Breaking Through The Noise

Noise is everywhere. It is inescapable. It is unavoidable. And, yet, it has become invisible. Evolutionary animals as they are, consumers inundated by pushing, nudging, look-at-me messages are adapting. They have learned to screen these messages out and concentrate on what they really want to know about and who they really want to engage with.

This new generation of street-wise, tech-savvy consumers has created a real problem for the marketing industry: how to penetrate the protective carapace in which consumers have shrouded themselves; how to create exciting promotional campaigns that will grab attention and capture imagination; how to be heard above the noise.

The answer is experiential marketing - the persuasive means of not only making a brand stand out, but also making it a priority consumer choice.

At its heart, experiential marketing is about interaction. Traditional marketing channels push the consumer; this is our message – listen to us. Experiential marketing pulls the consumer; see what we’re doing – what do you think? A good experiential campaign empowers consumers, encouraging them to engage with a product or an idea. A good experiential campaign will pique interest, drawing consumers to ask ‘what’s going on here?’

A brand exists within the mind of a consumer, gathering meaning through association. Meaning is not inherent, but is created through experience, and is reinforced by memory. Experiential marketing is the most powerful way of building positive brand association. Not only will consumers remember their experience, but – chances are – they will share it, spreading the brand message by that most precious of mediums: personal recommendation.

There are several types of traditional promotions that will stimulate interest in a product or service - for example, sampling, event marketing and sponsorships. These continue to be valuable tools, but experiential marketing remains the most effective way of leveraging the power of emotional branding.