The Power of Experiential Marketing Opportunities in the Ever Evolving World Of Advertising

If a picture is worth a thousand words than how about an experience? We’d bet on well over a million!

It’s safe to say that traditional methods of marketing are still widely used and undeniably will continue to be for some time to come but although this flame is still far from burning out, there are several alternative approaches unremittingly surfacing and conquering the minds of millennials. All of this made possible through something we like to call the “web” and you know exactly where and what we’re talking about – social media and online marketing that utilize platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the filmstrip of advertisements they support on the invisible margins of your screen. Perhaps the success rate of customer acquisition is not all that bad using this method of marketing but is it also making retention increasingly more challenging? We can bluntly tell you that it is and it’s no surprise either. Our computer and phone screens have become battlefields where corporations and even individuals are fighting to claim their share of popularity, likes, views and ultimately, you guessed it – sales.

So they say believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear but we say trust a lot more of what you experience, especially when it comes to marketing. Imagine something extremely effective that goes beyond the e-world where real connections are made with those you want to make them with. Now imagine your brand living, breathing and making real-time connections with your target consumers. Experiential marketing makes this possible and you’re about to learn why experiential marketing opportunities are far greater and more beneficial than you ever thought!

Bringing B2C Experiential Marketing Opportunities To Life

B2C companies employ different marketing campaigns for publicizing their goods and services but in many cases they do not have the specialized manpower necessary to execute for experiential. This is where a marketing agency such as Tigris becomes the hub of all of your campaigns in the experiential marketing world which include street promotions, trade shows, conferences, sales assists and special events just to name few possible initiatives. B2C campaigns are relatively short in duration thus the urgent need to secure the prospective customer’s interest very quickly and swiftly. A key way to do this when it comes to experiential initiatives such as those outlined above is to secure the right people to represent your brand and communicate the benefits effectively to seize these experiential marketing opportunities.

Here are some (not all!) different experiential approaches that several reputable companies have used to engage customers and how Tigris helped them make it happen:

1. PMA Brands (Campari Group) – Product Sampling
Tigris has been working with PMA Agencies (now known as Campari Group) regularly since May 2012 to help get a series of brands from their portfolio into the hands of consumers across the GTA and central Toronto as well as Calgary and Banff. For two and a half years, Tigris has booked and managed teams of 12-15 promotional models in each market for 2-12 events monthly. These core teams who were hand picked and trained were dedicated to executing alcohol sampling at various bars, lounges, restaurants, golf courses, concerts and special events. Not only are the girls stunning, extremely knowledgeable and friendly but they have take care of set-up and tear-down which includes a mini bar, banners/signage and supplies. The goal behind these sampling initiatives was to introduce consumers to a brand they may or may not have tried before, give them a VIP experience and communicate the key tasting notes, drink recipes and interested information about the spirits to drive awareness and sales.

2. EXPRESS – Mall Promotion
Who likes shopping for the latest fashion trends? We sure do! Tigris drew up a comprehensive marketing campaign with our media and creative partners to help EXPRESS strengthen its presence in the Canadian market with style! We couldn’t think of a better time than TIFF to show off the custom made pop-up closet, stet and repeat photo op, customer tote bag logo printing and best of all – EXPRESS gifts cards valued up to $500 that were up for grabs with an instant win text messaging contest! The pop up display, amazing prizes and beautiful brand ambassadors traveled around the GTA to various shopping centres including Toronto Eaton Centre and Bramalea as well as Rideau Centre and Byward Market in Ottawa. The buzz generated was tremendous and the client confirmed an incremental lift in sales at each of the locations.

3. Taste of Nature – Trade Shows
Products with a niche target demographic and lifestyle require very direct marketing strategies. Trade shows are a great way to get a high volume of the right people in the same room at the same time. Taste of Nature teamed up with Tigris to take advantage of these experiential marketing opportunities to set up a truly eye catching booth at the National Women’s Show and Taste of Toronto to accelerate product trial. Between these two events alone, over 40,000 samples were distributed, including many to consumers who had never heard of or tried the amazing delicious and nutrition fruit and nut bars! Consumers are hesitate to spend money on things they’ve never tried before so these sample sized taste tests are an excellent way to convert customers; when you have an amazing product like Taste of Nature does, you don’t have to do much convincing!

4. Canadian Tire – Special Events
Tigris has been working with Canadian Tire since May 2012 and boy do we have a list of exhilarating events to lay out from NASCAR to the Celebration of Hockey, Holiday Product Promotions, Boots & Hearts, Sport Chek, JumpStart and PartSource Promotions, the National Figure Skating Championships, the Baking & Sweets Shows and the list goes on! From a single staff to teams of over 30, Tigris has had the pleasure of assisting with an array of special events for Canadian Tire with something for people of all ages in the mix. Canadian Tire is a retail giant and their involvement in these high recognition and participation events is an excellent way to remain top of mind with consumers in a feel-good kind of way 🙂

5. Cisco Connect & Intuit Quickbooks – Conferences
First impressions are important and putting your company’s best foot forward is imperative when you put in the time and effort to host a conference. To ensure a seamless execution, event marketing agency Starshot teamed up with Tigris to assist with staffing a series of conferences in Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Vancouver and Toronto for Cisco Connects and Intuit Quickbooks throughout Nov-Dec 2014. Our teams, ranging in size from 2-5 event staff per city were responsible for setting up, greeting and registering guests and lead scanning. Why would you want to have on point and polished staff for your corporate events? They are a scalable extension of your current team, effortlessly blending and giving you peace of mind while you get down to business. They also help you give your guests a personalized VIP experience. There is nothing worse than getting to an event and waiting forever to get your badge or not being able to find someone when you have a question that needs answered. By bringing extra support onsite, not only do you save money in associated travel costs to fly your colleagues city to city with you, you can guarantee quick service for your guests and give them a positive and professional experience.

6. Samsung – Product Launch and Sales Assist
There are multiple tiers of marketing initiatives when gearing up for a successful product launch but we feel that getting your product in the hands of consumers and showing them the benefits first hand will be an integral part of the process. Samsung leveraged Tigris’ experiential marketing experience to concept an innovative engagement to launch what is now one of the hottest toys in the telecom world – the Samsung Galaxy. Tigris sales staff were stationed at 48 Source stores across Canada to engage customers, encourage them to participate in a “Brilliant Summer Story” contest for the chance to win a prize pack valued at $3,600, showcase the handset and drive sales. Over the span of the month long program, devices had sold our in over half of the locations! The sales increased exponentially during and post activation and while 4.5 years have passed since this product hit the market, we are not surprised to see it’s still doing so well.

You better believe that among millennials 18 to 34 year olds, that experiential marketing is particularly relevant. This generation alone yields a whopping $200 billion in purchasing power in the North American market and despite how tech savvy and inclined they are to use the net, they are more likely to find value in experiences, not things. Music festivals, trendy restaurants, travel and events are amongst the most common things millennials tend to spend their dollars on. Marketers within companies have increased their experiential marketing budgets by approximately 5 percent annually and this shift isn’t by chance. The beauty of experiential marketing opportunities is that not only are they consumer focused with a personal face-to-face impact but they can later be shared and circulated online as well – talk about integration at it’s finest! Presence is unquestionably powerful but so are the connections made virtually as they extend beyond the reach of individual experiences to much wider audiences. It’s well worth considering the array of experiential marketing opportunities next time you’re looking to connect your brand to users and consumers.

Are you looking for a way to clear cut the clutter and reach your customer better, faster and with a stronger message than ever? Leverage our experiential marketing expertise and vibrant, head turning events staff to strategically connect to consumers and drive results for your business. Whether you’re seeking a creative concept or just need the right people to execute one you’ve already got, the experiential marketing opportunities are endless – give us a call at 419.283.9119 or click here. Let’s bring YOUR brand to life!

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