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The experiential world doesn’t have neatly defined edges. For some, it may represent “party planning” and custom invitations, floral arrangements, and DJ booths. For brands, experiential marketing is the magic that happens at the intersection of branding, data, and impact. It’s all about building connections.
We’ve seen some super innovative and successful experiential marketing activations just in the last year:
- Stranger Things: The Experience: This activation splits attendees into groups through a maze of escape rooms. After battling Demogorgons in the Upside Down, guests enter the Mix-Tape — a room full of themed food and beverages, a functional arcade and the Byers’ living room. And, of course, there’s plenty of merch. This “exit through the gift shop” strategy keeps guests on site after the adventure is over. This way, fans not only post their ice cream cones and new Hellfire Club t-shirts to social but rave about the experience as well.
- Jurassic Bar: A pop-up at Chicago’s Replay Lincoln Park, is an immersive experience for Jurassic Park fans. First, they enter the island of Isla Nubar and encounter an array of dinosaurs, custom-built vehicles, and island foliage, then stay for themed trivia and cocktails.
- World of Barbie: Inspired by the iconic doll’s aesthetic, features life-size installations, including her famous dream house, TV studio, airline, and camper van. Barbiecore (the hot-pink-forward fashion trend of the summer) fueled Forever21’s Barbie Dream- House-inspired launch, and the buzz keeps growing for the highly anticipated 2023 Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
- Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience: This family-friendly immersive experience debuted at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park on October 22. Featuring fan-favorite moments from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series, visitors wander through the Forbidden Forest, encountering magical creatures, and cast their own spells along the way.
And the numbers don’t lie…
The power of face-to-face (or even screen-to-screen) connection, interactivity, and experience is often overshadowed by marketing tactics that have the analytics to back them up. This is where the experiential marketing numbers come in:
- Consumers are now 10-15% more likely to upgrade or personalize their experiences. (Experiential Trends)
- 52% of survey respondents believe investment in in-person events will increase in the future. (Content Marketing Institute)
- An incredible 85% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy after participating in experiences and events. (Finance Online)
- 74% of event professionals surveyed agreed that data drives their decision-making process. A study concluded that using data to make event decisions will move to the forefront. (Endless Events)
Interested in learning about which brands are increasing their experiential marketing investments in 2023?
Download Winmo’s latest list to access 24 brands with at least three experiential marketing contacts (93 in total) that invest six figures or more in branded events and experiences.