The goal of a marketing campaign is to win customers or clients to that service or product. Some companies really miss the mark. If you’re a technology company, it’s vital that you wow the consumer. This is where experiential marking comes in. Instead of trying to sell what your product or service does, your showing and delivering a personal experience that resonates with the consumer.

Experiential Marketing is All About the Experience

To best understand how experiential marketing works, take a look at a few examples. Many companies use these marketing campaigns to really connect with consumers on a personal, unforgettable level.

#1 – Google Impact Challenge

The technology giant Google put experiential marketing to good use. Each year, the company donates millions. Rather than focus on the products and services the company offers, discussions moved to the money that’s donated. To get people to interact, Google came up with the Google Impact Challenge in 2015.

Google placed 15 posters in and around San Francisco asking locals to name charities where the money should go. People used Google’s clickable paper technology to cast their votes and get money into the hands of their favorite local charities.

#2 – GE’s Medical Experience

Consumers may think of GE as a company that makes appliances and light bulbs. GE is also a leader in medical diagnostic technology. A recent experiential marketing campaign provided a clear look at the GE Healthcare division.

In 2009, GE set up an experiential marketing event in Cincinnati, Ohio, that truly brought the consumer to the world of medicine. Three sets were set up to show how medical care differs from one area to the next. One set was a typical emergency room, and another was a medical clinic in an urban setting. The final set was a rural clinic in Africa. People were able to see the difference and see how GE’s technology could help in each medical setting.

#3 – Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs App

Video game developer Ubisoft had a marketing campaign for it’s hacking game Watch Dog that took a Candid Camera spin. People who entered a local cellphone repair shop were tricked into believing the worker had installed a hacking app on their phone. This app allowed them to control the world. Believing they were really changing street lights, getting free money from ATMs, and unlocking cars, the marketing scheme ended with a car crash and police arriving.

The entire event was a prank with the company paying to close that street and hire actors and stunt drivers. It’s also certain that many people will never forget that experience or the game that inspired the marketing event.

Making Experiential Marketing Draw Attention to Your Business or Service

When you’re planning your own experiential marketing plan or event, think outside the box if you want. While Google’s campaign was about their charitable nature, it didn’t put Google devices or programs in consumer’s hands. Instead, people got to see another side of Google that they won’t forget.

GE’s marketing event did use its technology, but it also captured the world of medicine. It showed consumers how different it is from one place to the next.

Ubisoft’s marketing plan directly related to the game, but it brought consumers into that game. Instead of controlling a video character who is able to hack into things and change the world around him, it created a very personal experience where the consumer was the one in control of the world around him or her.

You can do the same. Come up with a unique idea and run with it. There are important steps you should take to make this a success. It all starts with research. Make sure you find out exactly what people want and desire from the service or product you offer. Turn those needs and desires into your plan.

Think through the entire campaign. You need a strategy in place, and that strategy needs to account for back-up plans. You need to study how you’ll keep it on track and not get lost along the way. If something goes askew, you need to be able to fix it. You need to broadcast news of your product or service through social media, newsletters, mailings, and any events you’re hosting or attending.

If you don’t have time to fully devote to your marketing plan, don’t give up. Many companies rely on the expertise of outside marketing teams to develop, plan, and organize experiential marketing plans for them. That’s often a wise decision. It ensures your employees continue in their roles without having to divert time and energy to an extra task.

Factory 360 has a full team of experiential marketing experts. Let us strategize your marketing campaign for you. We work with you to create an unforgettable product launch, trade show, or marketing campaign. Email info@factory-360.com or call 212-242-2417 to discuss your goals with an expert.