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Experiential marketing may have caught up with the big brands in India but a big chunk of them might refrain from taking the leap. Contrary to popular belief that the brands in India simply do not want to shift from the traditional marketing means, there are many other challenges that Indian marketers might face in executing experiential marketing campaigns as it is widely done in the west.
Let’s look at some of these factors that may hamper an Indian marketer’s plan to create and execute engagement activities:
Lack of qualified and skilled talent
This not only applies to the IT industry, which is actually a big challenge for pretty much most industries in India, but finding the right talent is a war to be won in the country. India is a country where hundreds of thousands of students graduate each year in various streams but most of them are not employable and lack skills, as it is widely reported. Similarly, out of most MBA graduates, few are trained to exploit experiential domain in marketing and many are not even aware of this new marketing space. Creative is another attribute that is very vital to experiential marketing, which again is not easy to find.
Short term visibility
Many agencies in the experiential marketing domain are seen often complaining about the short term visibility of marketers. They are more inclined on hiring an agency for PR purposes but resist investing in engagement activations that are long term in terms of return and are not immediately measurable. This short sightedness makes brands refrain from giving experiential marketing a chance and benefit in the long run.
Vandalism
Experiential activities in the west are often done through kiosks and various installations that are outdoor. India is a country where even the dustbins and copper wirings get stolen and vandalised. Factors like these may not completely hamper an experiential activity but may limit the scope of what can be done and what not can be done. On the positive side, it encourages the marketers and agencies involved in engagement activities to be more creative.
Pressure on agencies to measure
The humans have a tendency to take control of every aspect of their lives including the outcome of every effort they put. This applies on ROI too. Before making any investment, we want to know the immediate benefits, which drives many marketers from taking a step forward towards initiatives that may bring huge returns in the long term. It may be hard to measure ROI with engagement activities but many brands have been successful in leveraging engagement to attract loyal following.
Professional courses
Today, any field requires a professional degree that could be true for experiential marketing. Although many big names in the space may have started early with a simple management degree or management experience over time, but a degree certainly helps. However in a country like India, there aren’t many professional courses offered that specialize one in experiential domain and trains students with hands-on experience. So, finding a fresh talent in the domain might be a bit of challenge at the moment, especially for agencies.
