Experiential marketing activations are becoming more and more commonplace. We’re fans of effective productions. The best experiential marketing activations have a few shared qualities and are sure to surpass brand goals. MKMCreative knows how to make an activation cut-through and connect with the target constituency to drive awareness that accelerates adoption.

Experiential marketing is an ideal execution mechanism enabling brands to connect directly with consumers in a way that generates awareness to accelerate adoption.

Experiential marketing is the perfect middle-ground of continually fueling digital ads and writing a check with many 0’s at the end for a splashy ad. As time moves on, experiential marketing is taking up a greater share of the mix. Experiential marketing gets the product, service and offering in front of a large target audience, face-to-face in a highly curated experience. This thoughtfully executed engagement enables the passing on of key information by the brand, CTA’s and stimulates rich two-way dialogue with the actual constituency and qualified prospects.

Marketing is a multiple touchpoint game. Brands that succeed are those that build real relationships with strategically targeted audiences to drive organic engagement. To do that, brands need to develop a relationship with current and potential consumers to drive emotional connections to the brand rather than just create brand recognition that stops shy of converting. Enter: experiential activations.

The key to a successful experiential marketing activation is to directly touch each individual who interacts with the activation one-to-one to emotionally resonate. The best experiential activations allow brands to integrate their value propositions and differentiators into every aspect of the experience, leaving customers with an emotional tie to the company. During the experience the brand lifts the curtain letting consumers in in an intimate way for rich two-way, engagement.

These types of brand activations work for companies across industry and category. Whether the brand is a CPG, musician, B2B software solution or anything else, when done correctly, the best experiential activations will connect emotionally with target constituencies.

A common thing we hear from prospects or clients is that they are challenged in making their brand stand out. After a little conversation, we uncovered that a lot of brands are working to achieve this via digital and organic efforts. News feeds are flooded with display ads from brands across industries and oftentimes get to the point where they have saturated geographics and demographics until it’s become ineffective. Word of mouth needs to continually be fueled for the greatest results.

Digitally native brands almost miss a formal ‘launch’ in that they turn on the website and digital ads. Boom, in comes momentum. This is exciting…at first. Most likely that that flow will need to be fueled for significant growth to continue. Activations are a great tool for brands that didn’t have a formal launch as that allows them to reap those benefits. Activations are an ideal way to make a splash and can be wrapped creatively and content-wise around any new news, such as a product launches. Geo-targeted, market-specific introductions and launches are a proven and highly effective way to significantly increase awareness and adoption.

What qualities make for a truly successful experiential activation?

The best experiential marketing activations provide consumers with an engaging, authentic and emotional experience. Truly successful activations provide consumers an easy way to reconnect with the brand again and again. It’s a long-game. Below are qualities every activation should strive to have.

If someone asked to meet for lunch, but didn’t say when or where, it’s plausible to surmise that it will create a bit of confusion. The same applies to asking for an experiential activation but not mentioning timelines and budgets.

These pieces of information are integral to successful activations. When communicated upfront, it sets the agency and brand up for success as everyone is on the same page. MKMCreative is skilled at putting these pieces in place with brands and is always thrilled to work with brands who are looking for a partner in this process. If budget guardrails aren’t provided, then the agency is creating a plan according to what they think as opposed to mirroring it to mesh with the client’s mindset. If it’s money, everybody has a number! Being forthright about what that is, aids in getting to a unified solution quicker.

Be clear on what it is the brand is focused on, what the goals are and what metrics to aim for. Should the product fly off the shelf, be downloaded x number of times, conversions should grow by x%, open x amount additional points of distribution? Identifying specific goals and messaging is critical to achieving KPIs, OKRs and ROI. Without measurable results, what determines if the activation was a success?

In other words, clearly define the strategic initiative at hand and it will set the program up for great success.

First we take the objective, goals and every data point we can find. Next we distill that information down. At that juncture likenesses and outliers appear. They are evaluated as the throughline – a connecting theme, plot, or characteristic – of the program. After that we shape a solid overarching program narrative. Then based on all the information we refine, massage, tighten and assign a specific narrative to each market.

There isn’t a copy-paste event that works everywhere, every time. It’s important to be flexible in format and consistent in messaging. Each city/neighborhood/market will be different from one another possessing its own quirks, nuances, idiosyncrasies and shine. Tailoring the activation to appeal to each of a brand’s various target constituencies is the best way to hit the right audience every time.

The best activations are those that are truly customized and curated to achieve business goals while speaking to prospects and loyalists alike through the experience.

When MKMCreative was building the 6-market mobile tour for an international food company, the client was passionate about the entire experience being food truck focused. As the agency partner, we always love to hear the genesis of the idea from the client, how it came to be, their vision, goals and the like. We recommend chunking up. Our role is to provide strategic counsel throughout the process and at this stage, we interpret the client’s pragmatic and solid solution and translate and shape it into its live activation likeness.

A couple of stops were straight-up food culture markets, such as SF and LA with some mild City of Angels personalization, like making the food truck an airstream for instance! Chicago was more complex, as they are an installation town. Think about it, it’s too hot in the summer to hang around and too cold in the winter to kick it outside and grab a bite or stay a while. People emerge from their cars, the “L” or indoors and zip directly to their destination.

In the heat-soaked months, “beach” pop-ups come to life and during holiday, CHI is known for Christmas-themed pop-up bars. Both experiences are created for guests to hang out and stay a while protected from the elements and enthused by the decor and programming.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, MKMCreative tweaked the version of a ‘food truck’ other markets received and instead popped up…you got it, an installation…in the form of a fully functioning Greenhouse Cafe. It was a highly attended, in-market activation that was extended due to popularity. The posting and sharing was off the charts and the people were happy to come by, stay a while and be fed top-tier cuisine and service in a lush, organic-meets-chic, botanical environment.

A successful brand activation guides consumers through an experience as intended and designed. Brand ambassadors are there to support and engage. It’s done in a way that consumers lead their own journey as they choose their own adventure and explore and enjoy on their own terms and in their own unique way. When planning the activation, think through every possible touchpoint and ensure each detail is thoughtfully curated with the brand’s specific strategic goals in mind.

Generally, a brand wants to prioritize the 3 top messaging points for everyone. This should be able to be described in 10 – 15 seconds

For each activation, create a unique messaging map of how this initiative flows into the overarching brand. From there, determine what gets pulled over and what new information specific to the experience gets created. The guide is then built according to the messaging hierarchy and amount of time needed to impart.

We craft our guides for messaging that fits within 3 targeted time periods that mirror the engagement pattern of activations:

> :30 seconds

> :30 – 1.00

> 1.00+

Below are some great places to begin:

Brand activations should attract consumers without an invitation. No matter the target, people will respond much more favorably to a space that intrigues them rather than one that is being pushed on them. Client goals and objectives are mapped to what the brand wants customers to think, feel and do at every touchpoint of the experience. 

Adding an element of sizzle that’s customized to the brand and thoughtfully placed is a great quality that the best experiential marketing activations embody. Make the brand shine and own the spotlight by bringing it to life in a dynamic and interesting brand-right away.

Love to the market a brand is popping up in is so important. Each city has its own unique flavor, people and aesthetic – take full advantage of it! Employing local talent thrills the community when they see their neighborhood artist painting an installation for a brand they had only seen via digital ads. Rent spaces at local venues, hire caterers from that market, reach out to PAs in the area. This starts to spread its own word and forms appreciation for the brand – because the brand has respectfully infiltrated the community! When a whole group of in-market people are working on an activation, it’s its own WOM and buy-in. It’s the halo effect that spreads good will.

MKMCreative has been around for 12 years. This means 12 years of clients, projects, breathtaking and record breaking productions all technically and logistically complex. Experiential marketing is our day job. This is why we’re delighted when clients come to us with full trust and transparency of what they’re looking to get out of their programs, as well as how much they are depending on the agency to execute. We always recommend having an agency partner to do the heavy lifting, with a team in-house on the brand side that can own feedback loops, approvals and alignment.

Think about it this way. A homeowner will purchase paint, decor, sandpaper and more to spruce up the house and maintain it. When it comes time to renovate, they call a professional. The same goes for agency and brand collaborations. Most recently, our consumer tech client invited us to take the reins on their on-site experiences program.

Our global client, LinkedIn, engaged MKMCreative to develop a meaningful playbook of purpose-driven, rich experiential engagements to welcome teams back to campus. They needed help transforming their usual activities into something experiential and that would excite teams. We built and activated 50+ never-been-done highly-curated and customized experiential engagements. Each activation is relevant, has a cohesive throughline, promotes wellness and productivity, resonates with a diverse constituency and accomplishes LinkedIn’s main goal: encourage employees to participate as a team in mind-enriching and expanding experiences on-site.

With full trust in MKMCreative, LinkedIn received a campaign that exceeded expectations and is already being buzzed about around campus.

At MKMCreative, branding and experiential marketing is not only our day job, it’s our passion. We work with top-tier clients and love bringing campaigns to life through every step of the journey.

Drop us a line to explore creating the best experiential marketing activations.