REACH OR RELEVANCE?

Experiential marketing has long been recognised as a great way to engage consumers with brands. Yet some brands still argue that it can never have the reach of big ad campaigns. But is it reach or relevance that's really important?

The more remarkable a brand experience is, the stronger the brand affinity and the greater the chance of people telling their friends. But there's a catch. Making an experience rich and immersive can cost more, and that often means limiting the number of people you can talk with.

Not so long ago, this was a classic planning challenge for experiential agencies. At the outset, we often found ourselves trying to decide what we want to achieve. Should we spread the campaign thinly in order to talk to as many people as possible? Or should we concentrate on giving a fewer number of people a really engaging experience that will prompt them to talk to more people on our behalf?

The good news is: thanks to the explosion of digital and social media, this dilemma is no longer the head-scratcher that it used to be. The more relevant the experience, the greater the reach through positive word of mouth and recommendation.

Take our recent campaign for Pampers, a roadshow event that educated parents about how to get more sleep for their small children, and for themselves. We took a giant toy train round shopping centres, with experts onboard giving one-to-one tips and advice on a problem very near to parents' hearts. The campaign was relatively small in terms of the number of people it reached, but the information it offered had real value. As a result it quickly achieved a 'halo' effect, spreading like wildfire on influential blogs and websites.

Our first planning thought is always how to maximise campaign relevance. Because if the campaign isn't of interest then it won't have any impact, and no one will talk about it. Conversely, if you focus on making it an amazing brand experience, then the amplification to a certain extent will happen naturally.

But there's another important point here. And that is that brands shouldn't try to control social media. They need to give people positive real experiences and then allow and enable them to share those in authentic, truly engaged ways.

Offline, research shows that consumers who have a memorable brand experience typically tell three or four other people about it. And online, just one recommendation from well-connected people can trigger an avalanche of interest from their friends, followers and fans.

In short, as long as you do it right, you no longer have to choose between reach and relevance with experiential campaigns - now good planning and a joined-up marketing approach can enable a brand to have both in abundance.
An independent monthly round-up of brand news from the world of Brand experience marketing. Every month we gather information about which brands are connecting with their consumers through investing in experiential marketing.