Immersive brand experiences

Interactivity vs immersion

Interactivity is a two-way process involving the input of one party and response of the other in an ongoing manner. If this is how we define interactivity, then watching an advertisement on the internet or television is not interactive because there is no feedback loop involving the viewer’s reactions. Clicking a button is only a one-way action. Online does not necessarily mean interactive. An interactive experience must be thought of as a conversation.

Involving the customer in an experience creates an emotional connection for him. If the customer is acting and not just in listening mode, there is a far greater chance that he is open to a personal experience. co.za\our-offering\experiential\ An immersive brand experience is what is needed. These experiences often involve the customer using one or more of the five senses and often take the customer on an imaginative journey.

Winning experiences

A compelling example was Time Portal, the Stella Artois experience at Wimbledon this year where customers were taken into a time warp back to 1877 (the year of the first Wimbledon tournament) and guided through parts of London by a hologram of the championship’s first winner Spencer Gore. It ended in a bar where live tennis was screened and, naturally, Stella Artois beer was sold.

Stella Artois enjoyed a 25% year-on-year increase in sales of limited edition Wimbledon-branded beer. This was attributed to a combination of sponsorship and brand activity, including this Time Portal event.

Cadbury promoted its product, Dairy Milk Bubbly, by creating an imaginary chocolate land called Joyville, where all of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate is made.

Joyville, obviously inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, cost £6 million included a commercial showing all the factory workers at Joyville (so named because "each bubble in this aerated chocolate contains a tiny piece of real joy".) working hard to create the Dairy Milk Bubbly. The highlight of the campaign is an actual musical chocolate fountain at a mall in London and an interactive website where visitors can explore Joyville and learn more about the chocolate.

Engage your audience now

The explosion of social media along with its interactive feedback opens up new avenues to marketers at relatively low cost. But taking the interactive experience to the next level – immersion – is where expert marketing consultants are required. Live experiential marketing campaigns – although often breathtaking – can be costly and present some logistical issues.

Immersive brand experiences allow customers to build and expect a relationship with your business, instead of just having touchpoints. Get in touch to find out how Tradeway can help you to build a personal relationship with potential clients though immersive brand experiences.