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Scott Halstead

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The Power of a Brand Activation Strategy

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In today’s highly competitive business environment, it is essential for companies to have a strong marketing strategy that is distinguishable and enables effective connection with a target audience. One powerful method to enhance visibility is through the implementation of a brand activation strategy. In this blog post, we will delve into the concept of a brand activation strategy, its components, and the multitude of advantages it offers to companies.

What is a Brand Activation Strategy?

A brand activation strategy entails the creation of captivating experiences and interactions that deeply engage consumers, leaving a lasting impression and nurturing brand loyalty. Notably, brand activations transcend traditional marketing approaches, actively involving consumers in a brand’s narrative, values, and product offerings.

Building Brand Awareness

Brand activation strategies are highly effective at capturing attention and generating awareness. By crafting innovative and memorable experiences, companies can break through the noise and establish a powerful presence in the minds of their target audience. This, in turn, cultivates brand awareness, fosters deeper customer engagement, and propels businesses to new heights. Whether through experiential events, interactive campaigns, or strategic partnerships, brand activations empower companies to stand out from the competition and create a buzz.

Engaging with the Target Audience

Brand activation offers a significant advantage: the ability to directly engage with the target audience. By providing interactive experiences, companies can effectively foster meaningful connections and emotional bonds with consumers. In this way, direct engagement allows for obtaining valuable insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, and desires, enabling companies to tailor their offerings accordingly.

Driving Customer Loyalty

Brand activations play a vital role in building and enhancing customer loyalty. By creating positive experiences and emotional connections, companies can establish a strong bond with consumers, consequently increasing their likelihood of repeat purchases and advocacy. In fact, a recent study found that over 91% of consumers reported being more inclined to purchase a brand’s product or service after participating in a brand activation (Major, 2022). Moreover, when consumers feel a personal connection to a brand, loyalty is increased and consumers are more likely to become brand ambassadors, spreading positive word-of-mouth.

Differentiation and Competitive Advantage

In a crowded marketplace, standing out from competitors is vital. Brand activations offer companies an excellent opportunity to showcase their unique value proposition and differentiate themselves from the competition. By creating distinct experiences aligned with their brand identity and values, companies can carve out a niche and establish a competitive advantage. However, it’s important to note that effective brand activations require meticulous planning, strategic execution, and continuous adaptation to evolving consumer preferences and market trends. In this case, working with experienced companies like Motus Experiential can provide valuable insights to achieve success.

Generating Word-of-Mouth and Social Media Buzz

Brand activations aim to be shareable and buzz-worthy, leading to increased word-of-mouth and social media exposure. When consumers have memorable experiences, they naturally share them with friends, family, and followers. This organic promotion expands the reach of brand activations, extending their impact beyond the immediate audience and generating valuable social media buzz. For example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign exemplified a brilliant brand activation that effectively leveraged social media, encouraging user-generated content through personalized named bottles. At its peak, almost 12% of all online conversations revolved around the Share a Coke campaign, highlighting the remarkable effects of brand activations (Chauhan, 2020).

Increasing Sales and Conversions

An effective brand activation strategy drives tangible business results, such as increased sales and conversions. By creating a positive brand experience, companies can influence consumers’ purchasing decisions and motivate action. For instance, in 2022, over 65% of businesses directly correlated sales with brand activation efforts (Anthony, 2023). Therefore, engaging consumers emotionally through activations enhances brand recall, making them more likely to choose the brand when making purchasing decisions.

Building Brand Equity and Long-Term Value

Creating positive brand experiences through activations contributes to the overall brand equity and long-term value of a company. Companies can build a strong foundation for brand equity, representing the intangible assets and reputation that contribute to a brand’s worth. When consumers have positive experiences with a brand, they are more likely to perceive it as trustworthy, reliable, and valuable, ultimately increasing its long-term value.

Measuring and Analyzing Results

Brand activation strategies offer the key advantage of measuring and analyzing results. By effectively tracking various metrics, such as event attendance, engagement levels, social media mentions, and sales uplift, companies can assess the effectiveness of their activations. This data-driven approach facilitates continuous improvement and optimization of future brand activation initiatives.

Overall, a brand activation strategy offers significant benefits for companies seeking meaningful connections with their target audience and business growth. By surpassing traditional marketing methods and providing immersive experiences, companies can achieve multiple advantages: building brand awareness, engaging directly with their audience, fostering customer loyalty, differentiating from competitors, generating word-of-mouth, increasing sales, and enhancing long-term brand value. Embracing brand activation as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy can yield remarkable results in today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape.

Motus Experiential has over 20+ years of experience in creating and managing brand activations for organizations like yours.

Case Studies

Citizens: Motus Experiential manages all on-site brand activations from Pittsburg to West Palm Beach.

AT&T: Motus Experiential created an interactive activation at a B2B event leveraging technology and social media.

About Us

Motus Experiential is an Experiential and Event Marketing Agency with over 20 years of experience based in Boston, Massachusetts. Our company takes pride in being at the forefront of event and experiential marketing with ideas that work across platforms. Equally important is the craftsmanship that surrounds every execution. We believe that the creative decisions we make — from the initial concept to the staffing and production companies we hire, down to the venues we recommend — all matter.

Connect

Bringing your brand to life with engaging and impactful brand activations is our specialty. Visit our website or email us at info@motusexp.com to learn more.

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Guerrilla Marketing: The Innovative and Effective Ways in Which Businesses Market Their Brand

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What is Guerrilla Marketing

When people hear the term guerrilla marketing, they may misinterpret the phrase and even believe that a swarm of marketers will attack them with posters and billboards. What most people don’t know is that guerrilla marketing is just an alternative form of marketing that uses unconventional ways to reach large groups of people and make them feel shocked, amazed, or surprised.

History of Guerrilla Marketing

The phrase was coined in the early 1980s by business writer Jay Conrad Levinson. He wrote multiple books detailing how to use guerrilla tactics in different types of businesses. The marketing business has changed a lot since he first wrote about it, but the technique is still widely used today.

Guerrilla marketing is comparable in style to some of the guerrilla methods used in combat. Consider it a marketing campaign with ambushes, raids, and unexpected tactics. guerrilla marketing concentrates on surprising the consumer, and it is this implementation and focus that results in these out-of-the-ordinary campaigns, which are able to catch people off guard as they go about their daily activities.

The Four Main Types

1. Outdoor Guerrilla Marketing

Outdoor guerrilla marketing is when something unusual is put in a natural outdoor setting. This is usually done in cities where a lot of people walk around. Outdoor guerrilla marketing includes efforts like putting something on a statue, placing a big version of something small (like a cupcake) in a park, or putting things in the street. A great example of this occurred back in 2017 when Ikea created model living rooms at bus stops in Sydney and Perth, Australia to celebrate the launch of their new catalog.

2. Indoor Guerrilla Marketing

Indoor guerrilla marketing uses public spaces that are closed off from the outside world to create buzz. This could be on college campuses, at train stations, or in museums. In 2009, T-Mobile paid for a flash mob at Liverpool Street Station. The video has over 40 million views on YouTube and won TV commercial of the year at the British Television Advertising Awards.

3. Event Ambush Guerilla Marketing

Event ambush guerrilla marketing promotes a product or service at a concert, sporting event, or festival that is already going on, sometimes without permission. This kind of marketing throws people at an event for a loop when something unusual happens. An example of this is the Golden Globes of Fiji Water photobomb. As usual, paparazzi took pictures of celebrities posing on the red carpet at the 2019 Golden Globes. Behind the movie stars, who didn’t know it, a model in a dark blue dress holding a tray of Fiji Water appeared in almost every shot. She stared right into the camera, which made people feel uneasy. The photos went viral on the Internet and even inspired a parody account on Twitter.

4. Experiential Guerrilla Marketing

Experience-based guerrilla marketing can happen anywhere (outdoors, indoors, at an event) and gets people to interact with the brand. This can be anything from a free sample of beer to a slide into a pit of branded pillows or subway stairs that look and sound like piano keys. An example of a big company using this type of marketing happened back in 2009. In Odenplan, Stockholm, Volkswagen created a piano staircase in one of the subway stations.

Major Benefits

  1. Guerrilla campaigns are cost-effective and use unique ways to reach the consumer. Utilizing these strategies is a low-cost way to raise awareness about a brand. With this kind of marketing plan, creativity is more important than money.
  2. Guerrilla marketing is hyper-targeted, allowing the brand to market to its audience where they live, work, and play.
  3. In today’s world, where there is a lot of technology and more people have access to the internet and social media, consumers can take a memorable impression and spread it all over the world. It’s easy for marketing campaigns to go viral and reach millions of people.
  4. Guerrilla marketing campaigns stand out because they are unusual and unique, and they show that with the right strategies, businesses can leave a lasting impression on consumers. When a guerrilla campaign works, buyers are amazed, impressed, and want to know more about the product or service. This marketing strategy makes the brand more memorable to consumers.

Our Guerrilla Marketing and Street Team Experiences

Motus Experiential has extensive experience using these methods. Recently, the Blue Man Group asked for our assistance while attending the Fisherman’s Feast in The North End in Boston, Massachusetts. Before, during, and after The Blue Man Group’s performance, our street teams distributed fliers, goods, and memorabilia. The staff ensured that all questions were answered and that all interested parties received the necessary information. RCN hired Motus Experiential to promote their services to new college students during move-in week. You can see more examples of our work by viewing more of our case studies on our website portfolio page.

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