How Promotional Strategies Are Shifting Toward Experience
How Promotional Strategies Are Shifting Toward Experience-Driven Engagement
If you want to bring in customers, promotional strategies focusing on experiences over passive advertising are the new norm. From surprise elements like flash mobs to personalization to immersive events, more brands are making a mark that is long remembered.
Experience now plays a massive role in purchasing decisions for as many as 73% of customers, according to a PWC survey. For example, Run DMC’s iconic 1986 concert, where they told fans to raise their Adidas in the air, highlighted a cultural experiential moment that helped elevate the company’s revenue and made it synonymous with hip-hop and the rise of sneaker culture.
Why Is There More Emphasis on Customer Experience Focus?
Reports show that customers prefer to associate brands with an experience and will pay more money for it. Being active during such promotions activates all the senses of taste, touch, sight, and sound that make it easier for people to remember.
For example, hosting a food tasting or cooking workshop is more effective at introducing someone to a food brand than a poster ad of a dish with a snippy tagline. That potential customer will remember the taste and smells of what they saw, ate, and have a vital memory of preparing a recipe.
What Are Some Inspiring Brand Engagement Strategies?
It’s easy for people to remember your awesome product drop or conference when they have custom swag to continuously show off your brand. Have items ready to put in a curated kit by creating printed shirts using Adobe Express. Some brands even have customization stations where attendees can design their own items, from printing custom T-shirts, water bottles, and embroidered hats on the spot.
Encourage attendees to post user-generated content and tag the brand on social media. You can incorporate that content to promote the next event.
Use augmented reality to provide fans a sneak peek at the event site beforehand. AR can also be used for attendees to do digital try-ons before wearing custom swag. The element of surprise is highly effective, so incorporate flash mobs, pop-up shops, and unannounced product launches.
Some Standout Innovative Brand Promotions
Some promotional strategies have included:
- Adidas virtual reality Treadmill shop
- JetBlue’s Digital Billboards, which pushed real-time updates in major cities
- Newman’s Own “Pay What You Want” Pizza Truck used to create a Generosity Index
- Gymshark’s pop-up retro laundrette, where athletes could get patches stitched to hoodies
Which one of these were you aware of before?
What Promotional Strategies Are Shaping the Future?
Experience marketing trends are purpose-driven and align directly with a brand’s core values. For example, Neuman’s own profits have always gone to charity, so setting up a food truck to test the generosity across the nation was on brand.
Expect to continue seeing more gamification, digital collectibles, and the use of augmented reality and virtual reality before and during events, particularly to try out products or embark on interactive journeys. After being shut in during Covid, post-pandemic demand has created renewed focus on more in-person social interaction for better connection.
Event-driven Marketing Is a Must for Brands
Successful promotional strategies go beyond sending out flyers and passive commercials. Brands must incorporate customers into the action by utilizing hands-on experiences from workshops to immersive events, and technology-driven highlights such as augmented reality previews.
As you look forward to the next surprise product drop, check out more of our marketing insights in other stories.
