Experiential marketing is fast becoming the catalyst for unprecedented brand-consumer engagements that often translate into better brand recognition, recall and loyalty. With social media and new technologies, such as mobile applications, near field communications and beacon messaging, there is a new synergy that helps marketers create a holistic experience for their customers. Draw in a consumer with a personal interaction in the physical world, and measure how many people that one experience touches in the virtual world. One consumer’s network becomes your brand’s advertising medium – in a natural, organic way that transforms the spirit of word-of-mouth marketing.

Consumers are aware of how much clutter is in their world, and they are skeptical when it comes to brands who blatantly try to shove commercial messaging at them. This is especially true of the Millennial generation. This presents a challenge; marketers need to think beyond traditional advertising and begin to introduce new ways for consumers to find, engage with, use and even promote their brands. It’s not enough to show or even entertain your target audience, you need to engage them. You need them to feel, see, smell, hear, taste and relate to your brand; then, you need them to take action. A one-on-one interaction makes a consumer feel special; the marketing value of an experience is priceless. The consumer journey needs to be filled with memorable experiences, from introduction to the brand through purchase and beyond.

But first, you have to design a well-strategized, well-executed experience to grab their attention. It’s up to you to give them something to talk about. If done right, an experiential promotional campaign can hook a first-time buyer so deeply, that the brand becomes a part of their memory and creates a lifetime of loyalty. How much would that be worth to you?

At dio, we use professional brand ambassadors, extensively trained on your products and campaign, to create promotional experiences that give them an opportunity to interact with your brand in locations we know your target demographic will be already. Here are some of our ideas:

• Stage a PR stunt, such as an investigative crime scene on the streets of NYC
• Infiltrate a well-attended public parade with brand ambassadors on Segways, handing out promotional items and talking firsthand to consumers in your target demographic
• Take sampling and product demonstrations to a whole new level, such as sampling your craft beer in a specially designed underwater bar at Spring Break using an underwater drinking device
• Use virtual reality to create adventures with your products or services that they’ll never forget
• Create a pop-up shop, restaurant or event at a festival or in a high-traffic pedestrian area to bring your merchandise to them
• Turn a grand opening or your everyday point-of-purchase into a real attraction that draws crowds
• Sponsor an event, festival or venue in a way that really drives home the return on your investment
• Create a memorable but unique experience geared toward your consumers, such as a sidewalk spa in the midst of the city or a well-produced street performance that stops traffic and gets your brand noticed
• Integrate photo marketing into your campaign, to provide a consumer with a branded but personal image or video that’s quick and easy for them to blast out on their social media sites

To really test our ideation masters, let us know you’re interested in running a campaign.