The opportunities for experiential marketing are endless, and 2019 saw more brands than ever creating personalised and sensational experiences. It’s safe to say that creativity in marketing is at an all time high — and it’s showing no signs of slowing.
As we embark on a New Year, and new decade, we thought this was an opportune time to look back and get inspired by some of our favourite activations from 2019. In no particular order, here are a few of our favourite experiential activations we saw this year:
The Brilliance of Sound
Sound quality is difficult to convey over the internet. That’s why Sonos, an advanced sound system company, decided to get experiential and immerse their audiences in their sound quality and brand. Creating a multi-sensory, immersive experience, Sonos popped up in the centre of London, allowing guests to "step inside the inner workings of a song" through rooms offering varied installations aligned with the music playing.
Partnering with Google to bring this campaign to life, the Brilliant Sound Experience fostered positive brand alignments and created a deeper understanding of the brand, as well as establishing brand loyalty.
"The size of a donut. The power of a superhero"
Google’s newest release, the Google Home Mini, is about the size of a donut. While tech and desserts might make an unlikely duo, this creative combo was used to capture audiences and create buzz.
In order to market the new speaker, guests were invited to enter the "Google Donut Shop", ask the virtual assistant a question, and then take home a box that either contained a sweet treat or a Home Mini.
Not only was this initiative quirky and interactive, it allowed some guests to trial their gadget, as well as encouraging social amplification by making it all exceptionally insta-worthy.
Jeep Experiential Space
As much as we would all love for it to be possible, gift sampling cars isn’t really the most feasible method for a brand like Jeep to embrace experiential marketing.
So instead, Jeep transformed shipping containers into interactive experiential spaces that surprised and delighted audiences with the opportunity to virtually test drive their latest Jeep model. The luxury interiors of the containers showed off the excellence of not only the vehicle itself, but also engaged visitors with the “feel” of the Jeep lifestyle.Palessi for Payless
Equal parts marketing and pranking, Payless Shoes, a discount shoe retailer, created an unparalleled in-store experience. Curating a high-end façade and a guest list comprised of influencers and fashionistas, Payless changed the labels and prices of their range of shoes.
Attendees were asked how much they thought the “Palessi” shoes were worth and, with projections well into the hundreds, were shocked when it was finally revealed they were regular Payless shoes. This experience was an attempt to redirect public discourse surrounding Payless, and encourage consumers to rethink the brand. Not only were attendees engaging with the brand (both Palessi and Payless) but media coverage transcended internationally, with content created at the event earning millions of impressions globally.
Green & Blacks gift sampling
Not all activations have to be big, bold, wacky or expensive. On the contrary; some of the most effective experiential campaigns play on a simple but effective alignment with their target markets needs and wants.
In 2019, British confectionary brand Green & Blacks entered the Australian market. Wanting to encourage product trial from their target consumer while promoting their ethical brand values, Green & Blacks used the Brandcrush platform to book a sampling campaign through 90 targeted businesses including co-working spaces, cafes, bottle shops and hotels.
Staff at these businesses gave out a free "gift with purchase" sample of the chocolates, while sharing key information about the brand. The campaign was a huge success, reaching more than 160,000 people for a cost-per-reach of just $0.48c.
Bumble’s Hot Noods
We all agree that unsolicited ‘racy’ snaps are a NO-GO, and Bumble Australia set out to take this message to the streets. In protest of the provocative pics, Bumble took to Aussie universities giving out free hot noodles to students.
Not only were students getting a free lunch, but they were also being educated on the empowering ways Bumble is working to battle lewd pictures on the app, and encouraging their target demographics to sign up. Students needed to show their Bumble profile to redeem the steaming hot snack, while being delivered the message that "these are the only noods you’ll find on Bumble." Portraying a strong, empowering message, as well as giving out freebies, creates positive brand alignments and encourages reciprocity for the brand. Bravo Bumble!
Gilmore Girls
Entertainment giant Netflix has employed experiential in marketing the relaunch of popular television show, the Gilmore Girls.
The revival was teased over the course of several months, before Netflix popped up in coffee shops and cafes in over 200 cities across the US.
The Gilmore Girl’s go-to coffee shop, Luke’s Diner, is a nostalgic and easily identifiable landmark of the show and as homage, Netflix transformed coffee shops nationwide into Luke’s. GG fans flocked for miles around to enjoy free coffee and to experience the iconic café.
With such a creative and clever campaign, coverage was impressive, garnering hundreds of thousands of clicks and impressions online. This marketing mastery utilised valuable touch points with audiences and let them interact with the brand, strengthening and solidifying brand loyalty.
Tony’s Chocolonely
On a lonely mission to create delicious, ethically sourced chocolate, Tony’s Chocolonely presented their "Bean to Bar" journey along with samples of their chocolate range to consumers.
They created a walkthrough pop-up exhibit relaying their story of how the brand came about, how their chocolate is made and what they’re doing to ensure fair-trade within the cocoa industry.
Not only were consumers able to sample the scrumptious sweets, they were able to get involved with what the brand stands for. A simple yet effective pop-up activation that builds brand loyalty through memorable experiences.
Clinique iD
Clinique made their foray into the exciting world of experiential with a pop-up roadshow, setting up shop in large malls and train stations across the USA to curate an interactive experience.
This experience aimed to help consumers better understand their skin type and the right products for them. This personalised experience saw brand ambassadors guiding attendees through the pop up, educating them on the benefits of each product and the ones best suited for them. Participants were able to trial the product and see if it worked for them all with the added bonus of a customised brand experience.
Garnier X Aus Open
Long time partner of the Australian Open, skincare brand Garnier comes back bigger and better each year at the tennis.
2019 saw the creation of an interactive pop-up pushing the sustainability and natural focus of the brand’s new range.
Driving brand advocacy and engagement, the pop-up was dubbed "nature’s playground". The insta-worthy space featured a slide, ball pit, trampolines and sunflowers, making it instantly snap friendly and ever so memorable. Attendees also walked away with goodie bags bursting with beauty products and skincare. A perfect mix of gift sampling and great experiences by Garnier that really resonated with consumers.
Nike Reactland
No strangers to experiential, Nike knows how to excite and engage. Their newest experiential endeavour dubbed Reactland was a stunt started in Shanghai to promote their new shoe model, Epic React. Nike got consumers to test the "light, springy" new shoes by running on a treadmill, powering their avatar in a Mario Kart like virtual game.
Creating this immersive experience not only delighted audiences, but also gave them the opportunity to test the sneakers — building powerful interactions and bringing their brand to real life in a truly memorable way.
This lineup of experiential exploits all demonstrate the crazy, creative ways that brands can leverage the magic of experiential marketing. From skincare to sneakers, cars to chocolate, there's the right type of approach for every brand, business and product.
The examples we've highlighted in this list might seem worlds apart, however it is the intentions and influence that are fundamentally the same. By creating intriguing interactive experiences that capture the attention of audiences, brands like these can build awareness and loyalty, as well as encouraging amplification via media and social media channels.
Get offline, get creative, and get experiential - find out how you can harness the power of experiential as a part of your marketing mix.
