What was once considered a luxury for brands if the budget permitted, is now the engine to all marketing plans! Today, experiential marketing campaigns and activations are getting a much larger seat at the marketing table…and for good reason.
To understand why experiential marketing is here to stay, let’s first look at how it got here. 2020 and the decade to follow will be known as the Era of the Consumer.
Era of the Consumer
The problem that companies will continue to face in this era, is that the consumer is increasingly selective, tech-savvy and over-exposed. This, combined with a shorter attention span than ever before, means that traditional forms of advertising are ineffective on their own. So, where does that leave us? How do we reach people in this kind of a media landscape?
We can define experiential marketing as the strategy that engages consumers in an immersive and branded experience creating emotional connections and inspiring social share-ability. It is the only medium form that can touch on all five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch) and have real time two-way communication between the brand and target audience.
As brands recognize the value of human to human connections, immersive experiences, and buzz worthy events, they see how experiential campaigns deliver a message without distractions in a world where digital and traditional marketing is overcrowded.
Experiential marketing is now the leading driving the strategy of small consumer events, massive festivals, and global B2B conferences – that is because it cuts through the clutter and speaks to the savvy public, particularly younger consumers who don’t want to be marketed to—they want to be part of the experience.
Think of experiential as the gasoline to all other media forms. Social, digital, traditional OOH, and PR are all amplified from just one activation. This is exactly why experiential is regarded as an essential marketing channel and should be at the forefront of every brand’s creative thinking.
Let’s take a look at the award winning “IT” Neibolt House that GDX Studios produced and won a Gold Medal at the Obie Awards!
The Challenge
Warner Bros. knew they had a hit movie on their hands, but struggled on how exactly they could promote such a popular yet terrifying title in the event space.
The Solution
Constructed at Hollywood & Vine in Los Angeles, The Neibolt House, was a hyper-viral destination designed by Grandesign to promote the release of New Line Cinema’s IT.
From the moment the activation was announced, the demand for the experience exceeded all expectations. They were guided by the doomed “Georgie” and ventured room-by-room through immersive, film-inspired scenes complete with authentic film props.
Amplifications Results
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More than 30,000 fans stepped into a two-story Neibolt House replica.
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Estimated reach of 1,000,000,000 due to passersby and social/PR sharing
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Multiple local and national news outlets ran PR stories
Not only do consumers enjoy the experiences it offers, but it’s delivering real value and better return on investment for brands than it ever has. For any questions or help with your next experiential idea, feel free to reach out to GDX Studios!
