Experiential Marketing: Turning Up the Volume, But Not the Noise

Is There an Arch to Your Digital Footprint or are You Just Flat Footed?

There’s a lot of noise in the digital age. So much in fact, it’s arguably deafening. As marketers, cutting through the clutter is difficult, but doing so is only part of the equation. These days it’s often not enough for your brand to just show up and say, “Hey, I’m in your social feed, check me out. Did you catch my SnapChat story, btw? Oh, and I sent you that newsletter in your email. But, I know you’re busy-bee so lemme just pre-roll up in here on this YouTube video you’re trying to watch.” ? Yeah, no joke. So, let’s talk about experiential marketing.

We know marketing is all about telling an engaging story, right? Something with emotional appeal that drives response or action. But rather than turning up the volume and making a thud with your digital footprint, consider creating a new sound that allows your audience to become immersed in your brand. Experiential marketing does just that. It has been loosely defined as a way for a brand to play an active part in consumers’ conversations by maximizing the interaction – touch and feel – of its messaging.

The opportunity to wiggle your digital footprint’s toes and create live, one-on-one interactions with your audience has been ripe for a few years. But, unlike so many marketing avenues that spoil overtime, experiential marketing is getting sweeter. Big name brands like Red Bull have been at this experiential game for a while – remember the ‘Stratos Jump’ back in 2012? And the 2017 SXSW experiential activations were beyond impressive. But if your marketing budget is tight, and let’s be real, you don’t have a stunt team to parachute and break the speed of sound, how can you still participate experientially?

Map Out Your Experiential Marketing – Literally.

An interactive mapping solution could give you that missing experiential layer.

Event architect or a trade show exhibitor?

Showcase the venue inside-and-out with custom-designed layers for outdoor topography and terrain, stages, vendor or presenter booths, amenities, and more. Give attendees the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the event in advance or on-the-ground in real-time.

Imagine they tap into your map and are on the west side, but want to see what’s happening on the east side. They tap into the map, view the livestream of the performance or presentation, read up on who’s present, engage with the live tweets, all while making their way over. Meanwhile, their coordinates get updated and they can track where they’ve been and the locations they still need to check out.

Amusement park, museum, botanical or sculpture garden Director?

Develop data and design visualizations of the surroundings, attractions, and exhibits to give visitors perspective, real-time response to user feedback with scripted events, and most importantly easy access to information. Admit it. No one wants to pinch and zoom and pan across a PDF in size 8 font to figure and figure out where the bird watching pavilion is in relation to the sculpture terrace.

Limited time exhibitions? Link up that SnapChat, Instagram, or WhatsApp Geofilter or Augmented Reality filters. See funseekers’ googly eyes popping out flying down a roller coaster at Six Flags. Watch spectators sport the “Little Stinker” badge when you attended the Corpse flower’s first bloom after 8+ years of vegetative growth at the botanic gardens. Explore a galaxy map for the Great Space Escape for After Hours at the Museum. Create meaningful, memorable interactions with your audience and give them an opportunity to engage in the conversation.

In the construction industry?

Map out job sites with custom data visualization layers from the bottom up to consult future partners. Showcase the terrain and altitude prior to breaking ground. Give users the opportunity to explore the different stages of development to completion. Provide real-time views of the property and store important datasets that are accessible from the office or at the site. Load up virtual tours of completed projects, all accessible with the tap of pin.

Experiential marketing activation can come in many forms, shapes, and sizes including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Our resident Creative Renaissance Man, Kevin Heyse, is the mastermind when it comes to these activations. Regardless if you pick VR, AR, or interactive maps, when you encourage tangible interaction, your brand will make strides with its digital footprint.