signage Issue 2 Volume 1 | Page 12

Article
Article

Top 10 Experiential Marketing Trends to Expect in 2016

Calum McGuigan is the President at Fervent Events , an experiential marketing agency based in Toronto , Ontario which operates all over Canada . Here , he provides his top 10 experiential marketing trends to expect in 2016 ,
12 SIGNAGE . NG
1 ) Increased Budgets Expect to see more , higher quality activations . In 2013 experiential marketing budgets grew by 7.9 % and then a further 5 % in 2014 . Budgeting figures aside , it ’ s obvious even to the naked eye . Five year ago simple kiosk set ups were customary sight in mall or festivals . Simple is now a thing of the past , technology . engagement and social are integrated into all activation . These advancements are a direct reflection of money now spent in the industry ,
2 ) Subsequently ; Expect Increased Permit Costs P e r m i t c o s t s a t private property ' s , m a l l s , fe s t i v a l s , events and trade shows seem to be like housing prices , t h e y i n c r e a s e exponentially . Event p l a n n e r s a n d property groups are realizing the true value of experiential marketing vs . old c a s h c o w s l i k e a r b i t r a r y sponsorship levels . We have noticed activation permits increase by over 200 % in 5 years at s o m e l o c a t i o n s . Fervent Events paid one property group $ 2000 in 2010 for a one-day activation . That location is now $ 4500 .
3 ) Bigger Brands Will C o n t i n u e t o Combine PR with E x p e r i e n t i a l Marketing It ' s the ideal way to create their own engagement story . Neither service is an expert in each other , but both are friends in commerce for life . PR & experiential marketing agencies / departments creating strategic partnerships , is mutually beneficial . Red Bull have been doing this for years .
4 ) Differentiation Between Social & Experiential On the back of # 3 it ' s important to note PR & experiential are friends in commerce , but friendship that still needs work . In the past some companies have created a 5-minute stunt purely for social buzz . To me , this isn ' t experiential , it ' s purely a social campaign . The relationship between PR & experiential will flourish when PR comes after the experiential . Let the marketers produce a program …. tag PR on the back of it . Not vice versa . This is starting to happen .
5 ) Experiential Marketing Will Continue to Integrate Sales Experiential marketing programs often have a sales component , and it ' s murky . This is a result of experiential marketing still being a relatively new industry , and needing to show ROI . Even though traditional media can rarely prove direct ROI and never has , experiential was shaped in a modern marketing age . TV , radio and for many parts print media still get away with no direct ROI being attributed to them , well , because ' it ' s always been that way '. However , brand ambassadors have supportive tools like ipads and POS software . This means more often than not a ' sign up ' component is integrated making campaigns all the more accountable . 6 ) Out with The Old Expect to see less photo booths and charging stations . These are great tools , personally I ' m a big fan of photo booths , however they were exhausted in 2014 & 2015 , in the same manner the QR code was exhausted in 2013 & 2014 .
7 ) In with The New M o b i l e t r u c k a c t i v a t i o n s a n d refurbished shipping containers made a splash in 2015 , this summer they ' ll be even more apparent . This is both a wow and $$$ factor . A mobile pop up ( truck ) can go direct to a target demo and i t ' s m u c h m o r e economical than a 1- month 2000sq ft pop up lease . Pop up shops are great , but do it r i g h t t h e y ' r e e x p e n s i v e . T h e refurbished shipping containers also provide that urban cool feeling , w h i c h l o o k s l e s s c o r p o r a t e , l e s s planned and more hip . And that ' s what people want to connect with .
8 ) Brand Ambassadors will become Brand Advocates We know what brand ambassadors are , and we know what student influencers are . Brand advocates is what we all marketers want , people to represent the brand onsite during activations ( as a paid brand ambassador ) and online at other times ( as a paid influencer ).
9 ) Olympics 2016 & Euro 2016 , The Perfect Guerrilla Marketing Opportunity … or not Publicity stunts at mega events are a thing of the past . Increased security due to political factors would ( a ) make guerrilla marketing difficult ( b ) frown heavily upon anything that was implemented . Risk now outweighs reward . Only 6 years ago a Dutch beer made waves at the World Cup in South Africa with an in stadium stunt . At 2004 Olympics Golden Palace also made same waves . I wouldn ’ t expect anything similar at this summers two mega events .
10 ) Another 1000 + New Companies Will Launch Tomorrow … Our industry continues to grow . Six years ago I knew most companies in Canada , Google searches now show new companies monthly it seems . Why ? Integrated marketing agencies are creating experiential divisions ; ambitious marketers are going solo ( little start up costs / equipment needed ); younger graduates who have grown up with smartphones and experiential have fresh , relatable insight ; remember point one – budgets are growing !