Marketing metrics aren’t one-size-fits-all.

For proof, look at how marketers track the effectiveness and ROI in traditional campaigns versus experiential efforts. Customers encounter a traditional campaign and react to it afterward, either through a purchase or detailed feedback.

Meanwhile, experiential campaigns collect real-time feedback by observing audience reactions to design, content layout, flow, and other variables. Plus, the experiential staff is on the floor with audience members to guide them through the display — a personal touch that can amplify a client’s experience with the campaign.

[Article links updated. Originally published on Feb 19, 2020]

Innovative technology solutions have emerged in a number of fields, boosting employee productivity and enhancing the customer experience. In the past 10-plus years of experiential marketing, technology's influence on customer engagement has evolved almost beyond recognition.

Technology now allows customers to experience and evaluate brands on their own terms. That's why experiential marketing is important for building relationships with your audience. 

[Article and some links updated April 4, 2023. Originally published on June 28, 2019.]

Experiential marketing has quickly become one of the industry’s most formidable strategies. As HubSpot found in its 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report, 83% of marketers planned to spend the same amount or increase their experiential marketing investments last year.

If brand experiences are the new marketing front lines, then they also serve as the new creative frontier for marketers. Brands that embrace experiential don’t just commit to providing customers an experience — they commit to innovating and revamping their approach whenever the time comes.

Social media is at the center of our lives today. As such, brands use it to find more meaningful ways to stand out and connect with modern consumers. In the event space, that means finding ways to encourage the kind of organic social presence that resonates with a customer long after an event concludes.

Marketers know this, which is why brands host events at all. An Aventri/Little Bird Media joint study estimates that 96% of events use social media to spark their brand awareness. And yet, a Splash/Harvard Business Review joint report shows only 52% of events actually have repeated social media engagement throughout the day.

Sporting events are some of the best opportunities for brands to connect with consumers. Now that games, matches, tournaments, races, and other fan-based activities are happening in person, you'll want to consider the many ways you can leverage those events to boost your company's visibility and expand your reach.

The benefits of sports marketing go far beyond having your logo on the sideboards of a hockey rink. Marketing through sports allows you to engage with niche audiences, opening the door for increased relevance, strengthened loyalties, and memorable experiences through creative on-site activations.