Experiential marketing is quite popular at the moment, but there can be some confusion as to what this actually refers to. In simple terms it refers to a type of marketing where there is an attempt to connect with the customer on many different levels, including their intelligence as well as their emotions. It is hoped that by using this approach there will be a special relationship established with the customer that connects to their heads and hearts.
This type of marketing differs from traditional marketing in a number of ways. The most noticeable difference is that traditional marketing is all about telling the customer about the benefits and reasons to buy a product. With the experiential approach though, the aim is to actually allow the customer to experience the product before they buy.
How Experiential Marketing Works
In order for this type of marketing to work it is vital that the seller really understands their target audience. The fact that they will be appealing to both the customer’s intelligence as well as their emotions means that a lot of time needs to be spent getting to know the customer. Once this understanding is arrived at though it should be a lot easier to direct the buyer to the product and any future products.
The secret of experiential marketing is to appeal to as many different senses as possible. The seller will deliberately use a variety of marketing strategies to appeal to all these different senses. When appealing to the senses of the potential customer, the seller will try to link their advertising to pleasant sensations and dreams. For example, there may be an advertisement that uses a tropical location and some relaxing music. This will be appealing to the customer’s dreams of getting away from it all and really relaxing. By associating the product with such appealing images and sounds it creates a more favorable impression.
Experiential Marketing Ideal for the Modern World
One of the main reasons why this type of marketing has been so successful is that it is viewed as ideal for the modern world. These days most of us have short attention spans so anything that is going to attract our attention needs to do so fast. By appealing to pour different senses using modern communication technology like the internet this marketing can leave an effective impression on us. Even a short advertisement on a website can be enough to intrigue us to further investigate the product; it is possible to make even a short advertisement effective by combining strategies to appeal to different senses.
Experiential marketing covers a huge range of possibilities. It may be something as simple as an advertisement that appears in the middle of a video game. It could also involve the use of different forms of entertainment such as bands or nightclub promotions. Those involved in this type of marketing are always coming up with new ideas and there seems to be no end to the possibilities.
