In this fiercely competitive marketplace, driven by extreme consumerism, brands are forever struggling to make a recall in the minds of the consumers. And with novel avenues opening up creatively, brands are now closer than ever to their target audience. Experiential methods of marketing have made this possible.
Whilst new technologies make our world more connected and personalised, it also opens up vast opportunities for brands to reach out to consumers with some engaging brand experiences. The past two years have seen unprecedented levels of technology adoption in experiential initatives.
1. Mobile Technologies
The growing power and convenience of mobile devices have made them the platform of choice to communicate with consumers. Users are constantly sharing data and going online to search for information. The next step is to blend the social experience with immersion technologies to inform and inspire consumers.
The mobile device is extensively seeing high penetration and it is only a matter of time that brands will optimise their strategies to concentrate a lot more on this medium. Internet content delivery network, Akamai, pointed out it its latest State of the Internet Report 2013 that mobile data growth is exponential, while voice traffic is flat. Another report released by Ericsson stated that the volume of mobile data traffic doubled from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2012. Brands have a myriad of opportunities to connect with consumers via mobile platforms using augmented reality apps, QR codes, geo-location, and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2. Facial recognition
Automatic face and gesture recognition is rapidly developing into a highly effective experiential campaign feature. The varying technologies are currently being used in interactive vending machines which allow brands to develop creative ways of dispensing surprise gifts and branded content. Adidas had used the technology in shopping centre screens to identify a person’s age in order to better serve ads that are most relevant to them. A 60-year old man or a 25-year old youngster were shown targeted products meant for their fitness requirements.
3. Audio Technologies
A narrow beam of sound into a confined area, allowing only the select person to hear the message or sound transmitted, making it the perfect tool for communicating an intimate and targeted message to consumers. Other electronic devices such as Portable Vibrating Speakers can be attached to any objects that will project sound, acting as the amplifier for sounds pushed out by the object it is attached to.
