Ask any marketer what the primary aim for any of their campaigns is, and the reply would be the similar. It’s to face out from the gang and foster a significant reference to their viewers. Nevertheless, in a world the place tens of millions of manufacturers are competing with one another, that is proving to be simpler mentioned than carried out.
Enter experiential advertising, a technique that focuses on creating memorable and immersive experiences for patrons. This recent strategy has been confirmed to be efficient, significantly in stay occasions. However can this be built-in into electronic mail campaigns as properly? The reply is a powerful sure.
On this article, we’ll take a deeper take a look at what experiential advertising is and the way it may be used to rework your unusual emails into immersive journeys that go away a long-lasting influence. Let’s get began!
What’s experiential advertising?
Experiential advertising revolves round creating an expertise for patrons. Not like conventional advertising, the place prospects passively obtain a model’s message, experiential advertising encourages prospects to actively interact and take part. This may be carried out by way of hands-on experiences, bodily occasions, interactive video games, artistic shows, and different direct approaches.
The aim of experiential advertising is to offer a buyer with a enjoyable and immersive expertise that may assist type a deeper connection and funding within the model. It will result in elevated model loyalty and, in the end, conversions.
Varieties of experiential advertising
Experiential advertising is available in totally different types. Some examples are:
1. Dwell occasions
Dwell occasions are one of the vital widespread sorts of experiential advertising. This consists of commerce exhibits, activations, product launches, pop-up retailers, or any kind of occasion the place a buyer can instantly work together with the model.
2. Product demos and samples
Making a multi-sensory expertise is what makes experiential advertising actually interactive and immersive. This may be carried out by way of product demos or samples the place prospects can see, hear, really feel, or style the product.
3. Guerilla advertising
Guerilla advertising focuses on utilizing unconventional strategies that encourage public interplay to advertise a services or products. One instance of that is Coca-Cola’s Hug Me Machine. When individuals “hug” the merchandising machine, it can dispense a free Coke for them. This marketing campaign went viral as individuals have been delighted with the expertise of hugging a machine in addition to getting a freebie out of it.
(Supply: Coca-Cola YouTube channel)
Guerilla advertising depends on the aspect of shock and the sense of disruption in a public place. This tends to supply quite a lot of buzz, as individuals get curious and have a tendency to discover their set-ups as a substitute of simply passing by.
4. Digital and augmented actuality
The rise of expertise has given rise to VR and AR within the discipline of experiential advertising. Manufacturers can now harness the ability of expertise to present their prospects an immersive expertise by giving them artistic visible worlds, providing to just about strive on their merchandise, or transporting them to locations they in any other case should journey to.
Take, for instance, McDonald’s VR Zodiac Exhibition. They created a digital corridor the place individuals can discover a world the place they will be taught in regards to the Chinese language Zodiac, strive on particular McDonald’s merchandise, and ship lanterns into the sky.
(Supply: McDonald’s Corridor of Zodiacs)
5. E-mail advertising
Whereas experiential advertising is often related to bodily occasions, it doesn’t imply that it may well’t be utilized to electronic mail advertising.
Experiential advertising could be utilized to electronic mail advertising by specializing in creating interactive emails. These are emails that comprise components, options, or eye-catching visuals that subscribers can interact in throughout the inbox. This may be carried out by way of video games, quizzes, stay polls, or perhaps a 360° picture that subscribers can click on round to discover.
One instance of that is from Litmus, the place their subscribers can see how their mild and darkish mode seems with a fast click on of a button. This enables them to “expertise” the product inside their inbox.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
Advantages of experiential advertising
1. Gives prospects with a enjoyable and memorable expertise
Experiential advertising offers a extra participating and entertaining expertise versus conventional advertising. It additionally offers your prospects an opportunity to see your product in motion and perceive the way it advantages them as a substitute of simply studying about it. Experiences additionally create a extra memorable reference to you and your prospects, fostering a deeper emotional bond.
2. Provides a recent and distinctive tackle advertising
Do you know that a mean American sees a complete of 4,000 to 10,000 adverts every day? Feels like quite a bit? It’s. And inside these excessive numbers, simply what number of repeated ideas and concepts do you suppose you’ll see?
Experiential advertising provides much more to your prospects who’re overexposed to adverts and bored of repeated concepts. It may be a singular expertise, a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, or only a enjoyable break from their every day routine. Both approach, it’s undoubtedly extra impactful in comparison with yet one more web site banner advert.
3. Boosts model consciousness
Model consciousness goes past simply having a cool brand design or a catchy tagline. It’s about making your prospects conscious that your model exists within the first place. And experiential advertising simply does that. A enjoyable and interactive expertise can undoubtedly make a mark on prospects’ minds and cause them to need to know extra about your model.
This will additionally assist in constructing a robust model identification. Who wouldn’t need to be generally known as the model that does quite a lot of cool and distinctive advertising?
4. Promotes social sharing
Experiential advertising is a must have if you wish to drive buzz and free PR to your model. Individuals who attend a enjoyable occasion are inclined to take tons of photographs or movies about it and share it on social media. In the meantime, a enjoyable sport or quiz on an electronic mail will result in individuals sharing it with their household and mates.
What are some examples of experiential advertising in emails?
Now that you already know what experiential advertising is and its advantages, let’s check out how one can incorporate it into your electronic mail advertising campaigns. Some examples are:
1. Interactive photos (carousels, accordions, and scratch-offs)
Interactive photos are inclined to generate greater engagement in comparison with static ones as they encourage individuals to click on extra. They’re additionally helpful in cell, as they will present extra info and content material even with the restricted house accessible.
One instance of that is picture carousels. An picture carousel is an interactive electronic mail the place subscribers can “flip” by way of a collection of photographs with a easy click on of a button.
B&Q has integrated carousels into their electronic mail to nice success. This electronic mail marketing campaign, the place their subscribers can faucet every field to see particular summer season suggestions, has garnered them an 18% improve in open charges and 42,000 click-throughs.
(Supply: Motion Rocket)
One other instance of an interactive picture is accordions. By clicking a component or merchandise, it can broaden to point out extra info. A enjoyable instance of that is an electronic mail from BBC, the place clicking the “+” icon will broaden to extra content material. However what makes this stand out is that the background picture adjustments relying on the enlargement you choose.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
One other instance is scratch-offs. This provides one other aspect of interactiveness and shock in your subscribers, as they get to “scratch off” to see in the event that they acquired a prize or low cost coupon.
(Supply: 3radical)
2. Rollover and hover results
One other instance of interactive photos is people who comprise hover or rollover results. That is the impact when a picture adjustments to a distinct one once you hover over them.
One instance is from UGG, the place you’ll be able to view their sandals in numerous colours once you hover over a particular swatch.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
It is a favourite for eCommerce manufacturers, as they can provide you extra particulars and details about a product and even “cover” a promo code with out utilizing an excessive amount of house in an electronic mail. You additionally get to have a full purchasing expertise, even within the consolation of your individual house.
(Supply: Stripo template)
3. Quizzes
Elevate your hand for those who took any of these “Which X are you?” quizzes on Buzzfeed. We’re keen to guess that you just did. It is because quizzes, merely put, are enjoyable. Plus, they’re straightforward to do whereas providing you with vital info (corresponding to discovering what sort of taco you’re 😉).
The identical thought could be utilized to your emails. Quizzes can be utilized to search out out your viewers’s ache factors and targets to suggest to them a tailor-made resolution.
Quizzes are additionally nice for these within the eCommerce trade who want to upsell or cross-sell. Check out Harry’s, the place they match a particular bathe gel to you, relying in your solutions.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
In fact, you can too go for some enjoyable, random quizzes. Not all the things must be sales-y, and relying in your target market, they may recognize this strategy extra.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
4. Video games
It ought to in all probability be no shock at this level that individuals love video games. For this reason electronic mail gamification is so profitable. Pleasure, competitors, and a way of completion after a sport are nice driving forces for any particular person. Add in a reward on the finish, and also you’re golden.
Check out this electronic mail from EmailMonk, the place subscribers want to search out hidden objects to flee a haunted fort.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
Or from our Valentine’s Day sport, the place subscribers can get a promo code to be taught which Cupid they’re in the event that they discover three phrases associated to Stripo.
In each examples, subscribers have been capable of have fun an occasion (Halloween and Valentine’s Day, respectively) with out having to bodily exit for a stay occasion. Our Valentine’s Day marketing campaign additionally noticed a 25% improve in open charges (from 30% to 37.5%) and a whopping 11% click-through charge.
5. Movies
Whereas movies won’t be essentially the most “interactive” instance on this checklist, it’s truly one of the vital efficient components in an electronic mail marketing campaign.
The numbers don’t lie — 89% of individuals say watching a video has satisfied them to purchase a services or products. To not point out, 91% of individuals need to see extra video content material from manufacturers. If that doesn’t encourage you to embed a video in your subsequent electronic mail blast, I don’t know what’s going to.
There are some things to remember — individuals have a tendency to look at movies with the pontificate, so be certain your video can nonetheless be understood even with out the sound. A method to do that is to offer captions. Additionally, the success of your video depends on the primary three seconds. It is advisable seize your subscribers’ consideration in these valuable seconds. In any other case, they’ll simply scroll over.
You don’t want to simply be restricted to at least one video, both. Take, for instance, this electronic mail from Royal Caribbean, which comprises an interactive map. Relying on the placement that you just click on on the map, it can present you a brief video that provides extra details about every location.
(Supply: ReallyGoodEmails)
Wrapping up
Within the ever-changing world of selling, staying forward of the curve is essential if you wish to seize your buyer’s consideration and construct significant relationships with them. One of many methods to do that is thru experiential advertising.
Whereas it’s historically related to bodily occasions, the development of expertise makes it potential to present an immersive expertise to your electronic mail subscribers as properly.
The principle factor to remember is to retain the fundamental components of experiential advertising – that are interactiveness, leisure, and creativity – and incorporate them into your subsequent electronic mail marketing campaign. Do that, and also you’ll be capable of rework your boring emails right into a extra immersive expertise.
Create superb electronic mail experiences in your subscribers with Stripo
