The modern market is developing at a rapid pace, a huge amount of advertising is falling daily on the consumer from the TV screens, from the pages of newspapers and magazines, falls on him from the radio, waits for him at every step on city streets. The consumer protects himself by stopping to perceive advertising information, switching the TV on commercial breaks, flipping through advertising turns, rotating the handles of radio stations. Traditional advertising is less and less effective. Manufacturers of products are looking for an outlet in many ways, inventing super-original creative concepts, enticing the consumer with gifts and intriguing advertising. One way to overcome the crisis is event marketing. This is the promotion of a product or service by creating and organizing special events that create emotional connections between the consumer and the brand. When traditional advertising methods do not work, and markets abound with identical offers, more and more manufacturers resort to implementing their marketing tactics to promote the brand through event marketing strategies.
Event Marketing Definition
Event marketing is the systematic organization of events as a presentation platform of a product (service) in order to activate the attention of the target group to the product (service) with the help of emotional influence.
Event Marketing Strategies
Event marketing in 2018 is characterized by the development of the original communicative trend in branding. This is the so-called "spiritual wave". A turn towards the potential consumer, his unsolved problems is an effective way of forming and maintaining the brand, influencing the general mood and aspirations of the target audience. It is noteworthy that this trend is born not in the creative workshops of marketers, but comes from the very society under the influence of revaluation of values. This trend also changes the ways to articulate event marketing goals.
A classic example of event marketing success and the use of event-marketing as the main tool for maintaining the brand for over twenty years is the experience of the producer of energy drinks Red Bull. The organization of competitions for waiters, European tours for DJs is just a small part of the events. Coca-Cola has been holding competitions for domestic football for many years. The company Nestle has placed mobile children's amusement parks (Nesquik small towns) in several countries.
Another option for using strategic marketing is activities that take place within the workflow or are related to leisure. The consumers' love for bright emotionally saturated events is well known, it is only necessary to build the emotional contact between the brand and the consumer with maximum benefit.
Decent application event-marketing found in companies producing so-called goods with impulse demand (snacks, chocolate, energy drinks). For example, free show programs with the participation of rock stars, collecting a huge audience right on the street, help draw attention to the brands. It can also be a grandiose project in which several brands act as sponsors or partners.
Event marketing plan, as a rule, involves the use of other marketing tools, including PR. A powerful news component of the project (especially with the participation of a well-known personality) is sure to interest the largest possible number of press representatives, and this guarantees solid PR-support with subsequent publications in the media and a positive resonance in the society. Broad coverage of event-actions by journalists is, in fact, the continuation of its action.
It is worth mentioning today's fashionable actions from food manufacturers who offer trips as prizes. It is possible to speak with confidence about their popularity among buyers.
Types of Events
An opening is the most popular format for event marketing. Its main task is to attract the attention of the audience to the appearance of a new brand on the market. Unfortunately, due to the banality of the information occasion, marketers do not think much about the concept of holding such an event, confining themselves to the only musical accompaniment, cutting the tape and official speeches. Only a few seriously think that the elements of the show, gifts, and mass entertainment, ideologically linked to the occasion of the event will help attract consumers.
The presentation is another rather widespread format, the purpose of which is to achieve the maximum interest of the consumer in purchasing and using the represented product. This format of event marketing is an action aimed at informing the consumer about the best properties of the product. Therefore, 80% of the time should be devoted to the brand itself and a description of its advantages, rather than a show that reserves the rest of the time.
The exhibition is the next familiar format for event marketing. Its goal is the same as in the presentation: demonstration of the best characteristics of the brand. However, unlike the presentation, the exhibition is a long process, involving a free visit schedule. In this regard, it is quite difficult to organize, using entertainment elements. In addition, it is not entirely appropriate, since the exhibition is in most cases a business process. Therefore, most often manufacturers are limited to the use of stands, small video presentations on the screen and personal consultation of each interested consumer.
The holiday is a large-scale and bright event, which can be different depending on the motive and the number of invited participants. There will be one thing in common: the entertainment part should occupy at least 80% of the time. After all, any celebration is an emotional and colorful event, first of all. So, in the case of its competent organization, a positive marketing effect will be one hundred percent due to the consumer receiving a portion of good mood.