Several steps go into your marketing mix. Planning comes before the activation and feedback phase. You need the feedback to know how consumers felt about your brand. Experiential marketing touches on the senses in order to gain consumer appeal. The goal is to impact consumers in a positive way.

There’s a fine balance, however, as some experiential marketing activations are overused. If everyone is doing the same thing, consumers will quickly lose interest. You need to think outside the box and come up with a unique idea that doesn’t alienate anyone. These companies created experiences that wowed consumers and received outstanding feedback. Here are five unique experiential marketing activations to help inspire your next big marketing push!

#5 – Marmite

Marmite is a yeasty spread that some people love and others hate. Using that love/hate relationship, the company created a Marmite cafe and invited everyone to come in to discover the new, lighter Marmite Summer spread. Using a “love meter,” the company representatives looked at a consumer’s social media posts to determine if that user’s social media presence was positive or negative. Those who were found to be positive were rewarded with free coffee and Marmite snacks.

This campaign focused on two things that consumers love: free gifts and social media. It tied loosely to the love/hate relationship people naturally have with Marmite. Plus, word spread via social media, which helped spread the word about Marmite Summer.

#4 – Zappos

Zappos created a clever campaign that is still talked about. When Google set up a cupcake food truck in Texas, Zappos fed off that idea. Consumers who interacted with Google by posting a photo online using Google’s photo app received a free cupcake. Zappos set up down the street and offered free Zappos merchandise in exchange for the cupcake.

When consumers traded in their cupcakes, they got items like gift cards, branded headphones, sunglasses, and backpacks. Many consumers were also given back their cupcakes as an added treat.

#3 – IKEA

IKEA has come up with several marketing campaigns that people talk about. From the climbing wall covered in IKEA furniture to pop-up tubs to market the bathroom catalog, the company has created several memorable moments. The Good Ship IKEA is one that will go down in history.

Greenwich IKEA created remote-controlled boats designed to look like their popular bathtub toy. This giant boat is special, however, as it is designed to vacuum up the trash littering London’s waterways. Media and consumers both set out to find the boat and post about it on social media. Consumers were also given the chance to steer the boats. Trash collected by the boats was fashioned into a public art display to help educate consumers about the importance of recycling.

#2 – World Record Egg and Instagram

In January 2019, an anonymous user known as world_record_egg posted a simple picture of a brown egg and a message about digital well-being. By the end of this stage of the campaign, the egg had 8.8 million followers. More than 5,000 people visited Mental Health America’s self-screening page by the time the egg cracked. Of those people that took the online assessment, 75% were found to be positive for moderate to severe mental health issues. Of that 75%, only 63% were currently receiving professional help.

This entire campaign was to show the effects of social media on people with mental health conditions. Eugene the Egg’s plight directs people to Mental Health America, a non-profit agency that wants to get people opening up about mental illness and to feel empowered to talk when they’re struggling.

#1 – Payless

While the famous shoe store is struggling financially, its 2018 experiential marketing campaign was brilliant and took a page from Candid Camera. The company took over an empty store and added regal touches like sculptures and other works of art along with shoes the store sells for $39.99 or less. With a new sign (Palessi) and price tags increased by 1800%, the store opened its doors to a group of social media influencers for a “first look.”

The influencers flocked to the store paying hundreds of dollars for shoes that cost as little as $19.99. They raved over the “high-quality” and “elegant” shoes when purchasing them at the inflated price. That’s when the big reveal over the actual cost of the shoes took place and the money was refunded.

While it was all a hoax, Payless proved the discounted shoes look amazingly like high-end footwear. If their stores can fool influencers, people can shop with confidence that they are getting designer-quality shoes at budget prices.

You need a marketing mix that consumers won’t forget. Factory 360 excels in experiential marketing that pushes the limits and exceeds expectations. Our experiential marketing campaigns incorporate several strategies to ensure your marketing activation does exactly what you hoped. Let’s talk about how we can help your brand become the talk of the town. You can reach Factory 360 at 212-242-2417.