Events are powerful marketing tools that engage consumers and affirm a company's brand. They allow for two-way communication between the brand and consumers. Traditional marketing is no longer effective as consumers are active and empowered in the communication process. Companies are using experiential marketing like events and experiences to create emotional connections and loyalty with consumers. Events allow brands to reflect their values and priorities to consumers in an interactive way.

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vent marketing has
traditionally been seen as a
below-the-line tactic des-
igned to fulfil very specific mark-
eting objectives, better suited to
certain products than others. But
media is rapidly evolving and
traditional boun-daries between
above- and below-the-line media
are becoming blurred. Sometimes
marketers need to come back to
basics in order to see the full picture. In today’s highly
sophisticated, media savvy society, traditional
marketing rules are no longer black and white.
On a deeper level, what marketers have always
craved is a true human connection, for consumers to
love their brand, to be excited about it and to talk
among themselves about it. It all comes down to mar-
keting in its simplest form: communication. And
communication is a two-way process.
It is not enough to rely on traditional channels to
fulfil marketing objectives. Above-
the-line campaigns using TV, out-
door, press and radio no longer
have the same all-encompassing
reach they once had. This is be-
cause they are aimed at the passive
consumer. Today’s consumer is an
empowered consumer, who is ac-
tive in the communication
process. Consumers have become
not only the advocates of brand
messages, but also their producers.
Events can be a very powerful marketing tool when
seen in the overall context of brand experience. The
consumer experience is central, and a two-way rela-
tionship comes from consumer participation. As Kerry
Smith, executive director of EMI, puts it: “Events
and experience marketing are the shortest distance be-
tween a brand and its audience. The strategic power
of events is changing the way brands decide to mar-
ket themselves, both in the US and worldwide.”
24
Marketing
Events are powerful marketing tools, affirming a company’s brand
and engaging consumers to interact with it, writes Aisling McKenna.
Consumer connections
What marketers
have always craved
is a true human
connection, for
consumers to love
their brand and to
talk among
themselves about it
21-40 Conf Autumn 08:Foreword 17/10/08 16:00 Page 24

2. Keith Rob-erts,
CEO of Saatchi
and Saatchi, sees
brand no longer
in the traditional
sense of the word
but as “love
marks”, to which
consumers feel a
deep, powerful at-
tachment. The
reason for their al-
legiance is not ra-
tional, but emo-
tional. Marketers
need to see their
brands in this new
light, and take a new holistic ap-
proach to marketing their brands.
They need to learn to “think like a
fish”. To capture consumer’s loy-
alty, they need to start thinking
like the consumer.
While relationship marketing
aims to create stronger bonds with
consumers and maximise brand
resonance, experiential marketing
aims to enrich the consumers’ lives by connecting
them with unique and interesting experiences. Metro,
the world’s largest international newspaper title, uses
lifestyle events to connect with its readership and re-
inforce brand loyalty. As Metro is a free newspaper, ad-
vertising revenue is its lifeblood, so the majority of its
marketing activity and budget is focussed on trade
marketing. Still, around 25% of its budget goes to
consumer marketing, fostering consumer loyalty is a
priority.
Kieran Forde, marketing manager of Metro Ireland,
says: “Metro’s brand values are about being fun, in-
novative and engaging, and our event associations are
a way of reflecting these values.” Metro prides itself on
connecting with its consumer base. The content is
carefully crafted to reflect the lives and interests of its
urbanite readership. When planning events, Metro
listens to its readers – the publication’s in-depth con-
sumer survey, Urban Life, asked its readers which
events they would like to see Metro hosting or being
associated with.
One of the top
three answers was
the Dublin Fringe
Festival, so a part-
nership was set up
where Metro be-
came the main
sponsor of the
Metro Bosco
Theatre at the
Fringe, as well as
becoming one of
the main media
partners.
According to
Forde, “Our ur-
banite audience are very social
creatures. They embrace city liv-
ing and enjoy the rewards and ex-
citement that it brings. They
make regular, above-average trips
to bars, restaurants, gigs and the
cinema,” he says. This was the in-
spiration for exclusive screenings
of yet-to-be released films hosted
regularly by Metro, which include
question-and-answer sessions with actors and direc-
tors.
Metro sponsored the main stage this year at the
boutique festival Castle Palooza, as well as the Street
Performance World Championships, City Chase
Dublin, and the Pod Cast Comedy Festival.
In Metro’s case, events are a key way of connecting
with early adopters, and building a brand preference
and affinity with the brand. Events are also vital to
connecting with the trade market, as many of Metro’s
clients are urbanites.
From an editorial point of view, its daily enter-
tainment guide, Metro Life, is closely linked to the type
of events that Metro associate themselves with, so in
Forde’s view “It’s a question of putting your money
where your mouth is in terms of brand positioning,
and providing synergy between our product and our
marketing activity.” This synergy is also reflected in the
newspaper’s above-the-line advertising activity – there
is seamless connectivity between all the brand com-
26
Marketing
Metro, the world’s
largest international
newspaper title,
uses lifestyle events
to connect with
its readership and
reinforce brand
loyalty
21-40 Conf Autumn 08:Foreword 17/10/08 16:00 Page 26

3. M
munications. Metro events compliment everything
the brand stands for.
One company that is pushing the boundaries in
the area of event marketing is Thinkhouse PR. Spe-
cialising in youth communications, Thinkhouse is
one of the most forward-thinking agencies of its
kind in Ireland. “Long gone are
the days of one-way communica-
tion, lashing out brand messages in
the hope that people will get on
board. Today’s consumers cannot
be underestimated,” says Jane Mc-
Daid, MD. “If a brand puts expe-
rience at the core of its communi-
cation, it will succeed in creating
memorable campaigns that win
belief, loyalty, curiosity and de-
mand.” So what’s the key to creat-
ing a memorable event? Thinkhouse puts interactiv-
ity at the core of all its events. “We always endeavour
to leave a brand’s impression on the attendees by in-
troducing them to brands, and allowing them to in-
teract with them, first hand.”
A main objective for Thinkhouse is to create
“brand fame” for their clients. This is achieved by or-
ganising cutting-edge events that have the talkability
factor and create a knock-on effect. An example of
this is the Wrangler Jeans Amnesty hosted by
Thinkhouse. Brand fans wore their scruffy old jeans
to the event, which they could then trade in for a
brand new pair of Wranglers. This created strong at-
tendance, and gave guests an opportunity to trial a
brand they may not have previously considered. Most
importantly it “got the brand on the right bums,” in
McDaid’s words. The event created a buzz that went
far beyond what she refers to as a “one-night stand”,
creating a long-term relationship with the brand.
There is no limit to the scope of an event, if it is
integrated with other unique developments in social
networking and new media. Thinkhouse used its
unique strengths in this area to launch mobile net-
work 3’s music capability two years ago. Using virtual
world Second Life, the company hosted a real-life
event concurrently with a virtual event. Half of the
Thinkhouse team attended the real event, while the
other team members danced the night away on Sec-
ond Life from Thinkhouse’s HQ. This ground-
breaking event created synergy between real-life and
Second Life music fans, and reinforced 3’s image as
a cutting-edge, innovative brand.
Commenting on the future of event marketing,
McDaid asserts: “Events will always happen. It’s how
they happen that will change. Bringing interactive el-
ements and brand experiences
to events will allow them to have
greater impact. Time is the new
currency, and the brands that get
the most time and attention will
win in the end.”
As today’s consumers have in-
creasing control over the media
they consume through social
networking sites and blogs, they
are also championing the brands
they believe in. McDaid be-
lieves: “The man on the street can do the marketers’
job for them, as they can listen to consumers’ opin-
ions and design brand experiences accordingly.” This
is an approach that has also worked well for Metro,
as well as some of the world’s top global brands. It
is an approach that gets results, as confirmed by the
fact that experiential marketing and branded enter-
tainment are on the rise globally. As a means of
making intimate and lasting connections with con-
sumers, events are proving to be a highly successful
tactic.
As Lee Rubenstein, president and CPO of Los An-
geles based TBA Global, puts it: “It is human nature
to crave interaction, to desire immersive experiences.
Only through live interaction can we really relate to
the humanness of the brand and how dedicated it is
to excellence, service, worthy ideals and a connection
with its audience.”
And the good news for event marketers? Accord-
ing to the largest and longest-running survey of cor-
porate sales and sales executives EventView 2008,
events now generate the highest return on invest-
ment of any other marketing channel. In an uncer-
tain economic climate, more and more brand man-
agers will be resorting to below-the-line tactics like
sponsorship, promotions and events. Moreover, with
a little creativity, events can break out of the tradi-
tional mould, create excitement and claim a long-
term place for a brand in consumers’ hearts. ■
28
Marketing
“The man on the
street can do the
marketers’ job for
them, as they can
listen to consumers’
opinions and design
brand experiences
accordingly”
21-40 Conf Autumn 08:Foreword 17/10/08 16:00 Page 28