Brand activation brings brands to life by stimulating the purchasing process. It focuses on delivering the promises made in advertising through interactive experiences. Effective brand activation starts by defining the core features of the brand and finding solutions where the brand can support and innovate the company. Brand activation approaches include promotional marketing, relationship marketing, experiential marketing and retail activation. The goal is to create consumer experiences that get people to think, feel, sense, act and relate to the brand.

1. Brand Activation
bringing the spirit of brands to life

2. The battle of brands is played in the “D-
Zone” (Decision-Zone)— the place where
brand selection can be activated…
Advertising is about making promises
Activation ‘delivers’ on those promises

4. Why Brand Activation
Activation places the focus on the core
of marketing: stimulating the
purchasing process.

5. • B.A. In Products:
• Consider a hypothetical shaver brand “X”. Further assume
that there are six other brands in this category. All brands are
touting themselves as provider of smooth shave in their
respective ads. But you are the smoothest one but how do
you make your T.A believe of the same. B.A comes handy in
case scenario.Create such a platform, where you can meet
your T.A and give them free shave so that the can feel the
“smoothness”. Allow them to interact with your brands as
much as possible. You can do so with the help of road shows
and exhibitions etc. Once you have done that, customers will
be able to validate your claim. Also, they will relate to your
ads.
• B.A in Services:
• It’s the people in services which actually activate your brand.
Consider the case of insurance company which claims to be
most caring company. But the problem is that every company
is saying that. The company (lets say) which reaches the
place of accident, will be considered as most caring.

6. Principles
• Brand activation is not a theory; it is a
natural step in the evolution of brands.
• basic principles for Brand Activation are:
• Brand Activation wins attention and
involvement
• Brand Activation brings the sprit of the brand
to life in a distinctive way
• Brand Activation delivers ideas that
genuinely motivate consumers
• Brand Activation is accountable and delivers

7. • Traditionally, branding has been a
marketing communication tool, a visual
and verbal weapon owned by
marketers and marketing consultants.
In order to earn trust and loyalty from
the postmodern customer, it is time
for the rest of the company to take
benefit of the assets embodied in the
brand.

8. • when all the necessary brand strategies are
implemented, companies just need to
execute them across the organization and in
the total offer towards the customer. Brand
activation is looking deeper into the
possibilities within the brand, its strategy
and position to find assets that have relevant
consequences for the whole company.

9. • An active brand offers products and
services that deliver on the brand
• position. It meets the customer in a
personal manner closely related to
• the position. It also has the same
appearance independent of interface.
• In other words, the customer will
perceive the brand as “one coherent
• company” whether he or she meets it in
digital or analog media, through
• a product, face to face or on the

10. What to activate
• effective brand activation starts
with a defined brand
• core features that constitute the
brand

11. Where to begin
• Search for solutions where the
brand can support, guide and
innovate the company.
• How can the brand be relevant,
adaptable and profitable?

12. • Event Marketing
• Niche Promotions
• Retail Marketing
• Conferencing
• Sales Promotion
• Social Programming
• Consultancy
• PR

13. Activation Approaches
• Promotional marketing
Powerful sales driving activity
rooted in brand relevance
Relationship marketing
Building and maintaining
effective one to one
relationships
• Strategic Brand Design
Strategically driven design from
packaging to retail
merchandising.
• Global Product Solutions
Design, development,
manufacture and distribution of
innovative product solutions
Experiential Marketing
Not just field marketing;
meaningful experiences that
leave lasting memories
Retail Activation
Connecting with consumers
where it matters – to sell more
in store
Interactive
Involving consumers and
inviting participation and
contribution

14. Activation Process
• The consumer experience is the
ultimate measure of any campaign or
idea. Activation is the process to
create experiences. Experiences that
get people to think, feel, sense, act
and relate to a brand.

16. • Think and act strategically
Make the most of unique,
ownable, consumer and brand
insights
Exploit the best possible means
of reaching the consumer
Advance the brand’s cause
relentlessly
Be fearless
Challenge convention
Take educated risks
Feel uncomfortable
• Be genuinely creative
Be brand and consumer
relevant
Be surprising, provocative,
unexpected and exciting
Get talked about
Make us proud
Strive to innovate
Be a pioneer
Do what’s never been done
before
Set new standards
Solve real problems
Solve the real issue
Exceed the objectives and
expectations of the brief
Make a real and measurable

17. • Benefits of Brand Activation:
1. You can convey your positioning using brand activation.
2. It supports your ad claim if used carefully.
3. Distortion is minimum in this case.
4. It increases your brand salience.
5. Helps in revitalizing a brand. Horlicks is doing it through its
campaign which is trying to change its image from fuddy-duddy to an
exciting brand among children. Their Wiz-Kid competition across the
country is the perfect example of brand activation.
6. Brand activation can elicit customer insights as people interact
with the brand.
Limitations of Brand Activation:
1. Lack of initiative on part of brand managers is the major concern.
2. Lack of measurement matrices or indices is the limiting factor.

18. • brand activation should not be
confused with the below the line
activities. Brand Activation is seen as
a tool to build brands through
interaction with its target people
whereas below the line activities,
most of the times, are sales oriented.

19. • Q. What is Activation to you and how would you compare it with
ATL?
•
• A. ATL and BTL are mere terms. The nucleus lies in understanding the
24 hours of your target consumers-how they spend their time, where
they go, what they do and analyze the avenues of your brand’s
exposure and experience in those 24 hours. It is all about combining
the different media to get the maximum out for the brand. It is as
simple as that. Activation, of course, makes the brand more
approachable for the consumers.
You go to a shop and you see a 5-year old kid fighting for a Re. 1
Panda biscuit whereas his mom is pressuring him to buy a Rs. 5
Milcolu because she believes it has nutritional value. But the child is
stuck on the Panda biscuit because the panda character came to his
school and he wants to go and show his class mates that he bought
that biscuit. Such is the power of activation.

20. • http://www.brandbase.nl/index.php?sectio
• http://www.themarketingstore.com/ourwor
• http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.co
.uk/livingwithbeauty.asp