Brands looking to connect with consumers face a lot of competition in the digital realm, leading many to look for ways to market in the “real” world. Billboards and print media can still make an impact, but both brands and consumers are looking for something more. For many brands, that “something more” is experiences.
“In a world where material possessions were once the ultimate status symbols, there is a growing shift towards valuing experiences over things,” says a post on thestandardmarketing.com. By offering consumers experiences that align with their values, tastes, and lifestyle, immersive experiential marketing taps into this shift. For modern consumers, a shared experience can have a more powerful and lasting emotional impact than the temporary dopamine rush of a new purchase.
Immersive events of all kinds, from large-scale brand activations to mobile marketing tours to interactive in-store displays, are a way to create unique real-world experiences that build an emotional bond between consumer and brand. By offering experiences consumers can’t find online, immersive marketing helps brands break through the noise and build a more personal firsthand connection.
Experiential marketing has been increasing in both frequency and complexity over the last 10 years, as technology allows ever more immersive experiences. Studies have shown consumers are eager and ready for those experiences: one survey of event attendees found 64% prefer immersive experiences over digitally driven media like kiosks and apps, a finding that’s held up over time and across markets.
What does immersive marketing have that other media lack? Why is in-person so much more effective than virtual? Here are some of the characteristics and strategies that make immersive experiential events so powerful when it comes to connecting with consumers.
They Create a Unique Way to Experience the Brand
Immersive experiences take participants deep into the world of the brand — its aesthetic, colors, messaging, and personality. Transporting participants into mini-universes focused around brand identity, imagery and information allows opportunities to surprise and captivate audiences, creating a memorable experience that lasts. And it communicates the brand’s core values and personality in a compelling way that feels authentic.
They Contain Multisensory Elements
It’s science: Experiences that involve multiple senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, touch — create stronger and more lasting memories. Immersive experiences are made of sensory input; rich, all-encompassing physical immersion is the whole point, so naturally humans have a more intense emotional response to them.
Immersive experiences are more powerful because they activate reward centers in the brain, increasing memory recall and intensifying emotion. This can be achieved through low-tech approaches like the use of color, light, sound, and even scent, as well as through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology. “The sense of immersion and presence induced by AR and VR profoundly impacts how our brains process information,” says infobrandz.com.
They Tell a Story
Because human brains are wired to perceive, understand, and remember stories, storytelling is an important and powerful part of the experiential marketer’s toolkit. “By crafting narratives that resonate with the target audience, brands can create emotional connections that extend beyond the event itself,” says mitmagazine.co.uk. Stories grab our attention, evoke emotions, trigger memories, and inspire action, forging and strengthening the brand-consumer relationship.
They Build Trust with Consumers
To participants, immersive experiential marketing feels like an authentic expression of the brand’s personality and values, and that authenticity translates into trust. Studies have found that up to 80% of consumers believe that in-person events are the most trusted way to discover new products and services.
They Drive Social Media Engagement
Today’s chronically online consumers are eager to share experiences on social media, including experiential and immersive marketing encounters. An EventTrack survey found that almost three-quarters of event attendees share event-related content like photos and videos online on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. This creates additional buzz for brands and the experiences they offer, along with potential user-generated content brands can share.
They Foster a Sense of Community
Anyone who’s attended a sporting event or concert and enjoyed the mere presence of hundreds of others with the same interest and motivation can understand how attendees at experiential marketing events say they feel a sense of community with their fellow participants. “Events and experiences that bring people together can create a sense of community, linking that feeling of belonging to the brand,” says thestandardmarketing.com. This feeling of camaraderie transfers to the brand sponsoring the experience. It’s no longer just about the product, “it’s about the experience of being part of a community of like-minded individuals.”
They Lay the Groundwork for Brand Loyalty
Humans are emotional creatures, and our feelings inform and influence every choice we make (whether we like it or not). By creating positive experiences and associations, immersive marketing encounters generate positive emotions surrounding the brand and its products. Given that consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand they feel connected to — an observation borne out by research that shows 66% of consumers believe they are more likely to purchase a product or service after interacting in person with a brand — this makes immersive experiential marketing a powerful generator of brand loyalty. By creating these positive emotional experiences, your brand can foster loyalty and long-term customer relationships.
Promobile Marketing is a dynamic experiential marketing firm based in New York City. For over a decade, Promobile has collaborated with a range of brands—from budding startups to major CPG brands—on immersive marketing campaigns. Want to discuss your next project? Reach out below.
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