The Psychology Behind Experiential Marketing

Experiential marketing is everywhere. It’s how large amounts of content are being consumed and how we, as members of the public, are being targeted by well-known and lesser-known brands in an attempt to win us over. With live immersive events that put us at the centre of the brand message, we get to feel and experience a product, or a moment rather than just see it. Experiential marketing drives results for businesses in a way like no other.

 

But let’s look at the facts. Last year Spotify wanted to take over the internet by hosting a live Spotify Wrapped. A live concert streamed via TikTok and attended by 2,000 music fans. The result? A truly engaging live show where those in attendance got to be part of a unique music event and those streaming it got to dance like no one was watching from the comfort of their home. It reached a huge 3.3 million people, saw a 3.2% increase in followers on the Spotify TikTok profile and had over 1 million likes! How’s that for impact? Then factor in the 2,000 people at the venue who shared their own personal content of the night and had the lasting memory of an incredible event Spotify put on.

 

We all know marketing is effective, but it’s in what format that the marketing is presented that determines the result. If Spotify Wrapped Live was just a pre-recorded show without a live audience, things would have been vastly different. If Spotify Wrapped was just a mention in a newspaper with no coverage of the actual event, the results would have been dire. So, in this blog, we look at the psychological principles that make experiential marketing effective, and why this medium is likely to be one that businesses look towards more and more.

 

 

The Science of Experiences

Defining experiential marketing

If you’re seeing the term “experiential marketing” and still scratching your head a little, let’s break it down so you can enjoy the rest of the ride with us. Experiential marketing is a form of marketing where the target audience gets to engage with the brand. This could be through immersive experiences; it could be through live events. Campaigns using experiential marketing look to seek the active participation of an audience where those involved are meant to feel a connection to the brand. This helps foster a relationship with the brand and makes not only the event memorable but also puts the brand in the position of being a voice of authority, an innovator and something exciting.

 

Why experiences matter

Having a live event, or something where the target audience is actually part of it resonates much more with them than an ad in a magazine, a flyer, or a standard social media post. Passive engagement works for a quick glance, but it isn’t memorable in the long term. You may remember the visual, but you may not remember the brand, you may remember the brand, but you may not remember the product. You may never even remember any part of the campaign they thought would tap into your psyche.

 

Active consumer engagement through experiences brings people together. In this world of instant likes, instant shares and instant engagement, brands thrive, as does the audience taking part in the event. Suddenly, the brand you previously may have forgotten about when seeing their social post now becomes a brand you are remembering, enjoying and feeling part of. A brand you almost become a promoter of through your sharing of their creative activations.

 

Key psychological principles in experiential marketing

Emotional engagement

Emotions are a powerful tool. If a brand can hit the right balance through an experiential marketing campaign, they will make sure your emotions are played with, but in a positive way. You will leave an event or experience buoyant, happy, surprised, nostalgic or focused. This instantly leaves you with a positive brand impression as the clever work of the creatives knows how to strike a chord and make you feel something for the brand that is being showcased.

Take the WWF for example. The environment is a hot topic at the moment. At the State of the Planet Address 2023 in London, they cleverly created a sensory and immersive experience illustrating the plight of the planet and its wildlife. With high profile speakers addressing 300 influential guests, the full emotion of the state of planet Earth was laid bare as attendees were able to wander through four rooms that transported visitors deep into forests across the globe. Guest names were integrated into those same content walls to add a touch of personalisation and encourage donations too, further adding to the uniqueness.

 

 

Social proof and social influence

Experiential marketing is an excellent way to reach new audiences, and part of the great thing here is that often, the effort to get that reach depends on the audience and not the brand. Obviously, the brand must put on an activation that makes an audience engage with it but hitting that share button or posting unique content relating to the event, is on those attending. This is where social proof comes into play. Social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon where people copy the actions of others in choosing how to behave in a situation. In experiential marketing, this can be huge. If the right voices shout loud enough, everyone starts to agree with them. A brand may encourage sharing on social media using a certain hashtag for example. If they have hired an influencer or person with a significant profile, their use of that hashtag alone will generate lots of brand curiosity. It’s been found that a social account with high follower counts, high views, lots of likes and plenty of comments appears much more authoritative than one without. Even if what they are saying isn’t strictly true!

 

Experiential marketers have fantastic control here. They can, in effect, shape the way people think. Social proof is driven by the assumption that the people surrounding you know more about the current situation. As a result, people will either become more engaged with the brand to learn more or go along with what is being said/done to be part of the crowd.

 

The Power of sensory appeal

We touched upon the need to “feel” earlier when we spoke about emotion, but sensory appeal in experiential marketing is just as powerful. Sight, smell, touch, taste and sound can all be exploited in an experiential marketing activation. We all remember our first taste of a particular favourite meal; we all remember the smells of a certain venue and we all remember the sights of a memorable trip. Experiential marketing has the ability to combine all or just some of these senses. Those taking part in an event that embraces experiential marketing will be made to feel part of something and this could be through sampling new products, it could be through seeing a live performance, it could be through hearing new, exciting music. Through being immersed in something that captivates the senses, attendees are given something memorable.

 

A fantastic and innovative example of this was an AI-generated sensory dining experience created by Kitchen Theory and an experiential agency London based, called Smyle. Together they created a complete sensory dining experience using AI technology. Every aspect of the experience was AI-based leaving no sense untouched. Preconceived perceptions of flavour, texture and sound were challenged whilst sound, lighting and immersive flavour tunnels led guests on a new form of sensory journey.

 

The Role of novelty and surprise

Experiential marketing events are incredible for building excitement, creating memories and improving the brand reputation but this goes even further when there is an element of surprise. For example, let’s assume that you are on a mailing list for a record label, so you get emails about forthcoming releases. You then get an email telling you of an album launch in your area where you may be able to pick up limited-edition merch or copies of the album. If you are a big fan, you may well want those items. Now imagine when you turn up, it’s the artist, performing and signing the album! You’d be pretty happy with that right? That is what experiential marketing can do and now, with this element of surprise, audience members are even more inclined to share and post about what they have been a part of! Social media popularity for the audience, extended reach for the brand and envy from those who didn’t attend and who may now look to sign up to that same list.

 

 

 

Memory and storytelling

Quite often, an experiential marketing event may take the form of a story. It may take customers on a journey where there is a natural progression from a beginning to an end. Thanks to this method of delivering a campaign, certain aspects of it will embedded in the memory, some may even play on emotion and give a feeling of connection to what the brand is trying to share. A compelling narrative is something that starts conversation, it's something that provides opinion and it’s something that’s an endorsement of what is being said.

 

Samsung used their “Life Unstoppable” series to show a “house of surprises”. This storytelling campaign allowed the audience to interact with the house as if in a game and follow the story of the household, all while being able to click to buy if a product took their interest. This clever activation was also able to monitor which rooms viewers lingered longest in, helping Samsung garner which product ranges were proving popular.

 

 

Experiential marketing can play on emotion, it can craft lasting memories, it can discover new audiences and it can reinvigorate the existing ones. It all depends on how you adapt your methods, what kind of campaign you are looking to execute and whether you embrace the knowledge and experience of a specialist experiential marketing agency.