How & Why Experiential Marketing Works
Reading Time: ~3 Mins | Written By: Sydney Vardja
If you work in digital marketing, it’s possible you haven’t dabbled in experiential marketing.
This type of marketing is based on creating memorable and innovative customer experiences to create deep emotional connections between customers and a brand.
We know what you’re thinking! We live in a digital era. Everything meaningful is online, right at our fingertips. We don’t have to leave our homes to feel something.
Okay, we hear you — and trust us, we love digital just as much as the next guy (probably more). But even though we sleep with our smartphones, and refresh Twitter hourly, there’s something about real life experiences that digital just can’t compete with.
Don’t believe us?
We think we can convince you!
Benefits of Experiential Marketing
Unlike running an ad campaign, engaging customers through a participatory experience directly engages an audience. We see digital ads everywhere. And we’re so overstimulated by them that as soon as one pops up, we scan our screens for the tiny X to make it disappear. No, BestBuy! I do not need a new TV… even though I was just searching your site for one — weird.
Where experiential marketing wins customers over is their rarity. For most of us, our day-to-day lives aren’t flooded with sentimental, unique, and memorable experiences. In traditional marketing, consumers are regarded as passive recipients of a brand’s message. In experiential, a brand involves the consumer directly, and offers insight into the exciting evolution of an advertising campaign.
And this might sound contradictory to regular advertising. Aren’t we supposed to leave all the behind the scenes to marketing professionals? Shouldn’t we let consumers just believe in the magic?
Newsflash! Consumers are well-aware of advertising. They’re bombarded with it daily, and most of us understand that behind every great advertising campaign lies a team of people who worked tirelessly on it for months.
Experiential marketing allows a business to forge a relationship with the consumer by allowing them to both be a part of and see the process of a campaign. And this kind of magic creates a memory, which will always trump a 30 second ad.
So how to launch an experiential fail-proof experiential marketing campaign?
The most important key is understanding your audience. Are they sentimental? Are they moved by acts of kindness? Maybe they’re more into comedy than love. Knowing your audience will help ensure your campaign speaks to them. Then you’ll want to solidify your goals. Gain new customers? Promote a product?
A great example of experiential marketing was WestJet’s Christmas Miracle campaign.
Understanding their audience consisted of families, the airline company launched an experience that would speak to every passenger. Implementing a live screen at their departure gate, the airline encouraged passengers to share their Christmas wishlist with Santa.
Once passengers landed, and were awaiting their baggage, they noticed their suitcases weren't on the belt. But something else was: presents. Emotions of confusion, happiness, and excitement flooded the airport.
All passengers received the gifts they told Santa about. Talk about unforgettable!
The impact was undeniable, and visible through the customers teary eyes. And for the digital lovers, there’s data to support too! The heartwarming campaign amassed 50 million views on YouTube, making the experience a global success.
So if you’re thinking of participating in experiential marketing, make your campaign exciting! Take risks, and be creative. And never ever ask customers to purchase a product because salesy is never meaningful. When you ask the least, you will engage the most!
