Consumers are constantly inundated with repetitive traditional advertising messages, bombarding their lives, interrupting their TV shows and generally getting in the way. The consumer does not feel any real emotional connection with these brands, and if they do buy, it is simply because the brand that shouted the loudest got their attention. This outdated approach to marketing communications is dying, and fast. Brands are realizing that to secure the lifetime value of their customers by gaining true customer loyalty, they must give something back. The relationships between brands and their target audiences are being revolutionized."Experiential Marketing" looks at the new experiential marketing era, which focuses on giving target audiences a fabulous brand-relevant customer experience that adds value to their lives. Experiential marketing is made up of live brand experiences - two way communications between consumers and brands, which are designed to bring brand personalities to life. This book demonstrates how experiential marketing fits in with the current marketing climate, and how to go about planning, activating and evaluating it for best results. This is essential reading for both advertising and marketing practitioners, and marketing students.
ntroduction 1
1 Why experiential? 3
2 Outsourcing vs. in-house 36
3 BETTER 52
4 IDEA 68
5 Situation and background 74
6 Experiential objectives 80
7 Target audiences 91
8 Message - key communication 115
9 Experiential strategy 122
10 Selected locations and Brand ambassadors 139
11 System and mechanisms for measurement 163
12 Action 172
13 Gauging effectiveness 192
14 Evaluation 200
15 Interviews 214
16 International case studies 241
17 Conclusion 252
App. 1 Common experiential marketing jargon explained 254
App. 2 Further reading 258