an opportunity to capture content for social media, email newsletters, brand websites, paid ads or public relations pitches. For example, FWV teamed up with our NYC office, AMP3 PR, to plan launch events in Manhattan and Los Angeles for the Wrangler x Barbie collection last fall. While the events were strictly for VIPs, there were dozens of Instagrammable moments for attendees to capture and share on their social channels, which resulted in more than 123 million social media impressions — well beyond the few hundred invited guests!

At FWV, we’re experts at not only planning and executing experiential activations, but amplifying them through social media strategy, influencer marketing, paid media and more. If you’re looking to add events to your marketing mix in 2024, reach out to our team through the contact form here.