In this day and age, consumer demands have taken a different turn. Any brand engaging in marketing needs to work intensely hard in the background to reach out to a broad consumer net.

Ad campaigns require more creativity for them to achieve longevity in the market. Consumer attention span continues to grow lower, with the average adult only able to concentrate on commercials for about 8 seconds.

What then do marketers need to do to capture the consumer's attention? How can a brand set to gain an advantage in this era of extreme digital competition? Can a consumer be hooked for life?

The answer is yes!

Consumers are tired to the extent of using adblockers on their PCs and disabling ads on their phones. At times watching Facebook and YouTube videos come to a premature end because of ads. However, there is a way that marketing can circumvent this obstacle - Experiential Marketing.

Why experience in marketing?

Occasionally, a well-made and creative ad campaign captivates consumers. For a while, the ad may take root in the memory of the consumers, only to become monotonous thus forgotten.

The best way to reach out to consumers emotionally and engagingly is through creating experiences that they want to be a part of. Brand experience is the most powerful way to build brand affinity.

Today, consumers crave personalized experiences and desire meaningful interactions with the brand. Any company that taps into this human want can get light years ahead of the competition, and build a strong foundation for years to come. Why? They create a lasting impression on the audience.

Elements of experience in marketing

In education, one of the foundational pillars is having a learner-centered system. More participation creates a better understanding and makes it an exciting experience. The same should apply in marketing.

A good branding experience entails: • Active consumer participation • Promotion of the brand’s values • Provision of long-lasting value.

A marketing brand should consider facts such as why fans go to watch their favorite musicians perform live rather than listen to their music at home — the power of experience.

Active consumer participation

Consider your favorite product. Let's say a soft drink. What happens if they decide to surprise you in your workplace and seek your opinion on branding and advertising? How many of your friends and family would feel part of your experience?

Cadbury’s Chocolate at one time introduced personalized messages on their chocolate bars. How often do you think consumers ran to the shelves to get one they could use to communicate? In one way or another, the consumer felt part of the brand. You are allowing them to express themselves with the use of a single chocolate bar.

Consumers actively taking part in the process makes the marketing process easier to remember. Such experiences immensely affect more than one of the six human senses. A brand that allows consumer participation creates a long-lasting association with them, building brand loyalty.

Promotion of the brand’s values

Here, you don't tell consumers how good the brand is, or what their core values are. They get to witness as the brand expresses their values. The message will stick to the customers for years to come.

Safaricom successfully achieved this feat. An advert about a young man who used social media to raise funds for an ailing teacher personalized their values to relate with the consumers. It remains one of the most emotional ads that received wide acclaim from many consumers.

Providing long-lasting value

It is not enough to create an environment for consumer participation. The gauge of success for any experienced marketing is in the longevity aspect. If a brand can create an experience that sticks with its customers long after the fact, they will have achieved success.

Short-term marketing strategies become expensive in the long run. An experience that lasts in the minds of the consumers will create a life-long following.

The Power in experiential marketing

The biggest strength of experiential marketing is the ability to turn consumers from passive viewers to active participants. Below we consider the various advantages that come with a brand choosing to market through consumer experience.

Active understanding of the product

A consumer can recite an advert word for word but fail to explain what the product is all about. Should a brand consider this a win or lose?

If a brand decided to go to the streets and ask consumers what they knew about their product, they might be surprised at how little consumers may know.

Through experience in marketing, consumers become aware of what the product is all about. Live events and product demonstrations some of the best methods to help consumers understand a product. They are better than any form of commercial advertising.

Social media exposure

Experiential marketing techniques are shareable on social media. When consumers share their experiences with your product, they have created a room for other potential customers to seek for the same product.

Coca-Cola has been able to tap into experiential marketing and created a monstrous brand. A simple #Cocacola hashtag on Instagram has over 69 million hits. There are no 69 million tv stations, or brand ambassadors, just people sharing their experiences.

Memorability

It is possible to find a majority of young people knowing how to operate the latest phones in the market, yet they do not own them. A person can describe to you the features in your phone that they like, some of which you may never have known about.

Experiential marketing has this effect on people. Memory is affected, and the consumer can relate to the experience they had. A smell, a touch, or a tune they experienced will create a long-lasting effect.

In 2007, Fox transformed a dozen “7-Eleven” stores to “Kwik-e-mart” stores, similar to their popular show – The Simpsons. Imagine the effect.

Conclusion

Experience in marketing is a worthwhile venture for any brand that wishes to create an immense impact on their target market. If well-coordinated and executed, there are competitors who may never be able to reach your brand’s level no matter the efforts.