As the world of marketing expands, experiential marketing has moved to the forefront. Creating unique and engaging moments, experiential marketing provides brands with the ability to stand out against competitors and if the tactic works…the result is marketing gold – brand loyalty.
So, what does it take to create a marketing experience? We see it as the result of a few key variables…
First, the appeal of something new – something you can touch, feel or connect with.
Second, the authenticity of the approach. This is where creativity shines through and draws in the consumer to engage. The level of allure is critical in the success in any experiential approach. Everything rests on the ability to captivate through a single experience. Create something that inspires, creates memories and feels ahead of it’s time; and you’ll have a winner. Create anything less; and your brand will suffer for it.
The final piece is your brand message. More important than any other element – the experience must connect with who you are as a brand, creating a new connection between what your brand represents and a unique customer experience. The message can be subtle or overt, but without the link to your brand, the experience will be wasted.
Recently, McDonald’s integrated a new type of experiential marketing into the customer experience. As a means of encouraging in-house dining at McDonald’s restaurants across Switzerland, they created an augmented reality (AR) game that can only be accessed while dining at one of the restaurants.
Customers access BeatQuiz through a mobile app, and using Spotify, the game allows anyone to become a player in this real-time trivia game. Testing diners knowledge of the background music at the restaurant, customers compete to earn points and land themselves on the leaderboard.
We think McDonald’s has a winner here, with music adding another layer of appeal to this unique experience, and using popular mobile music as their inspiration. We just hope it hits Canada!