This session shows how to connect with your target audience in environments where they can have a hands-on experience with your brand, products and services. This includes event marketing and sponsorship, experiential campaigns, product sampling, street teams and guerrilla marketing. We cover how to find the right mix of events and grassroots opportunities, establishing a budget, staffing, execution and post-activity evaluation.

1. Marketing Essentials
WEEK 4
Event / Grassroots Marketing

2. Event / Grassroots Marketing

3. Event / Grassroots Marketing
•Events / Experiential Marketing
(aka - “Live Marketing” or “Participatory Advertising”)
•Creating your own Events Vs. Participating at
Existing Events
•Evaluating Event Sponsorship Opportunities

4. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Terminology:
• Event Marketing
• Experiential Marketing
• Brand Activation
• Grassroots Marketing

5. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Terminology:
Event Marketing - Direct hand-to-hand
communication, sampling or interactive
displays, targeting specific individuals or groups
at gathering spots where they hope to make
quality, individual connections.

6. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Event Marketing

7. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Terminology:
Experiential Marketing - Creating connections
between brands and consumers in the form of
“one-to-one” or “one-to-many” experiences that
are personally relevant, memorable, interactive
& emotional, AND lead to increased sales &
brand loyalty.

8. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Experiential Marketing

9. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Terminology:
Grassroots Marketing - to market your company,
products or services on a local and on a
personal level, that uses people to spread the
word so the campaign spreads through personal
contact and dialogue.

10. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Grassroots Marketing

11. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Terminology:
Brand Activation - bringing a brand’s core
features or values to life through creating
experiences. Don’t try to communicate every
detail of your brand; the purpose is to build
better brand connection, not increase sales.

12. Event / Grassroots Marketing

13. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Brand Activation - VIDEO

14. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Pros and Cons of Event/Grassroots Marketing
Pros…
• Direct communication with target audience
• Experience your brand/product/service
• Humanize your brand
• Gather warm leads
• Gain immediate feedback
• PR/Media exposure

15. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Pros and Cons of Event/Grassroots Marketing
Cons…
• Costs: Staff & Materials (signage, displays,
booth/tent, travel & transportation, shipping,
labor/unions)
• Time
• Stress
• Measurement & Evaluation

16. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events
Owned Events vs. Sponsored Events
• What are your goals?
• Are there existing events that deliver your
target demo?
• Are they within your budget?

17. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Owned Event
Pinpoint the reason behind it -
identify a measurable goal that everything
is geared toward accomplishing.
• Do you want to thank your existing customers
or attract new ones?
• Are you launching a new product and want to
create buzz among influencers?
• Are you looking to associate your brand with
something that resonates in the demo?

18. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Owned Event
How will you market your event?
Create a marketing plan / use the tools…
• Paid Media - Advertising/Direct Mail
• Earned Media - PR/Publicity
• Owned Media - Social Media/Email/Blog

19. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Owned Event
“Anyone can throw a great party,
but this isn't about throwing a party.
It's about hitting business objectives.”
• The product and event should intersect in a
meaningful way
• Give the audience something they weren't
expecting as long as it's “on-brand”

20. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Sponsored Event
Types of Events
• Food & Beverage
• Music
• Sports
• Entertainment
• Health/Wellness
• Fashion
• Singles
• Technology
• Industry Trade Shows

21. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Sponsored Event
Where???
• Nationwide tour
• Regional program
• One key markets
• Series of events

22. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Sponsored Event
Set a Realistic Budget
• Space, power, lighting, on-site signage,
collateral placement, promo drops, speaking
opportunities
• Booth, signage, collateral, promo items
• Staff; travel, transportation
• Logistics: Shipping, set-up/tear-down, labor
costs, unions

23. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Sponsored Event
Exercise
If you had an unlimited budget,
what event would you sponsor and why?

24. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer and Trade Events > Sponsored Event
Exercise
Using the same theme of that event,
now you only have a budget of $2,500
- what would you do?

25. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer Events
Develop contingencies for
Wild Success and Absolute Failure
• Flexibility is key
• Know what you will do if all or part of your
program begins to fail before the event happens
• Know what you will do if it’s wildly successful

26. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer Events
Example: Wild Success and Absolute Failure

27. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer Events > Tie-in w/Social Media
• Reward/prize for “liking/following” the brand
on their phone
• Exclusive access to existing fans: meeting a
celeb, preferred parking, special promo item
• On-site experiences: Photo scavenger hunt

28. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Consumer Events > Evaluation
• Did you meet your objectives? Why/Why not?
• Did you stay within/under budget?
• What went right/wrong? Prep/On-Site/Staff
• How well did you tie-in with other aspects of
your marketing?
• Have you followed-up with leads generated
from the event? Did it result in new business?

29. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Experiential Marketing = Content Creation
Add to your Content Library/Strategy

30. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Experiential Marketing = Content Creation
Example: Hyundai Uncensored - VIDEO

31. Event / Grassroots Marketing
Resources
Eventmarketer.com
Experientialforum.com
Experientialmarketing20.com
Meetup.com
Eventbrite.com
Plancast.com