Look to the consumer

Budget-constrained brand owners that are torn in their selection of marketing media need look no further than today's self-selecting, savvier consumers for a clue to the smart choice

The benefits of experiential marketing have become widely accepted, but at a time when all marketing disciplines are scrabbling for their share of a smaller cake, it is worth clarifying how the medium can significantly add value at both the strategic and tactical level.

For marketers, one of the most seismic developments in recent times has arisen from audience behaviour. Thanks to the internet and social media, consumers are better informed and more demanding than ever.

You can no longer target them. They will decide whether or not your brand is for them. Today's consumers are far less likely to accept advertising messages at face value and have demonstrated their power by bringing names such as Wispa and Hush Puppies back to the marketplace - something that brand owners can't do alone.

It is not surprising that a recent New York Times survey revealed that personal recommendation is regarded as the best endorsement for a brand or product.

So what are the strategic reasons for applying engaging, insight-driven, experiential activity to connect with these tougher, savvier stakeholders?

First, the live medium permits dialogue, enabling the deepest possible engagement with existing and potential consumers.
Beyond the traditional sampling approach, there is a higher level of consumer engagement, in which genuine experts add real value, at the right time and in the right place.

GlaxoSmithKline's Nutritional Healthcare brand recruited a team of 'sports scientists' to visit sports clubs, gyms and sporting events, offering advice on sports nutrition and how to achieve peak sporting performance. Nike, meanwhile, has been working to help support and assist in the development of football coaches. Both of these are examples of enhancing consumer experience and forging lasting and meaningful relationships with the brand.

Second, experiential campaigns can be highly flexible and inexpensively revised, providing the scope to experiment and refine activity in response to the conditions and circumstances encountered during the campaign.
We can go further, and treat our regular and frequent contact with customers as a key insight and learning opportunity. Government departments welcome this approach and are using experiential within public consultation programmes. Equally, the smart brand owner appreciates that after a 12-week roadshow, experiential staff may have a better understanding of customers than the brand team. The trick lies in knowing how to harvest these insights and convert them into positive drivers for the brand. We call these 'learning campaigns'.

Third, experiential activity can provide a cost-effective central message to be amplified by digital, PR and even TV. Consider T-Mobile's two latest TV ads.

So is there still a place for long-established tactical activity? While the whole experiential movement has evolved in leaps and bounds from basic sampling, tactical activity can be effectively ramped up to drive sales.

With 80% of brand decisions and 50% of brand switches made at the point of purchase, and with consumers favouring value brands during the recession, the retail environment represents a threat - but also an opportunity.
Clever brands have seen that by closely aligning an experiential 'pull' to the distribution, merchandising and sales drive 'push', they can deliver a brand experience with an immediate and measurable sales effect.

Indeed, we can point to some highly effective campaigns where we have worked with field marketing teams to ensure that the increased appetite generated by experiential activity has been efficiently - almost scientifically - satisfied, delighting the client, consumer and retail customer.

None of the above is to suggest that brand owners should abandon traditional media, but rather that they consider the strengths of 'newer' permutations of the marketing mix.

It is not just about how you send the message - it is about who you are sending it to. Consideration of today's self-selecting consumer, and their effect on the customer journey, seems like a good starting point for a recession-proof marketing strategy.

Rob Allen is chief executive at TRO

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