What Is Experiential Marketing and How Does It Work?

Experiential marketing is a relatively new phenomenon within marketing circles. It has been heralded as a completely unique approach when compared to traditional tactics as its main emphasis is to connect with the consumer, giving them an experience that will they remember, subsequently helping them to remember the product or brand being marketed. Essentially it is by engaging peoples' emotions and thought processes that memorable and successful campaigns are completed.

Experiential marketing has one underlying aim, this aim is to enter consumer minds, creating thoughts that connect with fun and pleasure. It is through the cognitive connections between enjoyment and the particular brand that success will be achieved. Understandably, creating experiential marketing campaigns is not easy; finding the original concept that relates to the target audience is a difficult and arduous task. This fundamental process involves researching the consumers in the audience, understanding how they think, feel and react to certain situations so that it is possible to market the product or brand on a level that they will be able to receive.

The senses play a massively important role in experiential marketing. Marketers are well aware that when designing campaigns it is vital to incorporate impressive, striking visuals that catch the eye, sounds that stir the emotions and in some cases an experience that will be both enjoyable and memorable.

For those still in the dark about experiential marketing it is likely that you have already been involved in a campaign. At most major events, there are some brands pushing their latest product, either by allowing consumers to try a free sample or by getting them involved in using it, playing it and generally interacting with it. That said, experiential marketing does not always have to focus around a product, equally it can be used simply to promote a new brand, or a brand trying to change its image in the public eye.

Importantly, this form of marketing, particularly if associated with a brand must be coherent and uniform. There is little point, for example if you have an old brand, that is not seen as modern or youthful and holding a brief, one day event that is promoting the brand as youthful is unlikely to change many minds. Instead a longer term process of changing people's perceptions through experiences is likely to achieve success.