Leveling Up Strategy: Closing Innovation Gaps in Today’s Experiential Marketing

Today’s consumers want events to feel smart, authentic, and innovative. At the same time, they also want them to spark intrigue. This sets the stage for experiential marketers to reinvent the process of providing compelling, effective experiences to consumers and leave a lasting impression.

Closing the innovation gaps in experiential marketing strategy introduces opportunities to create experiences that last beyond the “moment” and deliver on scale and impact. Here are some tips experiential marketers can use to immediately help with that effort.

Good planning starts with good thinking.

Too many brand marketers focus on buzzwords and flash when they first put pen to paper. That mindset is a surefire way to execute an experience that only grabs consumer attention for a fleeting moment. The experience should have impact and scale that transcends its time live. The best way to do that? Think about what you, as the brand marketer, want the audience to learn from the experience.

Make sure it ties back to the product but feels authentic and leads with a learning component. Give your audience an opportunity to explore and create their own stories about what interests or excites them about the product or service. That’s what forms a meaningful connection that lasts long beyond the moment.

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Keep scale at the forefront and invest in digital.

Think about who you are trying to reach and how best to reach them. The biggest miss for brands is failing to invest in digital when planning a physical experience. Take Sephora and their approach in bringing a new immersive hybrid format to the brand’s 2023 SEPHORiA event this fall.

After two years being a virtual event, the brand will create an in-person experience called Sephora: House of Beauty – an activation in New York City to engage with 6,000 attendees. Sephora will also use the activation as a way to incorporate digital aspects, such as giving attendees a chance to collect redeemable NFT tokens that could be transferred into points through Sephora’s Beauty Insider loyalty program.

When bringing a physical experience to a large audience like this, it is important to prioritize and create flexibility for a scalable, unified experience that everyone can enjoy, including those in hybrid environments.

Evaluate tech based on scale and consumer impact.

Think about the lasting effect you want to achieve. Incorporating new technology that breaks boundaries is great, but there needs to be a valid reason that readily connects to the brand instead of short-lived buzz. Take Coca-Cola’s AR/VR experience for the FIFA World Cup.

To celebrate the global soccer event held every four years, Coca-Cola used Zurich Central Station as its hub for a bespoke creative technology set up that gave fans an opportunity to practice a soccer move or have a one-on-one match with Switzerland soccer player, Xherdan Shaqiri. It elevated the experience by providing a way to get in on the action that felt compelling and truly involved while at a highly-populated major sporting location.

The real secret to success in closing innovation gaps in today’s experiential marketing strategies is to not be afraid. Brainstorm big, understand your limits, invest in what’s never been done before and be smart. If you do it effectively, your audiences will revel in the unexpected, and enjoy an experience that feels unique, and worthwhile… to both the consumer and the brand.

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