Experiential marketing has become one of the most dominant marketing trends in recent years. It involves inviting potential customers to participate in branded experiences. For example, an apparel brand popular among young people might organize a branded event featuring musical performances from popular stars and fun activities they can post pictures about on social media.
Of course, now that the coronavirus pandemic has kept many of us indoors for a while, such an event is no longer an option for the time being. Luckily, you can still use these online and digital experiential marketing tips to leverage this powerful trend.
5 Online & Digital Experiential Marketing Ideas You Need to Know About
VR Experiences
Many brands have already used virtual reality to ensure their experiential marketing campaigns reach as many customers as possible. Those who can’t physically attend an event can still “attend” it through VR headsets. This is an option to consider now that many of your customers are stuck indoors.
Online Concerts
Concerts are popular ways for brands to reach potential customers through popular celebrities. While you can’t organize a traditional concert any time soon, depending on your budget, you may be able to arrange an online concert by organizing a studio session with a popular artist. Add to the experience by giving users the option to view the concert through video or VR.
Online Fashion Shows (or Similar Ideas)
If you’re marketing an apparel or a cosmetics brand, this idea gives you the opportunity to merge both experiential marketing and user generated content into one experimental campaign.
Consider the example of an apparel brand. Via Instagram, you could encourage users to shoot short “runway” videos of themselves showing off your outfits from the comfort of their own apartments. Ask them to share these via their own Instagram accounts. Once you collect the entries, you can announce a time when you will be posting the best entries (one after another) via your Instagram or other social media platform. You might also arrange a chat function so people could comment on the “event.” It’s a digital take on a fashion show that your customers can directly participate in.
Yes, if you’re not marketing apparel or cosmetics, you’ll have to modify this idea slightly, but you can probably think of a similar concept. For example, if you’re marketing a gaming, you could invite people to view an online tournament in which players face off against one another.
Online Meet-ups
Keep in mind that many platforms (such as Second Life) give marketers the option to organize virtual meet-ups with their customers. Consider the many ways you can use this simple option to offer your socialization-starved audience the chance to participate in fun online events with others.
AR Experiences
Like VR, augmented reality can allow marketers to bring dynamic real-world experiences directly into the homes of customers. For instance, you could use AR technology to make it appear as though an online concert was taking place in a customer’s home.
Remember these points going forward. The coronavirus pandemic may be keeping many of us inside, but that doesn’t mean you need to abandon your experiential marketing plans. Instead, you simply need to modify them.