In our last post we looked at the reasons behind the importance of amplification in experiential marketing campaigns. It was right around the time when we started patting each other on the back for sharing our insights about the importance of experiential marketing amplification that we realised we didn’t tell you “how to amplify and integrate your experiential marketing campaign”. The next blog topic was therefore a bit of an obvious one really.
As previously outlined, the integration of the experiential activity into a brand’s overall marketing plan is crucial, as the other marketing channels on the plan can be used to amplify the campaign. With the right use of social media the experiential campaign can live on forever; whilst local outdoor ads, press ads, TV and radio can act as powerful reminders. (If you haven’t read our previous post and you think you’re missing out, click here to catch up.)
To increase your campaign’s reach to the maximum integration and amplification should be utilised pre-, during and post-event. For this, each of the different aspects of the marketing mix can be used in a specific way to drive traffic to your event:
Press ads and OOH:
These traditional forms of advertising are great facilitators of experiential marketing, especially when used pre-event. Put simply, your ads can be used to announce the event you are planning and tell people where to find it. A simple line in the creative will do the trick.
With a bit of creativity, these channels can even instigate physical consumer action, such as a competition requiring a real-world action at a certain place within a certain timeframe for instance.
Radio:
Integrating experiential activity with radio ads works essentially in the same way as amplifying your experiential marketing campaign through press ads or OOH. Using the radio commercial or indeed even getting a DJ on board (many are convinced by a little food hamper or similar) to make a little announcement about your experiential activity can work a real treat. This works especially well because most radio stations have very localised audiences, which allows you to drill your announcement down as far as to the actual city in which your event is held..
Last summer, for example, when listening to the radio in my car, an ad announcing an event at which consumers could exchange empty bottles of shampoo for full-sized bottles of Ojon Damage Reserve Shampoo and Conditioner in nearby Westfield Shopping Centre came on the air. You bet I drove straight to Westfield and picked up my free Shampoo and Conditioner. (See, it totally works!)
TV:
When it comes to the integration of TV and experiential marketing, the trend is a very different one: from the “Colgate Cavity test” to the “Special K – What will you gain when you lose?” ad, there is an increasing trend towards television ad content deriving from (or mimicking) experiential campaigns.
Thus TV can become an enormously helpful tool in experiential campaigns. TV cameras work like magnets: Setting up a TV camera at an experiential event can dramatically increase the number of potential customers at your stand. A TV camera will provide a focal point for your experiential event and provide you with plenty of filmed material that can be used as the basis for a TV commercial (and viral).
Social Media:
From online announcements to live feeds to user-generated content and online “check-ins” there isn’t a lot social media can’t bring to your experiential campaign. The opportunities to integrate social media into experiential marketing campaigns are so extensive that this topic deserves its own blog-post – so watch this space if you want to find out more.
With the endless opportunities to be had, there really isn’t any excuse not to use multiple marketing channels to compliment each other and increase the effectiveness of your campaign across the board through amplification.
So think outside the experiential marketing box when thinking about making the most of experiential marketing!
Written by Miriam Kuhn, Marketing Manager