It's all in the execution

Experiential agencies have stolen a march on traditional media by identifying opportunities early and delivering impressive returns, while saving marketers considerable time and effort

The face of marketing is changing. In a recent meeting with the head of marketing for one of our corporate clients, she explained how agencies must be more proactive in their relationships.

Gone are the 'bad old days', when marketers spent several months having strategy and campaign meetings, before spending several more months preparing briefs and sitting through pitches.

Now, the emphasis has shifted. Time and money are at a premium. Increasingly, agencies are coming to clients with ideas that have already been researched and planned, so they can be put into action almost immediately. Moreover, clients are going for it.

This is not to say that having an overarching strategic marketing vision is not crucial for any marketer; it is and will continue to be so. However, changes within the communications landscape - the demise of traditional media, the dilution of its impact and the arrival of the internet and social media - mean there is an expectation that things must be done quickly and with a far greater emphasis on return on investment (ROI).

This is something that has been taking shape for some time in our industry. The current economic conditions are exacerbating the fundamental shift, as brands look for quick wins that gain cut-through and hit the market where it counts. There is very little time or money left to catch what is left of the consumer's attention, and ROI is a key driver behind every piece of marketing activity.

On top of this, although companies are still continuing to invest in marketing, budgets are smaller. Marketing departments are also shrinking - one of our key clients has had its marketing team slashed from 10 to four.

Marketers no longer have the resources, so they are happy to have agencies do the work for them; to say 'here is the opportunity, it will reach this many people and cost you this much'.

Experiential agencies are perfectly placed to capitalise on this change. The discipline has grown up fast. As the 'new kid on the block', it has been forced to endure accusations of lack of measurability, being expensive and producing only small numbers of consumer contacts, as the mainstream media tries to fight off its own inevitable demise.

At the same time, the big players have been buying up experiential agencies and bringing them under their corporate wings.

However, as a discipline, we have dealt with all of these issues. Technology has been created and incorporated into most experiential campaigns to help collect and deliver real-time data, and we have embraced the issue of ROI.

Campaigns can be targeted and delivered swiftly and cost-effectively, direct to the consumer. No other marketing discipline delivers straight to the target audience and grabs consumers' attention in this way.

A recent pan-European campaign we ran at airports for Zurich Insurance is a case in point. A bespoke stand was designed and placed in airport departure terminals. Manned by trained brand ambassadors, it offered passengers a unique help point and concierge experience, with services including internet access, charging facilities, printing and shoe-cleaning.

The campaign ran for an initial two-month period and generated 26,876 interactions. It was so effective that Zurich has extended its commitment to the campaign until December - more than a year from its inception.

However, the reality is that experiential campaigns are delivering this sort of value and return everywhere. The best marketers understand how to take advantage of the opportunities and the best agencies are aware of where to find these opportunities and how to execute them effectively. It's a match made in marketing heaven.

Behzad Saednejad is managing director of Blackjack Promotions.

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