Why Experiential and Event Marketing should be part of your brand strategy.
When is a pop up bar in a shopping mall like a VR simulator at a tech expo? When it’s experiential!
In a 2018 survey, of senior marketers, experiential was considered the most successful marketing tactic, ahead of both traditional and digital marketing. Even during a pandemic, where in person and live events are limited, event marketing and experiential are growing steadily online and through hybrid events.
Is Experiential Marketing New?
Event marketing has always been there, just called things like exhibitions and conferencing, in fact experiential events in Dubai are increasing as premium brands capitalise on the lavish location. Recently, however, it has become multifaceted, driven by technology and a more insightful customer who thrives on meaningful interaction. Event marketing is about engaging consumers through a personal, memorable interplay, experiential takes it miles further. Experiential marketing generates lasting emotional connections between brands and consumers, directly engaging them in an imaginative way. Where traditional and digital marketing is about intuitive consumption of brand messages, experiential is pure audience participation! Using creativity and innovation to leave a long term impact, it’s the long game for brands.
Experiential offers greater scope for creative events, as the more inventive the event, the greater the impact. There are no rules, the product is not even required once the result is an intensely positive brand association. As one of the more flexible marketing tactics, experiential events empower the consumer to be your ultimate brand ambassador. Combined with online channels, they can yield greater ROI as consumers create related shareable content, giving the brand a wider organic reach and establishing community conversations. This flexibility allows brands to identify popular trends and capitalise on what’s generating noise at any time, around which to plan an event.
Experiential Marketing in a pandemic
Even in a pandemic, experiential marketing is here to stay! 2020 saw immense change as perceptive brands sought ways to engage with consumers directly, but in a safe way. By pivoting marketing events online, or to a hybrid environment, they increased their reach to a larger, often global audience. Virtual events and online experiences will not completely replace the need for in-person shared experience however virtual event marketing can still be memorable and valuable when executed correctly and with the ability to effectively pivot online or safely produce.
Talk to us about Experiential Events
Dubai has become the home of global experiential events in the UAE as many premium brands seek the luxury that Dubai affords to corporate events. As one of the leading Dubai event management companies, we have supported some of the biggest global brands in delivering their experiential marketing strategies with results driven creativity. We were delighted to work with many companies one their campaigns and you can read more about those in our case studies. Talk to us today about how we can leverage your brand for greater impact with creative experiential marketing initiatives.
