Marketing as a concept has evolved in the past decade. The process of promoting brand awareness is no more a one-way street with TV or Billboard ads but with constant communication between the customers and the brand through technological advancements like social media. Customer engagement has become a significant aspect of marketing strategies with brands constantly looking for new avenues and methods to interact with the customers. One of the most popular ways to do that is through experiential events. Experiential events or experiential marketing is a unique strategy that combines the enhanced customer engagement that an on-ground event provides with the brand’s image to create a ‘branded’ experience for the customers. It is a way to go beyond the traditional means of advertising and reaching out to their intended target audience and give them an experience of your product or service through the use of events. With the advancements in technology, such events have found more interesting ways to achieve their goals and provide a novel and unique experience to potential customers.
Virtual Reality, once introduced to the world through the gaming industry has now become a big part of the marketing world. Through specialized VR headsets, many brands now utilize this unique tech at exhibitions and roadshows. Specialised gear is used to demonstrate the product or to provide unique entertainment avenues through gamification or simply to depict the growth story of the company. Adding to this technology would be the inclusion of Augmented Reality at the centre of your event. It is a unique way to mix alternative realities into your event to create a distinctive experience for the attendees. One of the most popular utilization of AR are sponsored Snapchat lenses and geo filters during the events that increase customer engagement with the brand and also provide a way to reach out to even the non-attendees.
Social Media has taken every industry by storm but the most prominent effect the rise of social media has had is on the marketing world. Social Media marketing is one of the most important avenues for customer engagement for every brand whether it is B2B or B2C. In the case of events, social media provides a unique feature, Live Streaming that can be leveraged to garner eyeballs. Through this feature, brands are able to reach out to audiences that are not present due to time or geographical boundaries. By combining the power of live streaming with influencer, brands can interact with audiences that go beyond your current clientele. Research shows that almost 30% people, who attend live-streamed events virtually, end up attending the next edition of the event the following year in-person. Statistics clearly show the benefits that this form of technology has on event footfall and therefore, customer engagement.
The most important thing to remember at experiential events is that while technology has found unique ways to enhance the attendee experience, the personal aspect of events still needs to be taken care of. The perfect blend of technology and human interaction is the key to increase engagement and communicate your brand messaging effectively.
Azhar Morani, Division Head, Dome Corporate
