"Experiential Marketing" – has certainly been a buzz word this year around the industry. So, what does it really mean and how is 'experiential' different to other methods of getting up close and personal with the consumer, such as ambient, promotional or guerilla marketing? Marketers have been targeting consumers with quirky in-field campaigns for many years. There is nothing new about a sampling campaign hitting the streets, an elaborate zone in shopping malls or taking over Martin Place with an event... For Channelzero the weakness in all of these types of in-field marketing is that the connection with the consumer is still fleeting and generally short lived. At the very core of experiential marketing is the desire to communicate with a consumer one to one and create a genuine and open ongoing dialogue. What defines experiential as unique is therefore consumer involvement. True experiential marketing engages the consumer with a brand or product experience that connects on an entirely different and personal level. It's all about creating a really positive and authentic connection with the brand. A good experiential campaign must therefore be more than a pretty promo team and flashy zone. It must be an engaging, entertaining and interactive experience. The experience must be authentic and thought through so that the consumer actually wants to get drawn in. For channelzero the most effective experiential campaigns have two areas that are essential to the success of a legitimate experiential campaign – these are the execution and the propagation. Execution – any campaign must be implemented with an honest assertion to align with the values of the brand's core target market, their lifestyles and their aspirations. Propagation - any campaign must allow the consumer the means keep on engaging with the brand and their experience. This can be done through creation of micro-sites, blogs, Wiki's, viral footage of their experience and actively driving word of mouth. Measuring ROI for experiential campaigns has traditionally been challenging. The cost per reach is undeniably very high versus other forms of media. However, experiential marketing is not about reach, it is about quality of contact. Therefore ROI analysis for experiential campaigns must focus on the quality of the experience, not just the cost per consumer contact. Recent research has illustrated that the exponential growth of social networking allows consumers to spread a 'word of mouth' message with far greater ease than ever before. It is now estimated that a consumer whom has had a genuinely excellent experience of a brand will tell 17 people - all of which will tell another 2 people! That's 52 positive messages about your brand/ product/service from one well thought out experiential experience. This is why 'experiential' must be a significant consideration for part of any marketing strategy.
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Digital Campaign When running any form of marketing campaign, getting quality feedback quickly can make all the difference. Channelzero developed the "Charlie" system to allow experiential marketing campaigns to generate reports and give intelligent feedback to the client. Marketing staff, our "Angels", can submit their surveys, comments and analysis directly into the system. Once the data has been verified by Channelzero, it is approved and available for the client to assess. Clients can view summary reports based on the data, or explore all of the submitted information, at any time during their campaign. By reducing the time taken to go from the event to the final report, Channelzero can adjust the campaign in intelligent ways, providing an evolving campaign for the best results.
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Experiential Marketing Channelzero were challenged by a media agency partner to create an experiential event that would promote the relationship between Kleenex Cottonelle and Guide Dogs Australia. Channelzero created a "PUPPYTASTIC" zone in Hyde Park to engage with consumers as they passed on their way to work. Fifi Box of Channel Seven's Sunrise attended the event to broadcast several live segments throughout the morning and to announce the winner of the 'name the guide dog' competition. The puppy zone was an area for kids and commuters of all ages to engage with the guide dog puppies, Kleenex and GDA.
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Print Campaign Channelzero has been working with Gloria Jean's on events and internal communications for a few years now. Senior managers of the business asked us to tell the global success story to key stake holders in a way that mirrored the values of Gloria Jean's and outlined the journey in a personal and meaningful way that would be remembered for years to come. We designed and developed 99 unique, collectors' books. The books were covered in the very hessian bags that were used to ship coffee beans from across the globe to the Gloria Jean's roasting facility in Sydney. Each hessian bag was tailored by hand to show the marks from the original coffee farms that grew and transported them, meaning no two books are the same. Every book was uniquely numbered and signed by Nabi Saleh (GJC Executive Chairman). They were then hand delivered to those key stakeholders as a welcome to the Gloria Jean's family from the global business.
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