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EXPERIENTIAL INSIGHT

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

3. Preface6. Venue7. Retail8. Projection Mapping9. RFID10.Wearable / Biometrics11.Virtual Reality12.Augmented Reality13.Sensorial14.Activity & Entertainment

15.Photo16.Décor 17.Arts & Creativity18.Bespoke19.Nostalgia20.Social Currency21.OOH / Experiential22.Content Capture23.Summary

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Experiential is everywhere these days, and we mean it. From subways and waterways to airports and retail shops, there is no shortage of unique ways (and places) to engage your audience. That same audience has a digital footprint before they even step foot on experiential ground.

Today’s marketers are able to transcend the tactile with use of technology like RFID, wearables and mobile tracking that enables brands to engage prospective consumers before, during and after they interact with them. While cashless experiences mean our wallets are now at home, retailers need not worry as they can already follow us there.

From crowdsourcing to wearables, the events of tomorrow will be created by us, for us and with us as they capture information in real time and react accordingly.

Thanks to the volunteer nature of consumer data submission, there is a blossoming opportunity for engagement with the emerging use of programmatic and other innovative CRM methods.

E N G A G E

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Creativity = shareability = earned media. Some of the best experiential programs of 2015 had a core commonality: creativity. ROI tends to favor the bold when it comes to earned media and residual return on your experiential efforts. From shock-and-awe to a change of scenery, experiential events certainly reached new heights in 2015. But for those of us who can’t jump from space to turn a few heads, a little creative twist goes a long way. Hired talent, DIY activities, or simply the “wow factor” of a creative activation were all ways brands got people talking.  Additionally, some of the best experiential creative elements were…well…creative. From step-and-repeats to themes and motifs, event creative saw a reinvention in 2015 (quite literally in the case of nostalgia marketing). Exploiting one of the core benefits to experiential marketing, creativity in 2015 was a multi-sensory overhaul.  2015 was also a time for a (virtual) reality check. As the technology is refined and the costs come down, expect emerging tech such as virtual reality, augmented reality and projection mapping to have a larger presence in the experiential landscape of the future.

C R E AT E

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Today, experiential starts long before a ticket is sold, a sample is handed out or an attendee sets foot inside an experience. Similarly, it doesn’t end when the event does. According to an EventBrite study, 54% of social conversation occurs BEFORE an event even starts, with 29% of the chatter happening afterward. This presents an opportunity for brands to extend their interactions with an audience, and by using social media to truly fit the demands of their consumers. Social media can also be used as a catalyst for engagement, from vending machines to real-time info sharing, today’s event experience is also an online one. AdWeek notes that “Brands are becoming aware that events don't have to attract tens of thousands of people to be successful. In fact, by giving events and experiences the cachet of exclusivity, marketers can play on FOMO and provide additional incentive for photo and social sharing.”  Attendees aren’t the only ones sharing. With experiential as the backbone to a campaign, it often serves as an breeding ground for content development, to be later shared either directly with consumers, through media outlets and social channels or via CRM campaigns.

E X T E N D

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V E N U E

AIRPORTS

JOSE CUERVOThrew a party in an

airport with a Rolling Stones theme, flight

attendants and complimentary samples.

AUDITook Denver Airport

guests on a virtual trip to Vail to drive the Audi S3 through less-than-

ideal driving conditions simulating its handling.

UNIQLOactivated in a

Chicago SubwayAt first glance this

Chicago subway car looked like a mobile billboard of sorts,

wrapped with Uniqlo branding. Upon

entering, consumers realized they were

walking into a party fully equipped with a DJ in

honor of the brand’s first Chicago store opening.

BUZZFEED & JOLLY RANCHER

activated in warehouse space

To build off their “Keep on Sucking” campaign, Jolly Rancher partnered with Buzzfeed and the two

brands put a cherry on top of the campaign when

they activated in a Williamsburg Warehouse. The activation aimed to show the less glamorous parts of living in NYC.

Trains, planes, automobiles & boats: experiential activations are taking flight - sometimes literally - with experiences in unique locations that capitalize on temporarily paused attention spans and can provide captive consumers with an enjoyable experience.

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As the retail and experiential landscapes evolve, the lines between them are dissolved. Retail spaces entertain and event-goers shop, while technology helps to bridge the gap.

R E TA I L

REEBOKFithub

The brand leveraged their existing retail space to host a fitness event featuring a shopping spree and a TED-style talk. Similar to Lululemon’s in-store yoga classes, more brands are taking an experiential approach

to retail.

NORTHFACEDisappearing Floor stunt

A North Face store in South Korea pulled a unique, in-store stunt on their consumers: as they were browsing racks of jackets, the floors began to lower. It appeared that the only way out was to reach for the rock wall,

climb up and make a leap for a North Face jacket that was hanging in the middle of the space.

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Through the use of HD video, animation, and other graphics sources; projection mapping allows brands to elevate a plain space into a limitless canvas for environmental design.

P R O J E C T I O N M A P P I N G

AMEXUS Open

Amex created a hydro-interactive

water wall at US Open to tell Maria

Sharapova’s success story in a unique way. Watch the video here.

NUTRI-GRAINFuel On Activation

Kellogg’s used projection mapping to create a glow in the dark skate park.

Live tracking based helped bring the images to life by

showing riders’ in their tracks. Laser triggered cameras were used and photos were uploaded to Facebook through RFID tags. Watch here to see

how it was done.

KAT VON DBeauty Line

Launch

This was the first-ever live face-tracking and projection mapping

performance. Following Kat Von D’s real time movements,

3D images were projected on her face at an event to launch her new beauty line. Click here for the full

video.

L.A. CLIPPERS

Half-time Magic

Court projection meets tactile crowd

engagement: as images of beach balls

covered the court, actual beach balls descended on the

audience. Click here to see more

of the show.

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RFID is not a new technology, but through the years it has become more affordable, allowing more and more brands to incorporate it into their events. It can be used to help with guest access, easy payment solutions, track tangible data on consumers, and seamlessly integrate with social media.

R F I D

LOLLAPALOOZACashless

Lollapalooza music festival went cashless and encouraged festival-goers to sync their credit card with their wristband and tap to pay.

NIVEA “Sun Band”

In Brazil, Nivea used print, mobile and beacon technology to help parents keep an eye on their kids over the summer. The beacon would alert an integrated app if the child-affixed band ventured outside a set

proximity.

BEACONS/TRACKINGSxSw

Attendees at SXSW were able to see profiles of others nearby making networking easier, receive notifications for events, and engage in virtual

session rooms. All of this was possible because of the beacon technology at the festival.

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Wearable technology provides marketers with ample data on consumers thus making every experience extremely customizable and informative.

W E A RA B L E / B I O M E T R I C S

ESTEE LAUDER (LAB SERIES) Jawbone Partnership

The men’s skincare brand partnered with Jawbone and invited men to a health-tracking competition linking fitness, sleep and diet to skincare.

PEPSISxSw

Pepsi gave concert goers wristbands that monitored their body temperature, audio and motion levels throughout the night. The data controlled concert elements, from the confetti to smoke machines, and was recorded to tell a

multi-sensory story.

MEASUREMENT “Return on Experience”

A recent movie screening monitored audience’s physiological responses with a wearable to measure heart rate, motion and electrodermal activity. The data was used to market the “14 heart-pounding moments and 4716 seconds they

can expect to be transfixed”.

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VR technology can be used to create a transformative experience and personalized connection with a brand. Over the next few years, VR devices may become a common technology in consumers’ homes, allowing the ability for these unique engagements to be targeted on a mass scale.

V I RT U A L R E A L I T Y

MARRIOTT Virtual Honeymoon

As newly married couples walked out of New York City Hall, Marriott pulled them to the side to give them a virtual honeymoon of Marriott

Hotels via virtual travel experiences.

BRITISH AIRWAYS#DiscoverBA

British Airways took virtual reality to the streets of Europe to transport consumers to new destinations showing them the breadth of flight

options the airline has to offer.

MERRELL TrailScape

At Sundance Film Festival, guests who tried a branded virtual reality experience felt as if they had actually braved hiking intense mountain

trails. See the video here.

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Augmented reality allows computer generated objects to coexist in the real world for endless brand integration. This technology is expected to help bridge the gap for between brick and mortar stores and e-commerce.

A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y

THE WALKING DEAD

Sky Scary SheltersA bus shelter ad was

used to promote the fifth season of The Walking Dead, but this was no

traditional OOH installation. AR was leveraged to give the illusion that zombies

were emerging from the walls.

VESPAMagazine AdVespa’s unique

magazine ad brought a scooter showroom to

life. It allowed users to customize their very

own Vespa, take it for a spin off the page and then GPS would locate the nearest dealership.

PEPSI MAXLive for Now

Pepsi Max pranked Londoners with an out of

this world AR stunt. Consumers who were

casually waiting for the bus were surprised by a

series of abnormal events. Some saw tigers running down the street while others saw UFO’s

in the sky.

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MarketingTechNews defined “‘Haptic experience’ as the convergence of advertising and marketing, with a positive assault on the five key senses; sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.” We think they’re on to something. Here we visit an intersection of emerging technology and brand experiences that creates buzz you can almost feel.

S E N S O R I A L

MIELE - “The Science of Perfection”Appliance manufacturer Miele threw a multi-sensory bash to launch a new line of washer/dryers. Inspired by the machines

themselves, the event space became a live performance with aerial artists on silk sheets, dancers, contortionists, and fragrances like fresh dryer sheets. Guests were given noise-cancelling headphones so each could experience the event

personally.

DOMINO’S - “Vibes: A Night To Feel The Music”Domino’s brought consumers beyond their taste buds with a multi-sensory experience for the hard of hearing during Austin City Limits. Sound-reactive flooring, light displays, LED bracelets and LCD screens were used to create the exclusive live-music event

that redefined the concert experience with a tactile twist. With over 1.5 million Social and PR impressions and more than half of the attendees tweeting and posting on Instagram, the event drove earned media though it’s buzzworthy appeal. Of course, pizza was

served.

DELTA - “Stillness in Motion”Inspired by Pico Iyer’s TED talk on productive from doing less, Delta created an interactive installation at TED 2015

to promote flight productivity features such as Wi-Fi, in-seat power and the Fly Delta app. The exhibit used lights, mirrors and heart rate monitors to create a physical environment from guests own “stillness”. Exclusive inflight TED content kept

consumers connected from the ground to 40,000 feet.

STELLA ARTOIS - “Stars”Stella Artois gave New York City’s iconic lights a run for their money when they brought their interactive star installation to Moynihan station and kicked the activation off with an appearance by John Legend. The experience began with consumers

learning about Stella’s 600 year history and literally being able to reach up for the stars.

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Brands have always wanted consumers to engage with their activations – but now they want them to help create them. Events within events are already on the rise with music festivals adding 5K runs, food festivals adding yoga and everything in between. Experiences will be human powered – and quite literally in some of the more eco-friendly cases. Have a blast!

A C T I V I T Y & E N T E RTA I N M E N T

UPSLOPE Backcountry Tap

Room HikeCraft Brewery Upslope

released a new beer and sent fans on a hike up a Rocky Mountain trail.

When they reached the top they were able to

taste test the new brew.

MIXOLOGY Yoga Class

Organic Mixology Vodka hosted a yoga class on a helipad. Complimentary cocktails were served

when the class was over.

TOYOTA Prius Playground

Toyota had music festival attendees

devote time on one of their energy-generation

stations in order to “earn” event freebies.

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With the dawn on the SELFIE, photo-booths are making yet another comeback. With an array of photo-technology out there, from multi-media to RFID, two must-haves of a successful photo booth are social functionality and a creative twist.

P H O T O

CINEMOGRAPHSThis technology creates

a unique photo by combining still and moving elements.

Typically saved as a GIF file, they are fun yet

easy to share.

S.E.L.F.I.E. MIRROR

The Self Enhancing Live Feed Image Engine allows

users to snap a selfie while looking into an

actual mirror. The photo is uploaded directly to their social channels.

360 CAMERASFun, albeit costly, these

photo-activations capture a fully

immersive 360-degree photo that the recipient can rotate at all angles.

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The key to an engaging photo activation is…right behind you. The backdrop to future events is more than a 2-Dimentional step and repeat. Create something shareable and people will do just that!

D É C O R

TARGET Galactic

Experience Fan Event

NIKE Wings

21 and Over film premier

ABSOLUT limited edition bottle launch

MOMA film benefit

TARGET V.I.P party

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Brands are using visual arts as a tool to engage consumers. Art walls are popular—commonly used as non-traditional step-and-repeats and sometimes even created onsite as a unique way for consumers to engage. Studies are showing that “nearly half of millennials prefer art events that incorporate audience participation.” We see this pushing more to engage audiences in 2016.

A RT S & C R E AT I V I T Y

AT&TThe brand offered demos by local artists and a social surprise-and-

delight element gave fans an opportunity to win the artwork for free by posting photos.

SOULCYCLEThe brand employed an artist to create murals behind the instructors of

spin classes held during Art Basel.

MODELOWhile they sampled beer, Modelo fans were able to design their own

coasters which were compiled for participants to vote for their favorite design. A hired artist used the winning four to design this year’s official

collection of Modelo pint glasses.

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Consumers love anything personalized. Engaging through social channels is one way to get attention, but it won’t hold for long—millennials want to know that companies are paying attention to their specific needs and giving them a personalized experience or item is one way to keep attention.

B E S P O K E

DRESSBARNEvent guests could

select a color and have it made into a lipstick in

front of them. They were then able to give the color a name and create a custom label.

BIRCHBOXAllowed consumers to

choose products to build their own box during

their pop-up tour.

ALEX & ANIEncouraged festival

goers to design and craft a beaded and suede

headband to wear at the festival.

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As evidenced by BuzzFeed’s 90’s articles, putting a nostalgic edge on a campaign brings consumers back to the good ‘ol days. Nostalgic marketing is also versatile since it can span multiple media, genres, and even generations.

N O S TA L G I A

GAMESBrands are using old school games to bring out nostalgic feelings.

Groupon used Twister for a team bonding experience (top left photograph). Pizza Hut sponsored a video game and digital video

festival and brought attendees back to the time of Pac-Man (top right photo)

90s ICONS AND CELEBSBrands are also working with celebrities famous from certain eras. In 2014, 90s rapper Biz Markie was brought in for entertainment at the

New York Auto Show (bottom left photograph). Flava Flav was brought in to show support for Bai at their flavor launch party (bottom right

photograph).

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#ItTakesMoreThanAHashtag to get people talking. The convergence of social, experiential and technology have yielded new ways to interact with event goers both onsite and online.

S O C I A L C U R R E N C Y

OREOTrending Vending

LoungeOreo created the Trending Vending Lounge at SXSW, a vending machine that

invited attendees to print a custom 3D edible Oreo

based on a trending topic/hashtag on Twitter of their choosing in real-time.

Each SXSW-related hashtag influenced a

mash-up of 12 flavors, colors and crème printing patterns to create one of 4,000 possible cookies.

INSTAGRAMInsta Candy

Ever wonder what your Instagram filter would taste like? Well there

is now a filter based vending machine powered by Instagram photos. Attendees at the Kristal Elma Festival in Istanbul were

encouraged to take a selfie, and upload it on Instagram using a filter along with the hashtag

#instacandy to instantly claim their sweet gift. Each filter was associated with different flavor.

OLD NAVYFlip Flop Vending

MachineOld Navy activated twitter vending machines in high-traffic locations in LA and NYC that dispensed flip-flops. Consumers logged into Twitter from a tablet attached to the machine and filled in answers to

statements like: “The best place to wear flip-flops is _______.” Their reward? A

pair of flip-flops.

HYUNDAI—Destination Unknown

HYUNDAI Destination Unknown

Hyundai and iHeart Radio teamed up to send consumers on a socially driven scavenger hunt. Each team was provided a Hyundai Tucson with locations for the hunt programmed into the car’s navigation system. A

handful of the cars other capabilities were used to

complete tasks that unlocked letters to spell a secret venue hosting an Imagine Dragons’

concert. The team that won the scavenger hunt received VIP

tickets to the concert.

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Overstimulation is a real factor when trying to reach consumers with almost any channel. Sometimes executing a simple activation is the one that delivers “shock value” and allows a brand to be heard. Or tasted.

O O H / E X P E R I E N T I A L

CARLSBERG Drinkable Billboard

Carlsberg created “Probably the best poster in the world,” with a sleek billboard and beer tap in the middle. This simplistic yet attention drawing

activation pulled enough traffic for a line down the block.

COKE ZERO Drinkable Billboard

Coke Zero also installed a "drinkable billboard" that shoots soda through a massive straw into a public drinking fountain. The liquid travels from the bottom of the billboard to a

sampling area with six fountain spouts where people can taste the soda.

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Experiential and content are inextricably connected. Whether it’s an iPhone, GoPro, film crew or photo-booth, the cameras are always rolling. Today, brands are honing their catch-and-release approach to content as they generate compelling content from their experiential endeavors for everyone– both on and off site – to see.

C O N T E N T C A P T U R E

COFFEE-MATE – Social chatter during finals week at OSUNestlé's Coffee-mate turned sampling into the ultimate finals survival resource at Ohio State University with a 20-ft high coffee cup installation and activations designed to encourage social chatter and help students recharge. For those who

couldn’t make it to the station had the chance to tweet or text for deliveries. Coffee-mate captured the footage as well as GoPro video and selfies from the scooters to post as content to its channels.”

HEINEKEN – Snapchat at CoachellaWith multiple activations at Coachella, Heineken pushed exclusive content via Snapchat from both in-activation and around-festival. Snaps also included interactive tips about secret performances that users could receive only after

messaging the name of an artist featured in the videos.

BUD LIGHT – “Whatever, USA”Seeking a sharable experience for new millennial beer drinkers, Bud Light created the ultimate content platform: an

experiential takeover of an entire town. From attendee auditions and spontaneous flights to the event itself, “all content, from the TV spot to the surprise-and-delight social activations, was captured and posted online” according to

EventMarketer who gave the campaign highest honors for experiential.

HILTON – “Hilton@Play”The hotel chain that offers exclusive perks to Hilton Honors members such as sold out tickets to a Nick Jonas show gave remote fans a digital front-row seat via Periscope. The content was also streamed on the brand’s social channels, and

included a pre-event contest for select fans to view exclusive content and even win a meet & greet with Nick himself.

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These are exciting times for experiential marketers. According to an a study from the Event Marketing Institute, “companies and brands are increasing their event and experiential marketing budgets by a healthy 6.1% in 2015…up from an increase of 5.4% found in 2014.” With the rapid advancement (and increased affordability) of emerging technologies, now more than ever marketers are harnessing the power of a brand’s physical presence.

Today, experiential lies at the very core of a brand’s communication platform. They help build the foundation upon which entire marketing campaigns are built. As AdWeek notes: “Brands looking to make a deeper connection with consumers are turning to an old maxim: learn from experience. Experiential marketing, once an afterthought to mainstream ad campaigns, is now emerging as the backbone to a growing number of branding plans.”

While some would argue that the fundamental principle of experiential marketing is for consumers to “experience” a brand or product, today it is evident that they experience much more than that. They surprise, delight and assist. They get people moving, talking, thinking and feeling. From sensorial experiences and augmented reality to bespoke campaigns that span generations, experiential marketing has the ability to connect with consumers in a way that no other channels can. Viewed as the future of consumer interaction, it is a future yet to be written by innovative brands, campaigns and most importantly: experiences.

S U M M A RY

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