“If it didn’t happen on Instagram, did it really happen!?”
The digital age has been around for quite some time now. Every little thing that anyone does is on their social media. And this includes brands, too! And why not? All it takes is a post, video, or reel to keep your audience engaged. But, over the last few years, things have changed. We have realized that connection is paramount. Experiences are important, sometimes even life-altering.
The same thought applies to the brand-audience relationship, especially with customers’ rising desire for novel experiences. Reports suggest that 70% of consumers will prefer shopping elsewhere if the store offers no experience. If you think about it, you will realize that consumers expect some kind of experience from the brands in person, not behind their screens.
As such, the brands are caught in a dilemma – should they celebrate the festive season via social media or curate an offline experience?
Lucky for you, today we will help you understand what you need to do as a brand. Ready to read? Let’s go!
The Rise of Social Media
Imagine your entire world being reduced to 4 walls and your mobile phone. What would you do? Scroll, watch, scroll, right?
So, as physical interactions became restricted during the pandemic, we all turned to social media to bridge the gap, leading to a remarkable acceleration in platform usage and engagement. Thus resulting in a rise in the time spent and content consumed on social media.
Of course, brands found themselves in the same boat as ours. Result? They met their audience where they were. But this time, with a different aim. Besides keeping their audience engaged, brands aimed at sharing information and helping the audience cope with the sudden change.
For instance, Lego. Lego focussed on evoking nostalgia and good times in families amidst uncertainty with its #LetsBuildTogether campaign.
And let’s not forget Cadbury Dairy Milk. Associated with joy, celebration, and sweetness, the chocolate brand fosters generosity as one of its core messages. As the pandemic set in, the theme of generosity became even more prominent. It made us realize how we had overlooked the efforts of those who kept our homes and lives in action, including our drivers and maids. This led the brand to launch a limited edition collection of ‘Thank You’ bars. Furthermore, it partnered with Times of India for its ‘Fill in the Thanks’ campaign and with Zee Network to #SayThankYou to frontline workers. And that’s not even the best part!
The brand also launched its well-celebrated Diwali campaign, ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge?’ featuring local shops in their ads to help them gain visibility and to get people to gift more. Thus cultivating a sense of gratitude and generosity among people at a time when it was needed the most.
“If people gifted more during Diwali, our products would also be gifted. And we were able to tap into the momentum of people gifting during the festive season, and we did see that translate into market sales,” shared Anil Viswanathan, Senior Director, Marketing (Chocolates), Insights and Analytics, Mondelez India.
This way, the brand kept its audience hooked with a limited edition collection and promoted the message of generosity and the gift of giving via videos on social media.
The Shift in Consumer Priorities
As the world gradually emerged from the constraints of remote living, individuals displayed a renewed appreciation for in-person experiences and tangible connections. While digital channels remained crucial, the need to bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds and offer a holistic brand experience that resonated with consumers’ preferences became important. Enter Experiential Marketing!
Craving for Experiences: The Festive Season Perspective
Experiential marketing has gained significant significance in this new era of consumer behaviour. It meets the consumer’s spurred craving for genuine experiences and face-to-face interactions. Simply put, it recognizes that modern consumers seek authentic, meaningful, and sensory-rich brand encounters. Its significance lies in its ability to foster deep emotional connections and lasting memories. All things that the festive season stands for!
As celebrations unfold, the desire for connections and emotional engagement becomes pronounced. The laughter shared over a meal, the warmth of a hug, the comfort of traditions, and familiar faces make the festive season so emotionally significant.
This emotional underpinning naturally aligns with the concept of offline experiences. While digital connections have their place, they often lack the depth and intimacy that in-person interactions create. Furthermore, festivals require more than just digital engagement; they demand participation that encourages and fosters deeper relationships.
Another thing to note about festivals is their essence of gratitude and giving to spread joy. It may be one reason why audiences seek opportunities to engage with brands and businesses that align with these values through immersive encounters that resonate with their festive spirit. This desire aligns seamlessly with the principles of experiential marketing, where brands create emotionally resonant interactions that mirror the emotional richness of the season.
Creating Impactful Offline Experiences
The festive season’s ability to amplify meaningful experiences and strengthen brand perception is enormous if done right! This means that brands need to be as authentic and personal as possible. Additionally, they must tailor experiences to individual preferences and connect them to the brand’s story to enhance engagement and emotional resonance.
Here are some quick ways to do it:
- Hosting workshops, demonstrations, and interactive sessions that align with the said festivity. For instance, a cooking workshop for a food brand that teaches their audience how to prepare traditional delicacies.
- Turning your stores into spaces of experiential design: Engage multiple senses with visually appealing decorations, soothing music, and inviting scents that evoke holiday nostalgia. For instance, occasionwear fashion brands may invite traditional artists to play popular folk songs in their stores.
- Charity and gifting: Infuse the spirit of giving by organizing donation drives. Think of fashion brands running a drive to donate clothes by asking their audience to participate. This makes them feel that they have contributed to social good and strengthens their brand loyalty by making such experiences core memories.
What Should You Do? We Say Stay Omni-Present
It’s 2023, and the good thing about it is that you don’t have to choose one. As a brand, you could do both by staying omnipresent. By combining the power of social media’s reach and engagement with the immersive nature of experiential marketing, you can create a comprehensive and harmonious brand experience. In fact, companies with omnichannel engagement retain 89% of their customers on average. Furthermore, brands with omnichannel engagement experience an increase of 9.5% in their annual revenue.
This approach not only fosters strong connections with your audience but also reinforces your brand’s value proposition and identity in the minds of consumers. For instance, if you are holding an offline workshop, share clips and highlights of it on your social media to spark conversations. Or you could encourage attendees to share their experiences on social media by setting up photogenic spots and further use event-specific hashtags to amplify the reach of your event.
The possibilities are endless if you put your mind to it! But if you happen to struggle with it, don’t worry; StartInc will take care of it for you! Our young and dynamic team is experienced at creating magic both offline and online with our 3-step process:
- Learn about your brand
- Design an experience
- Execute it effortlessly
We use data and research to design strategies for your business to build experiences that will impact your target market and help you grow from the ground up. So why wait? Let’s start crafting an experience for your audience together for this festive season now!
