The subject of marketing has consistently put forth itself as an attractive option for youngsters planning their careers – for decades now. It can easily be said that the methods and modes of marketing are constantly evolving as the ideologies behind marketing activities remain relatively consistent. Over the past few years, digital means of marketing and advertising have grown inevitably; however, it would be foolish to understate the value and power of real-time and live interaction and association with existing/new consumers. This is primarily what the concept of experiential marketing relates to.

In layman’s terms, experiential marketing can be elaborated on as the method of marketing that relates to enabling consumers to ‘experience’ a distinct & unique product or service in real-time. It is also commonly referred to as engagement marketing. This notion of marketing consists of an array of marketing strategies curated towards engulfing customers within the product and its features by engaging them in as many ways as possible. This is done in order to foster customer engagement and amplify customer lifetime value.

Brands that triumph through this strategy strives to go beyond the norms of providing consumers economic offers and promotions. Brands placing individual customers or groups of consumers in an immersive material experience is a wholly unique situation. Therefore, brands should highly consider the possibility of going beyond PR stunts, display ads, and paid social media ads to raise positive feelings in users and augment brand loyalty.. To further elucidate on the subject, it is critical to analyse some of the notable marketing activities carried out by top brands –

Red Bull: Way back in 2012, Red Bull took their marketing activities to new heights, quite literally. Red Bull have regularly inculcated aspects of high octane extreme sports in their marketing campaigns. Referred to as ‘Stratos’, this campaign featured Felix Baumgartner, a professional skydiver who aimed to break the record for highest skydive. Red Bull housed Felix in a small communication capsule and sent him up to the stratosphere using a large helium-filled balloon, and live-streamed the event on Youtube. The live-stream went on to attract 8 million viewers.

Coca Cola: Coca-Cola celebrated the inauguration of the Fifa World Cup 2018 with an augmented reality experience in Zurich. Participants were encouraged to show off their football skills in front of a projected screen, with an augmented figure of Xherdan Shaqiri – probably the biggest superstar of the Switzerland World Cup team. The most skilful fan went on to be rewarded with an official match ball. This was an innovative and immersive experience to capture the emotions of football fanatics.

Volkswagen: A leading automobile player across the globe, Volkswagen have always stood out for their quirky and unique marketing strategies. Volkswagen shrewdly created “piano” stairs in a subway station in Germany, adjacent to the escalator. This encouraged commuters to choose the stairs while walking to the tunes created by their steps. As a result of this activity, 66% more people chose the stairs as opposed to the escalator. While the activity did not specifically relate to their business, it got the public talking and more importantly, boosted their visibility with such an engaging strategy.

It is also quite critical for marketing students in the modern era to understand the vast capabilities of storytelling. Experiential marketing acts as the perfect medium for storytelling. Consumers who can match their emotions to a narrative tend to make better connections with brands and portray the genuine responses marketers strive to attract. At Pearl Academy, the professional certificate course in Events & Experiential Marketing is a blend of knowledge, creative skills, & practical training with EEMA(Event &Entertainment Management Association), supplemented with internship and event organising projects with corporates, entertainment outlets, and media companies. Since it is an EEMA-partnered course, the members of this industry body – including all leading event agencies of the country – will potentially provide placements and job offers to a batch of 30 to 50 students every year.

Stalwart speakers from EEMA, representing various organisations and different functional areas of specialization in the events and experiential marketing domain, will conduct 200 sessions of 2 hours each. This practical course is bound to enhance the all-round marketing abilities of any youngster.