Creating ‘big brand love' with the right activation partner

If you’re already activating because you know it achieves results, well and good – but not all activations are created equal. After all, while almost anyone can bring a brand ambassador into a supermarket to persuade consumers to taste bite-sized portions of the latest product, this doesn’t guarantee shopper conversion or ‘big brand love’.

Changing a consumer’s habits doesn’t happen overnight – it requires coming up with creative strategies that will intrigue shoppers while paying attention to the finer details, like immaculate presentation, extensive product knowledge, or simply having enough stock in store to ensure a seamless execution. Brand activation can be complex, which is why it is vital to choose the right partner for your promotion or get people talking on social media.

I believe that your activations partner should love your brand as much as you do and be as much of a brand evangelist as you are. The reason is simple: if your brand captures the attention of the public and achieves a healthy return on investment, everyone wins. It requires real out-of-the-box thinking to get people talking about a brand, but creativity aside, there is also a lot of hard work that goes into ensuring that the activations campaign is a success.

Yes, innovations like pop-up shops, interactive pods and holograms will excite consumers – a great, novel experience will brighten a shopper’s day – but at the same time, as an activations partner you must be prepared to go the extra mile for both client, brand and consumer, making hampers in the middle of the night if necessary, or keeping an eye on a celebrity that may decide to skip out to the loo at a crucial moment. Activations are interactive and the unexpected anomalies faze only those who have not been in the business for very long! ProActive™ has a 14-year track record, so we’ve managed and smoothed out all types of unforeseen problems.

As a company that eats, breathes and sleeps activations, we are very much in the business of living your brand’s promise as if it were our own. In fact, we know that your success is our success. We look at how you can add value to customers while ensuring you’re getting the return on investment that you require. My team knows the business inside out and understands what makes a great campaign, drawing on elements like the environment, shopper behaviour, consumer culture, the geography of a store or a mall, and so on.

We employ a selection of brand ambassadors from the PMG Training Academy, which we founded in 2015. Graduates hold a NQF Level 4 FET certification upon completing our learnership programmes, which are accredited by the Services SETA.

As you measure your ROI, we measure ours with KPIs – our performance can make a difference to your brand, so we ensure we offer the best client service possible. In the process, we aim to improve your commercial success while boosting the equity of your brand. As we get to know you, and understand your wants and needs, we can gain a clear perspective as to how to offer you the best service, managing time and cost with precision.

With the use of smart, appropriate activation strategies every brand can become an icon or a much-loved household name, at the very least. Speak to us today to find out how we can take your brand to the next level.

Call Kirsten Mercer on 0861 776 826, email az.oc.egatnavorp@mnetsrik, DM @ProvantageSA or visit www.provantage.co.za/proactive for more information.

*Source: http://www.vsapartners.com/ideas/five-top-of-mind-takeaways-from-ana-brand-activation/