The Concept of products has travelled time from being commodities to being products to services and now experiences.

. Marketing of products must travel with it, to embody experience as an integral part of consumer connect.

Experi enti al Marketi ng Experi enti al marketi ng programs all ow c ons umers to bec ome acti ve parti cipants in a marketi ng effort. W ell planned and exec uted experi enti al marketi ng programs c an be v ery memorabl e and relev ant and c an result in a posi tiv e c hange i n c ons umer behavi or (s uc h as making a purc has e) and attitudes (such as c hangi ng brand preferenc e).

Experi enti al marketi ng programs mos t often are ass oci ated wi th c ons umer ev ents . Some exampl es i ncl ude sampling and live hands -on product demos all owi ng consumers to touch and use a produc t rather than j us t hear or read about i t. Taki ng experi ences further, experienti al marketing programs may i ncl ude interesti ng, fun and rel ev ant ac tivi ti es both offli ne and onli ne - to c reate positi ve i mpac t.

The aim of experiential marketing is to make the customer relate, feel, think, engage, reflect... with the product. brand and/or the company."

Experiential marketing
Experiential marketing is a cross-media promotional activity which encourages two way interaction and direct physical immersion into a brand. Experiential marketing is a relatively young marketing discipline, but is growing rapidly because it ticks a lot of the right boxes. Compared to mass media campaigns, experiential events tend to communicate on a much more personal level, generate a deeper level of emotional

engagement, result in better conversion rates, and all at relatively low cost. Experiential marketing activities can range from high profile invite only events to tasters at a local farmer's market.

why should you chose to use experiential marketing?

"TV advertising will be only a third as effective as it was in 1990 due to increasing advertising costs and dramatic reduction in viewing figures." McKinsey and Co. The fragmentation and saturation of conventional media channels has led to the reduced effectiveness of traditional promotional methods. Consumers are becoming immune to advertising by fast forwarding through TV adverts using their hard disc recorders, blocking or ignoring internet banner advertising, and failing to hear the constant bombardment of marketing messages they encounter throughout their daily lives. Experiential marketing by its very nature is a a dialogue that consumers cannot ignore, not because they're being forced into it, but because it engages with them on a personal level.

what can experiential marketing be used for?

A 2009 survey[1] revealed that the majority of marketers believed "experiential marketing builds customer relationships for the long term". They also agreed that it generates sales and leads in the short term, increases awareness of the product, drives word of mouth and can align internal audiences with business goals. Experiential marketing can be used successfully to:

Build relationships Raise awareness Increase loyalty Establish relevance Encourage interaction and product trial Create memories Stimulate positive word of mouth Change the mind of dissatisfied customers Create product desire Verify the target audience Increase return on marketing investment

experiential marketing generally cannot be used to...

Generate brand awareness on a large scale Communicate with people who prefer less intrusive marketing messages

when experiential marketing events work best?

When When When When When When

people are susceptible i.e. at an exhibition or other event they are appealing, engaging and personal the event staff are well briefed it is part of an integrated marketing campaign the right customer groups are accurately targeted the product is good and easily demonstrated

establish objectives and goals

Experiential marketing can be used to satisfy many marketing requirements, but the best campaigns have more tightly defined goals.

Which customers do you want to target? What is the best method of interacting with these customers? What is the best location and environment? Is event marketing the best medium for promotion? How will the events integrate into other marketing programmes?

measurement of success
No promotional activity should be put into place without some evaluation and reporting of success. Experiential marketing results can be measured in many ways which depend on the objectives of the activity.

Number of A grade impressions Quality of impressions Quality of data captured Number of leads opting in to follow up Integration into current marketing programmes Number of relevant consumers Number of resulting sales or purchase intent Increase in trust and confidence in a brand

final words
Experiential marketing is a powerful marketing tool which should be considered as part of any integrated marketing campaign. Ensure your events are well run, well

targeted and integrated with other marketing campaigns for best results. Do it well and you'll create brand advocates who they will further spread your brand messages through word of mouth advertising, and become a loyal customer for life.
5 Tips for Improving Experiential Marketing:

1. Give the users something to talk about. Be it a unique feature or benefit, people are better able to refer their experience if there is something worth sharing. 2. Give users the opportunity to truly experience your product or service, which will dramatically help facilitate them talking about the experience (see Hammer Nutrition example above!) 3. Utilize social media and drive people to these mediums to talk about their experience. This allows all the positive feedback and personal experiences to live in publicly accessible areas, so that they are visible for others to see, thus becoming a trusted referral source. 4. Take the good and the bad. When you are opening yourself up for public commentary, be prepared and welcome both the good and bad. Negative comments should be addressed, and can be used to make your product/offering even better (if the comment is constructive, of course). Make sure you're ready to answer questions, respond to complaints, and to openly consider any suggestions. 5. Utilize this feedback to continue to innovate your product, using comments to feed your ideas for new features and additions of the product - this will in turn give your consumers more to talk about.