What Does "Experiential" Really Mean in Marketing?

What is Experiential Marketing?

From vending machines that turn you into James Bond to giant dragon skulls that block your path on the beach, experiential marketing has become increasingly popular and common. However, most people still might not fully understand what “experiential marketing” means.

A recent article by Creative Guerrilla Marketing breaks down the term clearly and provides examples that will help you wrap your mind around what exactly “experiential” means in marketing. In the end, there are many types of marketing, but they all share the focus of driving revenue or increasing awareness.

Read “Experiential 101: What is Experiential marketing?” at the Creative Guerrilla Marketing Blog.

Arcade Fire Makes an Interactive Music Video for “We Used to Wait” on The Suburbs Album

Music by nature can be experiential. And a music video can be a powerful method of intensifying a listener’s experience. However, since Youtube’s dominance as the main platform for online videos, the traditional music video has become standardized. As with all things in advertising and marketing, standardization limits the ability to stand out of the clutter and offer an unique experience.

However, with the help of Google Chrome, Arcade Fire is able to raise the bar and make their music videos highly interactive, relatable, and experiential. By positioning and timing pop-ups as well as utilizing Google’s entire mapping network, Arcade Fire makes a Google Experiment video for “We Used To Wait” that includes images of your home and the area around it. Powerful video, and even better execution.

Try it out here: http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Note: If you do not use Google Chrome or you have a slow computer, it might not work. In that case, you will have to settle with the Youtube video below.

Celebrity Endorsements: Football or Ambiguity

In Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy describes celebrity endorsements as lazy and overrated. He elaborates that they really only work if the celebrities advertise products they have expertise in. However, even in those cases, many viewers often remember the celebrity more than the actual product. A study by Ace Metrix seems to support this idea, for they report that celebrity endorsements often hurt product advertisements, diminishing a product lift by 1.4% on average.

Despite the grim outlook, many brands still attempt celebrity advertisements hoping to beat the average. Of the recent advertisements that we have seen, which sport a celebrity, we have noticed that there are two factors brands can focus on to improve their odds: overemphasize the product benefit and pick a celebrity that is easily seen as an expert in the product’s field.

There are two celebrity endorsed ads below. One clearly focuses on those two factors, and the other seems to focus on... nothing in particular.

 

So football on your phone.

What?

Assassin’s Creed 4 Breaks Out of the Clutter at Comic-Con 2013 with Immersive Marketing

At a major conference that’s famous for its costumes and numerous visual attractions, it is difficult for any game, show, or comic book to really envelop Comic-Con goers within the branding of their product. However, for their new game, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, the Ubisoft marketing team partnered with Attack! Marketing to physically bring fans out of the conference in San Diego and bring them into the golden age of pirates, mimicking a lawless republic in the Caribbean.

With a combination of a classic three-masted sailing ship, cannons firing, and an old fashioned pirate shave, Comic-Con goers were able to be immersed in a one-of-a-kind experience. Removing consumers from the conference itself allowed Ubisoft to shield against distractions from other brands, as well as capturing the attention of multiple senses. Hosting a night party aboard the ship, featuring celebrities  Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Morrison, and Julie Benz added to the buzz of Ubisoft’s new title. A theater room showcasing a demo of the game, hands-on gaming stations, and a photo booth, all while surrounded by pirates on a rocking, rounded out Assassin's Creed 4's experiential weekend.

An App More for the Zombie Fan Than the Brand

Hyundai worked with Robert Kirkman, comic book creator of The Walking Dead, to come out with a mobile application that allows fans and zombie fanatics to create, design their own post-apocalypse vehicle. After designing your anti-zombie vehicle, you are graded on survivability based on the categories of offense, defense, speed, and stealth. After all, in a post-apocalyptic world, its more than about style.

Why We Love This App:

A handful of brands have tried a hand at creating games and mobile applications in hopes of advertising their products. However, due to an over emphasis on their ulterior motive (selling and displaying their products), many of them fail.

Hyundai’s cars are not the main focus of the app. The main focus of The Walking Dead Chop Shop is the flame throwers, barbed-wire bumpers, and reinforced doors. The focus is providing genuine entertainment that zombie-fans actually enjoy and have always thought about. The bonus for the brand is, as this app allows fans to better imagine their post-apocalyptic vehicle, that users will be able to better imagine them with a Hyundai.

The New IKEA Catalog’s Virtual Experience

The decline of print newspapers and magazines is no surprise, in fact, it is very very old news. Although some older, more established publications had a little extra time to transition over to digital, for most other publications, market share shifted drastically depending on how quickly and aggressively they transformed to cater to a more mobile demographic. However, this is still old news.

IKEA’s new 2013 catalogue is brand new news. Why? Augmented Reality.

IKEA’s new catalogue was released yesterday along with a new update for their mobile app, IKEA Catalog. The new catalogue will feature several pages and items (designated with a smartphone icon on the top right) where consumers will be able to experience furniture items and designs in a whole new light using augmented reality. Through the app, consumers can simply point their smartphone camera at a designated item and view videos, interact with 3D models, and enjoy additional styles and layouts.

IKEA’s new update to the app is still not commerce-enabled. Instead, IKEA hopes that combining their catalog with augmented reality will only enhance the experience and inspire their consumers. However, it seems reasonable to assume that IKEA will enable a commerce-enabled version soon, especially if they see a strong increase in mobile catalog usage.

Mommy Mobile Games

In the current mobile world it’s not rare to see children as young as 10, or adults as old as 60, with their eyes locked on their respective screens. Even my mom has developed her own habit, as she can’t go a day without unlocking a new level of Candy Crush or Angry Birds.

Alamo Rent A Car believes they can take of advantage of this with their own mobile app development. In an attempt to increase brand awareness, Alamo’s digital partners will release four hashtag-based games that are meant to be played during family vacations. The campaign is set to target mothers, with Alamo planning on reaching this group through partnerships with mommy bloggers who have some clout in the blogosphere and Twitter world.

Users can play Alamoding, PixPursuit, Snap Family and Alamovie, all of which involve either different vacation photos, or, in the case of Alamovie, a video to capture memorable moments. Use of ‘#AlamoGames2Go’ enters users into weekly competitions as well as a $5,000 Grand Prize.

Via 
[AdWeek]

‘Mudvertising’ the filthiest way to get your brand noticed

When you think of a marketing event, you may think of a run, party, or booth. Did using mud ever come to mind? Most likely not. However, the concept of mudvertising is becoming a popular form of marketing among top brands such as Reebok, Miller Lite, and Advil. Brands will host events like Tough Mudder where contestants raise between $50-$200 to compete in a race through literal mud. At the end of the race, participants will have the option to receive products from the sponsors. For example, Advil may pass out samples to soothe a runner’s sore muscles while Miller Lite may be offering a cold one to quench their thirst. The primary goal of this competition is not to win but to simply get as filthy as possible in a pool of mud with your friends while having an incredible and memorable experience. Last year, the three largest mudvertising events hosted nearly 2 million people. Reebok is now the prime sponsor for the Spartan Race which is now called the Reebok Spartan race. Reebok has partnered with this event and is in the process of coming out with a new line of apparel and shoes specifically tailored to this event.

[Via AdWeek] 

What's your favorite color? Opel ADAM has it!

European auto maker Opel was looking to promote their new ADAM model, which comes in 60,000 exterior and 80,000 interior color combinations. To demonstrate the plethora of options while attracting a young demographic, Opel parked their car outside a popular bar in Copenhagen Denmark. Patron's & pedestrian's attention were quickly drawn to the once plain white car once the music, along with 3D projection mapping began. Informational pamphlets were distributed to interested consumers directing them to Opel's site where they had the option to choose the color combination that suited their taste. What’s your favorite color combination?

1993, Can You Hear Me Now?

Try asking someone where the nearest telephone booth is. Chances are they’ll give you a clueless smile and offer you their iPhone. Droga5 restored the telephone booth’s use in a new campaign for the New Museum’s exhibit “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star.” Dial 1-855-FOR-1993 from any of the 5,000 pay phones in Manhattan and you’ll receive a recorded lesson on the history of the block you’re calling from and the tenants who lived there. This interactive campaign perfectly compliments the exhibit and gives Manhattanitesan an excuse to put down their smart phone and pick up a smarter phone. 

[Via The Denver Egoist]