JUNE | THE ANATOMY OF…
Experiential
works
Investment in live events has the potential
to deliver a three-fold ‘purchase advantage’
over other media channels for brands
launching a consumer product or service,
according to Set Creative’s ‘The Value of
Experience’ report
7
3% of consumers in the UK and
US are more likely to purchase a
product if they have taken part in
a live brand event
In an era of fake news and
declining trust in traditional forms of
marketing, events are becoming the
disruptive channel to communicate
with consumers. The survey reveals
that 44% of UK and US adults have
increased their time spent on attending
live events or new experiences in the
last two years – with the figure rising
significantly for the all-important
Millennial (57%) and Affluent Millennial
(64%) category
It’s a growing trend as 40% of UK
and US consumers have increased their
spending on new experiences in the
last two years, climbing to 62% among
Affluent Millennials.
As brands explore live events as
a way to build trust, understanding
their physical and emotional impact
on consumers is crucial. The survey
findings reveal that 87% of UK and
US adults want brands to create
experiences that ‘entertain, engage and
educate’ them.
While the survey reveals significant
opportunities on offer to brands who
fully embrace experiential marketing,
12
to truly understand the “Value of
Experience”, Set Creative carried out a
series of practical tests and face-to-face
interviews among 300 UK consumers
(reading, listening, watching and
participating in a live demonstration)
Respondents involved in the live
demonstration felt ‘entertained’ (66%),
‘engaged’ (54%) and ‘satisfied’ (37%) by
the activity. All these attributes scored
significantly higher than for those
involved in the video, reading and
listening tests.
As a result, participants in the live
demonstration were significantly more
likely to share (55%) or recommend
(51%) the Sevillian brand, compared to
those involved in the reading (16% and
15%), listening (13% and 8%) and video
tests (12% and 9%).
Of those involved in the Sevillian
live experience, 41% claimed to be
‘very likely’ to purchase the product. A
near three-fold advantage over those
involved in the reading (16%), listening
(13%) and video tests (12%).
Commenting on the launch of the
report, Guy Tremlett, chief creative
officer at Set Creative says: “We’re
constantly, and rightly, challenged to
justify why a physical experience is a
more effective form of communication
than more traditional channels of
advertising. Common sense dictates
that you’re more likely to remember
something you physically experience
than something you see, hear or
read. But common sense isn’t proof!
There’s no real data available directly
comparing the effectiveness of these
four channels, so we decided to
conduct an experiment to try and learn
more about the value of experience
against more conventional marketing
methods.”
Tremlett concludes: “In our opinion,
experience is less about counting
impressions and more about making
impressions that count.”
44% 87%
of UK and US adults have increased their
time spent on attending live events or new
experiences in the last two years
55%
51%
participants in the live demonstration
were significantly more likely to
share (55%) or recommend (51%) the
Sevillian brand
of UK and US adults want brands to create
experiences that ‘entertain, engage and
educate’ them
16% 15%
13% 8%
12% 9%
compared to those involved in the
reading (16% and 15%), listening (13% and
8%) and video tests (12% and 9%).