A good experiential activation is like a great teacher.
Have you ever had a teacher who made learning difficult concepts easy and fun? Well, that’s what experiential elements try to do for your prospects. They teach them about your brand in a fun and engaging way. According to Finance Online, 65% of consumers say product demos and live events help them understand the product better than any other advertising method.
If you live in a niche market, explaining to people what exactly it is that you do can be a challenge. An experiential activation engages the consumer while reinforcing the brand’s product or service. A few of the most common activations include
- Try-Before-You-Buys
- Product Demonstrations
- Sampling Campaigns
- Lottery Games
- Play-to-Win Games
- Photo Opportunities
Unlike print, radio, television, and social media, an activation engages the whole person, creating a powerful connection between the consumer and the brand, ultimately leading to dramatically higher retention rates.
The Power of Experiential Marketing
Activations should be shareable on social media. As Adam Haas explains, in experiential marketing, it’s often essential to find places with a high density of people who will engage with the activitation. While most people participating might not be able to afford the product, if they post a picture on social media engaging with that product, someone who can afford it might see it and want it.
In other words, it’s a powerful form of social proof that increases the perceived value of the product or service.
The sky is the limit when it comes to experiential marketing. Large brand campaigns can occupy entire city blocks. Take Lipton Iced Tea, for example. They erected a giant yellow water slide in the middle of London to raise brand awareness.
Onlookers who stopped by to see the commotion were given free samples of Lipton products and urged to #beadaybreaker. Crazy, right? But it worked!
Using Activations at Trade Shows
You don’t have to build a giant slide that uses tea instead of water for trade shows. Technology is often the perfect solution for engaging prospects and generating leads when space is tight.
Most of the elements listed below are either unique demonstration platforms or some interesting use of technology. Whether your goal is to educate, bring traffic to your booth, generate leads, or strengthen customer loyalty, these elements can help tremendously.
8 Experiential Elements for Trade Shows
Photo Booths
Photo booths, like the one above, are a great way for clients and customers to interact with your brand. This kind of booth is less about educating customers than connecting with them on an emotional level by making them feel a part of a community.
Furthermore, photo booths like the Ritratto are an effective means to capture leads, boost social media engagement, and connect with your customers.
Product Demos
One of the most important reasons people attend trade shows is to discover new products. Sure, they can research them online, but being able to touch, feel, and see the products in person is 10 times better. That’s why having displays of models or products to try is best.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is coming into its own at trade shows, especially at tech shows that want to demonstrate their product in real time.
Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality’s cousin, Augmented Reality, is also becoming an important way to boost engagement and traffic to your booth. This element is often considered a form of “try before you buy” strategy.
For example, Warby Parker uses an app that projects a pair of glasses on the users’ faces so they get a visual of what it looks like on them.
Special Demonstration Pods
These pods allow your customers to demo your product in a closed-off environment. The key result is making your customer feel special with an exclusive experience.
Multi-Touch Screens
Multi-touch screens offer a dynamic, organic interface that allows multiple people to interact physically with the display. Remember when touch screens first came out? Now, they’re everywhere, and people still enjoy using them.
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics allow you to expand on your message while increasing viewer retention of the information you present. These are easily updated and customized for each event and are fantastic for appealing to audiences with shorter attention spans.
LED Interactive showcase
These showcases are the ultimate and compelling combination of digital and physical elements. A product is placed in the case behind the display glass, which is a clear LED screen that plays either static or interactive content. These cases have proven to be more effective at presenting a product than brochures or other exhibit literature.
Looking to Engage Your Target Audience at Your Next Show?
The Trade Group is a full-service trade show and event marketing company. We will work with you to create an exhibit or an event that brings in leads and helps you achieve your business goals. Contact us here or give us a call at (800) 343-2005.
