We have learned that there are 35,000+ Google searches monthly asking, “what is experiential marketing?” It’s hard to believe that such a fast-growing and popular marketing tool is still so widely misunderstood. Experiential marketing is an important concept for all marketing professionals to understand.
We define experiential marketing as “the act of connecting consumers with a brand through a live, cool interaction.” This experience provides consumers with the ability to understand a product or service by using their senses and engaging with it. Providing an enjoyable and memorable experience is one of the greatest ways for a brand to create new customers as well as retain existing customers.
In creating an environment where consumers are awed, become excited, and engaged with a product, you consciously and psychologically increase their interest in the brand. Experiential marketing generates three different levels of customer interest:
Brand Awareness
- Use experiential as a tool to remind current users why they should continue using your brand.
- Keep your brand top of mind.
Intent to Purchase
- Build excitement in a way that the customer will leave with intent to buy your product.
- Drive them online or to retail where they can make their future purchase.
Sales on the Spot
- Call the customer to action, overcome their objections and complete a transaction.
Experiential Marketing is a way to create an experience, break through the clutter of traditional advertising, and meet your customers face to face to build interest in your brand. At the end of the day, when customers come away with a favorable impression of the experience in which they were engaged, you will increase your sales and brand awareness.
