The Value of Experiential Marketing

October 2009

Experiential Marketing should be viewed as a strategic asset for any brand. Experiencing the brand is key to building brand equity, with established as well as new brands. It has been well documented that brands which increase or maintain their marketing spend during a recession, increase their brand equity and improve the brand’s overall positioning in the market.

During times where business confidence continues to decline and while competition may be lying low, this is the time to stay focused and stand out by actively engaging the audience. Now more than ever consumers want to experience the brand – touch, taste, feel, smell, hear, before they commit to spend. In tough economic times consumers need to be confident in the brand choices made. Experiential marketing is the way to integrate all these elements to connect with the consumer and increasing spend in this direction will yield a more immediate sales impact that will result in brands sustaining and growing market share.

Today’s consumer is more educated and in touch than ever before. Consumers are asking more questions and demanding real answers. Therefore brands need to be readily accessible, as consumers want to connect with the brand. Consumers have dictated a shift in traditional media consumption as they decide which media they will consume. Bringing the product to life through experiential marketing allows the targeted consumer to experience the benefits and identify how the brand will fit into their lifestyle through sensory trial and this is the key to building a powerful and lasting relationship.

The concept of experiential marketing is to make brands more accessible by placing the product in the hand of the consumer – Brand-in-Hand! Thereby driving trial, awareness, maintaining brand loyalty, encouraging brand switching and increasing brand equity, through an experience.

Primedia Face 2 Face offers a one-stop-solution to clients who are seeking creative and innovative ways to reach and educate their desired market. Consumer activations are a powerful medium utilised to achieve the connection between consumer and brand. Competition is increasing, making it vitally important, now more than ever, for a brand to stand out from the crowd. The key is to know how and where to communicate your message to the relevant audience.

Face 2 Face guarantee a national reach accross the entire LSM spectrum, which means no consumer is unreachable. From Bottom of the Pyramid high convergence points, wholesalers, forecourts, mall activations, beach tours to corporate canteens, no target market is too small or refined.

Lance Coertzen, Sales & Marketing Executive of Primedia Face 2 Face has this to say, “Primedia Face 2 Face’s communication services contain all the essential ingredients pertaining to Experiential Marketing. This will assist in the optimising of sales short term and will strengthen your brand equity in the long term. We understand that every campaign has unique objectives and therefore requires a distinct approach. It is easy to be forward thinking and optimistic during good business times but finding the precise combination of the various marketing elements during difficult times will be a deciding factor. Primedia Face 2 Face’s Experiential, creative and strategic department has the ability to generate fresh, unique and clear-cut ideas that can be used to effectively leverage your brand to the relevant target market. We view ourselves as not just a supplier, rather a strategic partner in providing tailor made solutions to our clients”.