Experiential marketing’s future lies in social media

Spreading the word: Social media
Spreading the word: Social media

Aimee Reason is right to predict an increase in social and digital media activity in experiential marketing (Human face of brands receives an e-makeover, MW 9 June). The technology is already here – affordable and readily available. Digital technology makes it possible for people not only to interact with and experience a brand but to share the experience with others in real time.

Creative brand experiences must now be technology-centric and exist not only on the ground, but in digital space, too, because it is there that consumers become brand advocates via their own social media channels.

This is evident in the way measurability is changing.

Marketing metrics used to be the number of people who saw your ad on TV, total footfall at an event, or opportunities to see. Now success is measured in blog mentions, Facebook posts and re-tweets. It is not just about how much people want or like your brand, but how much they want to tell others about it.

The future of experiential marketing, then, really is about creating social media evangelists who will spread positive brand messages. This can be achieved by creating technology-savvy brand experiences that transcend the live and digital domains and, moreover, can be accessed on the move via smartphones.

Paul Saville
Client services director, Ignite