Marketing is not just a term but a phenomenon that is often daunted by many challenges. As we are progressing towards the digital age, these challenges are showing off their ugly heads in different forms and it is becoming vital to decipher them well in time so as to cater to the diversified marketing needs of the brands. Well, experiential marketing is increasingly becoming an answer to most of these problems.
In fact, experiential marketing is inspiring both the established giants as well as the start-ups to offer a fresh approach to connect with their target audience. It is to be noted here that the techniques of the yester years’ viz. advertisements (on TV, radio and hoardings to mention a few), door-to-door campaigning and the ones on the similar lines have reached the time of their natural death. This is so for the obvious reason that the new-age customers desire hands-on experience with the products that they would like to invest in rather than saying a mere ‘YES’ to a loud advertisement that appears in front of them without their wish. Further, in experiential marketing too, it is the crowd-shaping trend that is gaining firm ground.
Crowd-Shaping: A new trend in experiential marketing
Crowd-shaping is a modern-day marketing technique that finds its basis in gathering data in a pre-defined space, generating momentum in a crowd (through constant interaction) and eliciting a positive response from the public by delivering a highly customised product experience. This is a new trend that is seen catching up pace in the contemporary times all over the world to meet the discerning attitude of the smart buyers of the present age.
Today’s customers dislike cold pitching or plain advertisements boasting about a product but get more involved when they are reached out directly and are not pushed to make an instant decision to purchase a product. When the potential buyers are educated (not just about the product but about the brand and its purpose), given a chance to be entertained and respected for their independent decision, they are likely to turn into loyal customers in the long run. Moreover, it is seen that the higher and unique the customer experience, the higher are the chances that they will connect with the brand.
It would not be surprising here to note that nearly 98 per cent of users/buyers feel more inclined towards making a final decision to purchase any product after attending a live event or demonstration for the same (as per Mosaic and Event Marketing Institute’s report EventTrack 2016 Content Edition). It clearly suggests that the discerning buyers do not hesitate to delay their buying decisions if they are not catered to in the way that they feel they deserve and expect from a brand.
It is for the same reason that 79 per cent of brands admit that they will organise more experiential marketing events in 2018 as against the previous one (as per Mosaic and Event Marketing Institute). This clearly indicates towards the popularity of a trend that is marked by sheer human experience in real time! The brands now understand that if they ignore this element, then they are bound to falter and keep chasing the bottom line of ROI without achieving any concrete results.
To conclude
It goes without saying that crowd-shaping is a trend that is all set to witness a rising curve in the coming years. The entrepreneurs must find themselves in a position to deliver the best customer experience if they aim to win the game of experiential marketing in this highly competitive world of today!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house
