| Stop Traffic at Trade Shows Using Experiential Marketing to Bond With Customers |
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By Perry DeGregorio
You've heard the term "experiential marketing" (EM) being bandied about, but might not be sure why you should incorporate it into your trade show strategy. Essentially, EM connects consumers with brands in personal and memorably relevant ways by creating a positive sensory experience to influence or motivate potential customers to become loyal brand users. It employs tactics that ignite the senses and emotions, whether it's audio or visual (or a melding of both), a physical sampling of a product, an anticipation of winning something, or another form.
At its core, EM isn't a new concept; marketers have been using one form or another for at least the last 50 years. However, the advent of audio-visual and computer technology increasing by leaps and bounds, combined with the differing demands of consumers today, has made EM increasingly popular with business owners, especially in trade show environments. In an industry survey of 300 marketers in the US, Australia, UK, Europe and China conducted late last year, 65% indicated that EM had become increasingly important to them in 2007, and 58% increased their spending on EM last year. Over a third of the companies surveyed said they presently dedicated more than 10% of their total marketing budget to EM, and 75% planned to increase their spending on it in 2008.
We've become an overcommunicated society. Thanks to the Internet, people do far more research and make more educated decisions. Buyers are more sophisticated, and you have to go that much further in order to reach them. "It's become more difficult for corporations to stand out using traditional marketing approaches because so many other companies are competing for customers' attention, and this is especially true at trade shows," says Dr. Lars Perner, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles.
Making the Most of the Methods
Use of technology is the foundation for creating an impactful EM experience and the options are only as limited as the imagination and budget. Ideas can take the form of a simple game of chance (allows people to participate and feel that they can win something), a virtual experience (providing a virtual reality experience whether it's a game, a tour, a concert video etc), customized video animation (offers entertainment exclusively targeting your product), a theatre-like presentation (provides product information in a relaxed, comfortable setting) or the most cutting-edge, a vapor screen made out of water-mist that prospects can actually walk through (works on the human "WOW" factor... memorable enough to provide water-cooler or coffee-break conversation for weeks).
Giving People an Experience
You want show attendees to connect visiting your exhibit with a pleasurable experience to help build a bridge between them and your brand. As good as an exhibit can look; it isn't serving its purpose unless it gets visitors involved. Again, this can take many forms at many levels. One of the most popular strategies to bolster visitor interest is virtual video games, where visitors can get involved as player participants, much like those at an arcade. The most effective are those custom created for a company using brand names and products as elements, but such games can often be expensive to create and produce. An affordable alternative might be looking into licensing a game popular in the "outside world," or something generic such as speed chess, tennis, etc. Even a Wii-type set-up can work.
Always maintain brand presence throughout the presentation. People can lose themselves in the world you create, and keeping your brand visible at all times prevents this from happening. Don't let your efforts go from supplement to replacement simply because you strayed from maintaining brand presence.
Whichever EM strategy you decide to employ, remember your approach needs to be all-inclusive. The booth structure, design elements, technology and the booth staff should all be somehow linked to your initial EM strategy to engage visitors. An all-inclusive approach ensures visitors to your booth an exceptional experience - and most importantly bonding with your brand on a higher level than your competitors.
Perry DeGregorio is founder of Experiential Marketing Associates (EMA), a leading integrated event marketing firm who partners with companies to create experiences that engage, educate and inspire. For more information, visit www.experientialllc.com or call (973) 882-4600. |
