Four essential tips for a successful experiential campaign
Pulling off an experiential campaign, exhibition or activation that turns former strangers into brand ambassadors and boosts your bottom line takes just the right combination of experience, know-how and flair. You need to know what you’re doing, and you need to have an arsenal of experts and resources at your disposal. It’s also important that, right from the get-go, you’re aware of the essential factors that will make your campaign stand out from the rest. The following must-have considerations simply can’t be neglected.
Let your visitors be your guide
The question about what your visitors want, or need is no longer enough. Instead, you need to be asking what excites and inspires them. What affects them on an emotional level? What sparks their imagination and fires them up? What will make them walk away from an encounter with your brand thinking, “Wow, that was something I’ve never experienced before. I want more!”? This part of the process takes time, preparation and research. Examine your target market closely, conduct intensive competitor reviews, and rally your most creative minds to manifest something entirely new and highly personalised.
Get creative with technology
Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, 3D mapping, texturised displays, touch screens, interactive games and unusual lighting. When it comes to the technology you can use to draw audiences in and get your message across, the options are endless. Of course, in this day and age, these aspects of the experiential campaigns aren’t add-ons anymore; they’re absolutely crucial. Your customers expect them, and if you’re not factoring them into your planning and budgeting, your customers are likely to walk straight past you and engage with a brand that is.
Play on the senses
Bold posters and takeaway brochures are done – in fact, they were done 20 years ago. If your campaign’s going to make an impact, you can’t simply rely on visual appeal alone. Instead, try to engage all of your customers’ five senses. Sounds impossible? With the help of some of the technology described above, you’ve already got sight, sound and touch covered. But don’t ignore taste and scent either – playing on these senses can be the very thing that helps your visitors remember your brand long after their first encounter.
Plot the user journey
What happens when a visitor arrives at your stand or event? What are their first impressions? Have you made the space around them appealing, inviting and comfortable? Who do they connect with first and what do they learn? And what do they walk away with? In what ways have their needs been met and their lives enhanced? These are big questions to ask and not always easy questions to answer but plotting your visitors’ journey through your experience is critical to its success.
If any of the points above sound overwhelming, or if you’re not sure where to start or how to go about executing them, it’s time to call in the Worx Group team. Our passion for experiential marketing, and our in-depth knowledge of the must-haves listed above, will take your campaigns and activations to the next level.