At Ambient we believe in bringing brands to life through emotionally charged experiences, that drive sales, awareness and meaningful consumer actions for our clients.
In this series of blog posts we explore the experiential tools available to marketeers, focusing on three key fields; Immersive Experiences, Sampling and Emerging Technologies, whilst also sharing a few examples of brands who, this summer, have successfully incorporated these tools in their experiential marketing campaigns.
Immersive Experiences
An experience is driven by emotion – how it makes a person feel directly influences the memories they take away and therefore the power of the stories they share as a result of it.
Today’s consumers have a very different relationship to brands compared to that of previous generations. They look for quality, craft and depth in experiences and recommendations from friends and family, whether traditional word of mouth or social media, is a key factor in the purchasing decision.
Offering consumers a chance to trial and interact with products or services in a meaningful and authentic manner, leads to enduring relationships, which as a result help drive sales. By reaching consumers through multiple senses an even more engaging experience is created as the emotions evoked serve as powerful markers of memory and behavioural influence. Cinematic sets and effects, actors, environment, sound and smell can all be combined to create truly immersive experiences.
Sampling
Sampling is the perfect way to drive sales through trial, whilst also building brand recognition and loyalty. Sampling campaigns can be run on a guerrilla basis with roaming street teams or as part of a larger experiential activation or roadshow.
Research has shown that customers who have had a chance to experience or interact with a product are 96% more inclined to make a purchase (Event Marketing Institute).
By combining sampling with other tools such as vouchers, in-store promotions or photomechanics, it also offers brands a great opportunity to collate data, generate social media coverage and, of course, measure redemptions.
There is no secret that the big brands utilise sampling to maintain their dominant market shares but it’s just as important for smaller brands and startups to be engaging with their target audience via product trial.
Emerging Technologies
The massive leaps in technology over the past decade have unlocked a new world of opportunities for brands to engage with consumers and communicate their stories in a truly immersive manner. They provide cultural relevance and leverage the impact and curiosity driven by innovation.
VR is only one of many tools allowing brands to merge the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds for powerful and effective marketing strategies. Technology is also enabling brands to amplify their messaging and campaigns in new ways, allowing experiences to live on for days, months and years across demographics and nations.
Look out for our upcoming post in this series where we will look at some creative examples of how brands have successfully used integrated, immersive experiences as part of their wider marketing strategies.