Experiential marketing best practises fluid@ICEEfest2014

Editor's Notes

1. Hi everyone my name is Alex Diakomanolis I am co-founder and creative director at fluid Today we’re going to take a look at how to create interactive digital media consumer experiences.
2. Experiential has been around for a long time Believe it or not, it started out in the wild west. Over time it became less effective/relevant.
3. As we all know, digital is still inventing itself and constantly evolving At its core, it allows consumers to be part of the experience as opposed to just observers
4. So we now have a marriage … of the two. Experiential has been called a lot of things: buzz marketing, engagement marketing, impact marketing, participation marketing, transparent marketing … but experiential is the term that has been has adopted.
5. An experience has much more impact/value than exposure. It creates memories that last over time, allowing the brand to gain deeper and more genuine connections with consumers. An experience requires less time to inspire action among participants An experience leads to longer relationships and advocacy that pay off over time In a recent US survey, 80% said they prefer brands that "do more to interact" with them over those that "just advertise" to them. 7/10 shoppers say they'll share a brand experience through social media and other means of sharing. 70% percent of marketers said that experiential is extremely/very important for their brands
6. We are moving out of the Information Age and into the Relationship age (Keith Ferrazzi) Well basically …“People don’t talk to brands, they talk to people” Therefore … what we need is cooperative, two-way (or otherwise know as interactive) dialogue to create brand experiences
7. At its heart, it allows you to spend more time with customers Gen Y’s demand it - 78% percent of millennials are more inclined to become part of a brand if they have that face-to-face interaction. Participants in an event often begin talking very quickly. 90% of people that told friends and family about participating in a brand experience did so in just two days.
8. Experiential Marketing is about real conversations and meaningful impressions you can count on It looks like experiential produces smaller numbers, but experiential is about quality over quantity, and they’re authentic numbers. Traditional marketing has larger potential reach but experiential gives a realistic impression count based on direct engagements.
9. I agree with Albert Einstein that “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted” The ability to measure more deeply and effectively - and to act quickly on that information - is key Experiential marketing moves people through the purchase funnel very quickly, sometimes in a single interaction. Compare that result to the typical rule of seven for traditional advertising
10. OK, so let see how to create an experience
11. Digital is the catalyst that is driving the transformation of Experiential marketing. The idea is to create a mind blowing experience that creates a memory for consumers Makes them feel something - makes them have an emotional response. Stop branding the experience and actually focus on being the experience.
12. The story is very important… Don't try to sell - Be authentic Allow consumers to alter/personalise the story in order to adopt their own identity within the story Include a clear definitive, brand identity but make sure it doesn't kill the narrative
13. If your brand doesn't enhance the experience, isn’t relevant, or doesn’t help to create a memory, it’s a failure. At its core, its about creating a relationship with the consumer, Actually caring about what the consumer wants & needs and responding in way that demonstrates shared interests & values, pays off! I think this is a brilliant example by T-mobile - What’s more recognisable than Angry birds? Bringing the Angry birds universe out of the virtual into the real world, just blows peoples minds and creates a long lasting memory.
14. Simple is better - You have 10 seconds to attract, engage and educate. If you want your consumer experience to be accessible by the widest possible audience, it must be really simple to interact with. In this example, in cooperation with event agency YARD Athens, we designed an installation for Cosmote using an Arduino, magnetic sensors on bicycles and and an Adobe Air app that displayed the distance (in kilometres) users cycled and the amount of money they raised. All the user had to do ion rider to interact was get on the bike and cycle! Experiences can happen at any time and have a lasting impact, which why brands need to be consistent, authentic and integrated in every detail. Every moment is an opportunity to make or break a relationship. You just made a buddy make sure you keep him. Check out the case study: http://fluidmedia.gr/v/41-cosmote-cosmote_charity_cycle-arduino_installation
15. What you want is to allow consumers the ability to take control of their own experience and be part of/own it. How far would someone go for a bag of crisps? Pretty amazing what people will do if you just ask. This example from BBDO Australia really creates a memorable experience for users while entertains the heck out of passers by.
16. Surprise audiences that have seen it all - try lateral/out-of-the box thinking Turn everyday object into interactive objects The story should invite participation & engagement Here we produced an Easter egg type surprise advergame for Vodafone’s newly remodeled flag ship store. What appears initially to be just another product display with a tablet and digital signage turns into a gaming station. The game allows users to gather points and win prizes from Vodafone's loyalty program. Check out the case study: http://fluidmedia.gr/v/37-vodafone-vodafone_1+1_game-unity_3d_game_/_mobile_controller
17. Allow consumers to inject themselves into and be part of the story instead of just being observers Allow consumers to alter/personalise the story in order to inject their own identity within the story This is a bullet time installation using 40 smartphones that was setup at multiple venues for WIND. We created a very streamlined process allowing users, within a matter of seconds to shoot, review and share socially their bullet time videos. Check out the case study: http://fluidmedia.gr/v/35-wind-wind_photorama-bullet_time_installation_using_smart_phones
18. Utilise culture - Smart brands are increasingly willing and wishing to play a part in culture that is more genuine and of-the-moment than broadcasting a message simply meant to drive purchase consideration. Crowd sourced dialyse are a great way to involve audiences interactively at concerts.
19. Design the correct experience for the right audience. Experiential marketing is most successful when brands find ways to tie themselves to the emotional or intellectual value that an experience brings to a consumer. At its heart, is the insight that human beings are highly social animals, and have an innate need to communicate and interact. We need to always keep in mind the key issue of identity and belonging. Millennials have: Many selves, as they undertake a quest for self identity, They seek and expect direct participation and influence, They posses the skills to lead, confer and discuss, These people are not watching TV and have grown up in a world of search and 2 way flows of communication.
20. Don't just pick a technology because you want to be the first. New cool technology looks great on paper, but in real life, you have to find the quickest, easiest way to explain to consumers how to interact with your idea Focus on the user experience. Prefer platforms that are robust, fast to market and cheap to develop with (e.g. Unity) Once your setup, only then you really know what the resulting experience is like.
21. Technology can't do it on its own you also need the right location and context. Creative ideas and emotional context remain critical for creating powerful and memorable brand experiences. Choosing the perfect location for your campaign is as important as identifying the audience itself. Where does your target audience spend the majority of their time? Out of those locations, which can accommodate what you need in order to deliver the best experience. This is a great example from VIVID festival Australia, cars that feel!
22. Immersiveness rules - get them sucked in. Although most experiences takes place in real life, the creation of digital experiences that stimulate the senses - sight, sound and touch - can result in very powerful brand-consumer connections. BBH Asia Pacific created this installation which immerses players into a real life virtual football experience.
23. Always keep social in the mix - pre, at and post event 7/10 shoppers say they'll share a brand experience through social media and other means of sharing. 4/10 say they'd "like" a brand on Facebook 1/4 will post comments on a social networking site.
24. Beware of over promising - an experience/technology idea can be very different on paper than in real life. Watch the LG G2 launch debacle (20 people injured)
25. Be brave - It’s OK to make (certain) mistakes. It’s about recovery Technology can't do the job on its own, nor will innovative spirit alone propel experiential activations to succeed. Experimentation is critical. We can learn faster than we could ever before, which helps us learn faster than ever before.
26. OK, so let see an overview of the major platforms and technologies
27. Technology: Kinect - Motion & Depth sensor What it does: It tracks your skeleton/motion In this example, we used Kinect sensors to allow users to be transformed in to a Cosmote branded Christmas tree with ornaments and all!
28. Technology: Motion controller What it does: Specific for tracking hand & finger movements
29. Technology: Affordable Virtual reality What it does: Low (or no) latency is the revolution from the tech side Mainly aimed at gaming but the possibilities are endless
30. Technology: Unity - Game engine What it does: Lighting fast development for 3D worlds and games
31. Technology: Arduino is a micro controller. What it does: You can connect endless sensors, servos etc to it and then plug them all into a PC via USB
32. Technology: Myo Wearable gesture control by Thalmic Labs What it does: Intuitive control of interfaces and devices
33. Technology: 3D Mapping of the indoor world What it does: converging real spaces into virtual ones - the holodeck is just around the corner!