Can experiential marketing convert passive attendees into your brand advocates?

Cognitive Dissonance. Did you ever purchase something while window shopping, and later go on unremittingly in a state of self-doubt or repentance? The sense of confusion emerging from opposing thoughts and actions is known as cognitive dissonance. It's a persuasive psychological theory that can lead to a buyer’s mental conflict.

Due to internal mental conflicts within 90% of the consumers have wanted to return at least one item to the shelves, but then grab it again due to dissonance. Why do we experience this mental rift? It's because our brain is trained to seek consistency, but due to dissonance, our inbuilt cultural values and actions ( maybe an influential purchase made because something is trending) keep on clashing. This is a point where human emotions and experiential learning come at a crucial stage.

Let’s take the example of Netflix, a global entertainment platform. Did you know why they highly leverage experiential marketing campaigns? Since Netflix subscribers constantly check whether they are receiving some worthy and valuable content for their monthly payments. 

Subscribers constantly feel the load of cognitive dissonance and question themselves from within – “Am I getting quality content for my money’s worth. “ Hence, to combat the potential churning of users, Netflix uses immersive experiential marketing. For example, during the promotions of one of its leading series, Squid Game Season 2, they orchestrated a global campaign named “ Red Light, Green Light”, which allowed fans from the NYC to physically participate in this experience.

This experiential marketing campaign was so unforgettable that it generated over 68 million views in the first three days of launch.  Hence, this is a fundamental fact- that experiential marketing creates social buzz, transforming passive views into active brand storytellers. 

Also, it’s not just about engaging storytelling but also letting your viewers feel and live the experience that helps to strongly remove any lingering doubts about the perceived brand value.

This martech resonates with people because it is based on human psychology. Its immersive approach activates numerous senses, and creates a more dynamic and unforgettable interaction that sticks with their mind even after the event hype is over.

With the emergence of the internet and social media, users crave personal participation. This shift of audience mindset from being a passive viewer to a more active participant allows brands to hire experiential marketing agencies to create cornerstone strategies for fleeting, memorable impressions.

Allows consumers to personally associate with the brand 

Research consistently suggests that people remember 80% of what they do, in comparison to just 10-20% of what they read or hear. For example, Red Bull’s Stratos Jump campaign was a global spectacle, where the audience was a part of the commercial, associating Red Bull’s branding persona of courage, excitement, and innovation.

More impactful than digital marketing

For forging brand loyalty, emotional resonance is the key. If your consumer feels that emotional connection with your brand, they would never look upto for a competitor’s product. Studies indicate that personal and immersive experiences crafted by experiential marketing companies are 24% more impactful than digital marketing.

Airbnb had launched a campaign, “Night at the Louvre”. This will be a potent illustration to highlight the above fact. The chosen lucky winners were given a chance to spend a night inside the iconic Louvre museum in Paris.

This experience was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for them.

Due to this exceptional experience, participants became enthusiastic storytellers for their brand. They even reportedly showcased positive feelings and loyalty after the event.

70% of consumers feel an authentic and genuine connection with the brand after participating in immersive experiential brand campaigns.

At present, every brand is on a rat race to get digital impressions, so their experiential marketing solutions can stand out in this competitive landscape for a brand with its human-centric approach. 

If you think of investing in experiential marketing today, you will get the privilege to showcase cutting-edge, futuristic experiences to your users, which would become a memorable experience for them. 

Your passive store visitors can turn into passionate brand advocates by experiencing this immersive marketing. For instance, for Deloitte, we created an innovative retail experience center that allowed our client and customers to engage at the store with an installation of a holobox, Object Recognition Table (ORT), and an AI assistant at its core. This interactive tech journey showcased Deloitte as the tech thought leader in the retail space.

So if you want to transcend traditional marketing techniques and foster crucial high-value engagement for your brand, INK IN CAPS can help you amplify your brand’s experience. 

Partner with us today- an award-winning experiential agency that can alter your passive visitors into active brand advocates, showcasing your brand as a leader in leveraging martech for delivering futuristic experiences.