Need for Experiential Marketing in the Social Distancing Era

THE NEED FOR EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING IN A SOCIALLY-DISTANCED WORLD

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COVID-19 has shaken things up—life, business, and the way of the world all feel so very different. Because they are different. But different isn’t something to fear; it’s an opportunity to rise.

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For experiential marketing agency (like us) who create memorable brand experiences usually in large group environments, the opportunity now is to get creative and shift. 

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We asked ourselves: Can meaningful experiential marketing exist for brands in a time of social distancing? 

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The answer is Absolutely!

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The reason being: Consumers are still buying products. And as long as there are consumers, there is a market for connecting them directly with brands and the values they stand for.

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Is your organization prepared with a solid marketing and brand plan and presence 6 months from now? A year from now?

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Tips and Tricks for Creating Memorable Brand Experiences in a Pandemic

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• Don’t Stop Being You 

Don’t change your brand to meet the new world’s ideals. Evolve your brand to align with your core and in a way that serves your consumers in a changing world.

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• Define Your Desired Outcome

What do you want to happen? Who do you need on board (your target audience) to facilitate that success? Then, brainstorm. Finally, an opportunity to let creative juices run free. Cookie-cutter marketing solutions aren’t going to work in an upside-down world. Here’s your chance to get innovative.

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• Follow the Rules

We want to interact with other humans, too. So much. But our responsibility—and yours—is to be responsible and follow guidelines to keep everyone safe. If this means pushing launch dates and canceling pre-scheduled events, do that. Your support at this time will be much more fondly remembered than your defiance.

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• Do Something Different 

Be the brand that sees the opportunity. So you can’t have a large festival experience, so what? You can connect your consumers with your brand in a million ways. There is always another way. And if you collaborate with us, it’ll sure be memorable.

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• Prepare Now for a Socialized World Later

This is a great time to prepare a campaign and/or experience for when social restrictions are lifted. If you’re ready at the start-gate when consumers are ready to interact again, you’re ahead of the game.

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• Consider an Online-to-Offline Sales Model

Get creative with sales strategies and experiments. Maybe there is a missed opportunity that COVID is spotlighting right now. Online sales have significantly increased, as have take-out and deliveries in the restaurant space. This trend presents brands with an opportunity to keep consumer engagement high and physical interaction low. There are many ways to layer experiential into this new type of transaction during the search, purchase, delivery, and pick-up.

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• Smart Brands are Prepared Brands

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Many of our clients are neck-deep in planning with us. We’re looking at each business individually and building a plan for two things:

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• The immediate environment, which is heavily regulated
• The post-COVID market. Because it will come back—new, fresh, different—with opportunities like never before.

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Active planning 3-6 months in advance now will set you and your brand up for success when the world starts humming again. 

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If you’re wondering where to start or how to shift in a post-COVID world, we can help. We’re abuzz with ideas. Contact us to connect your consumers to your brand in unconventional ways. Everything is possible.

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The Concierge Club, a leading event marketing agency, is an expert at marrying beauty with design and passion with purpose; that has not changed. The team at The Concierge Club can help your brand create experiences worth sharing.