Modern marketers have it tough. The general public’s skepticism about marketing and advertising is at an all-time high, with many proactively seeking to shield themselves from the thrusts and parries of marketing experts. While that can make it seem like marketing is an increasingly hopeless endeavor, the reality is that this cynical attitude opens up a wealth of new opportunities. While people might be more inclined to distrust conventional marketing approaches, they are more willing than ever before to trade their time and attention for experiences that actually deliver value.
Rather than simply recognizing this in a passive way without acting on it, some forward-thinking marketers have turned this realization into an entirely new style of gmr marketing. Walking the halls of any industry conference today will yield up plenty of people asking “What Is Experiential Marketing?” but the fact is that many are already succeeding with this innovative approach.
What experiential marketing amounts to, in a nutshell, is the use of immersive, engaging environments and experiences to convey a rewarding message. Instead of barraging prospective customers with yet more in the way of video, text, and still pictures, those who employ this approach focus on activities like event planning and creating novel, memorable experiences for people to enjoy.
What such marketers do, in essence, is provide something worthwhile for people to enjoy, while also making sure that their marketing goals are met at the same time. Just as Google now recommends that online marketers focus on creating valuable, interesting content if they wish to rise to the top of the search results, so do these experiential specialists create valuable real-world experiences for their targets to partake in.
When this works, it can turn out to be far more effective than other kinds of marketing, and for a number of distinct reasons. For one, experiential approaches tend to lead to far greater engagement than traditional ones, resulting in more powerful brand activation and incentivization toward action. For another, people eagerly seek out the best kinds of these experiences, making the job of the marketer far easier in that respect, as well.
Of course, some few individuals will always carry their hard-won skepticism forward even into the midst of the most exciting and engaging of experiential events. While that cannot be avoided, it is hardly a reason to write this approach off, though. The fact is that most people are actually eager to enjoy something interesting and outside of the usual, as many marketers are starting to find out.