What are the benefits of experiential marketing campaigns?
75% of B2C marketers believe that in-person events are critical to their brand’s success.
For brands who can deliver impactful events, there’s the potential for a wide range of benefits - including more engaged customers, better brand loyalty, trust, and brand awareness.
Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of experiential marketing campaigns for your customers and your brand.
What is experiential marketing?
At its heart, experiential marketing is about taking the essence of your product or service and amplifying it through carefully curated physical, interactive and multi-sensory experiences. These experiences have the power to strengthen and enhance consumers’ relationship to your brand and your products.
What does that look like in practice? Take the Lexus Takumi Townhouse in the heart of Covent Garden we created for Japan Week Festival. Built in partnership with Lexus and selected Japanese brands, our in-house teams designed and created this unique venue into an experiential journey to immerse the senses, while the production team were mindful of using premium reusable materials while transforming the space.
The experience was dedicated to the Japanese Takumi craftsmen who play a key role in delivering the unrivalled quality at the core of the Lexus brand. Including a Japanese Zen garden, sake bar and exhibition spaces dedicated to Japanese craftsmanship, customers were guided through a perfectly choreographed experience designed to create lasting memories and long-standing trust, affection and engagement with the Lexus brand.
Here are the top 3 benefits of experiential marketing campaigns like this one.
3 top benefits of experiential marketing
1. Build an emotionally engaged community
Experiential marketing campaigns are one of the most effective methods to engage your audience and foster greater brand loyalty.
Over 90% of consumers say they’re more inclined to purchase a brand’s products or services after participating in a brand activation or experience, while 40% felt they became more loyal to a brand after attending an experience.
For brand managers looking to build stronger brand-consumer relationships, experiential marketing is a hugely effective tool.
According to a 2020 research study, experiential marketing triggers deep emotional links with brands and creates closer emotional ties. Experiential brands build more brand passion, connection and affection among their audience.
By creating exciting, emotion-driven experiential events, you can generate long-lasting bonds with your customers that translate to more loyalty and engagement.
2. Increase brand trust
A key challenge brands face in today’s digital world is how to build brand trust.
Brand trust directly impacts consumers’ purchase intention. As many as 81% of consumers reported that they need to trust a brand before they consider purchasing a product or service from them.
The right experiential marketing campaigns can deliver that brand trust in as little as one touchpoint. According to a 2022 study, experiential events that positively engaged consumers’ senses, emotions and imaginations all resulted in increased brand trust.
Events like the Bentley Motorsport Programme saw potential customers experiencing truly memorable moments right in the heart of the action at race circuits. These European events brought together the true luxury lifestyle experience as guests were hosted in customised lounges while being treated to personalised touchpoints such as dedicated circuit tours, pit garage tours and “meet the driver” sessions. This premium level of detail during the customer journey enabled us to create a smooth, luxury experience.
With the right experiential marketing campaigns, you can transform your relationship with consumers. Build positive experiences to build trust.
3. Boost brand awareness
Of course, experiential marketing goes beyond just the attendees of your event or exhibition space. Thanks to social media, every visitor becomes a brand advocate helping to boost brand awareness on a grand scale.
Create a space worth sharing and your event visitors will do the rest. Reports show that as many as 98% of all consumers create digital or social content at events and experiences. And just as many share that content on social media.
It’s worth noting that this effect rarely translates to virtual events. In fact, over 50% of event marketers agree that it’s hugely challenging to create memorable experiences virtually compared to in-person events.
To increase brand awareness and turn your existing audience into powerful brand advocates, you need to be creating dynamic experiential marketing campaigns.
Make your experiential marketing memorable
At MSL Global, we’re in the business of delivering events with a difference. With over 25 years’ experience in the industry, our team offers an end-to-end solution for your experiential marketing campaigns from conception to production and through to execution.
Activate your brand with events that engage, excite and unlock the full potential of your audience. Experience is everything.
Learn more about the benefits of experiential marketing here and see our case studies from past events.