{"id":805,"date":"2014-02-03T09:33:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T17:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.janusdialogs.com\/?p=805"},"modified":"2014-03-06T16:55:50","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T00:55:50","slug":"experiential-marketing-i-cant-define-it-but-i-know-it-when-i-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.janusdialogs.com\/?p=805","title":{"rendered":"Experiential Marketing \u2013 \u201cI can\u2019t define it, but I know it when I see it\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the later decades of the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century a new term arose from the board rooms of Madison Avenue to the halls of convention centers around the world \u2013 “Experiential Marketing.”\u00a0Given the diverse elements and definitions of marketing itself (see here<\/a>), adding a word such as\u00a0experiential\u00a0<\/i>wasn’t very clarifying.<\/p>\n

Clarity wasn\u2019t the objective \u2013 differentiation was. Firms quickly began carving out their space with new mission\u00a0statements, tag lines, and offerings. This was accelerated by the arrival of digital, online, interactive, and social technologies which were truly disrupting marketing, and changing the conversation with target audiences \u2013 much more than \u201cexperiential\u201d was.<\/p>\n

So what types of live marketing are there?<\/p>\n

\"2013<\/a>1<\/strong>st<\/sup>\u00a0and 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0Party Events<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The \u201cclassic\u201d and most visible, events are a one to many, owned (hosted) or paid (sponsored) activity. Think conference, tradeshow, sponsorship, etc. Much of the content is presented in keynotes, breakouts, labs, conversations among groups, and the networking that occurs. Brought \u201conline\u201d in the late 1990\u2019s, events remain roughly the same. Just look at the traditional metrics: reach, satisfaction, leads, and impact on executive egos.<\/p>\n

\"sample\"<\/a>\u201cSampling\u201d, \u201cDemos\u201d, or \u201cPromotions\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A 1:1 or one to few owned (hosted) experience \u2013 repeated. Sampling is a more personal, flexible, and repeated experience. The rise of \u201cviral\u201d, and \u201cstreet\u201d marketing changed the experience from handing out a sample of a product, to experiencing the brand in a broader sense. But at the end of the day, it is the opportunity to sample an item that distinguishes this category. At a 1st<\/sup>\u00a0or 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0party event, sampling may come in the form of a demo, trial, or private \u201cpreview\u201d. In any case, there is an earned element if the experience is shared by the participant via PR or social.<\/p>\n

\"experience\"<\/a>Experience Marketing<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the newest and most \u201cexperiential marketing\u201d in nature, is a paid (if not in compensation or sponsorship, in exchange of some value) and earned (those willing to share their stories) activity that markets or promotes an experience someone had, often designed to amplify the user\u2019s emotions, endorsement, or showcase the value of the product.\u00a0Skype <\/a>does this very well with a series of promotional videos <\/a>showing how a family portrait can be taken \u201cvirtually\u201d and in real time using their product.<\/p>\n

All of these share common elements such as:<\/p>\n