Brand Activation Ideas That Will Bring Your Business to Life

Brand activation is the process of using different marketing techniques to increase awareness and engagement through a type of experience. This can be anything from a memorable event to a campaign, a product showcase or even a PR stunt.

experiential marketing venue

However, the ultimate goal is always the same – to build a loyal brand community around your product or service. Here are four brand activation ideas which are worth bearing in mind for the future…

 

  1. experiential marketing
  2. in-store brand activation
  3. sampling campaigns
  4. projection mapping

1. experiential marketing

Consumer expectations have changed. Nowadays, it’s all about the experience which companies can provide.

Research has found that 50% of organisations will redirect their investments to customer experience innovations during 2019.

Why? Because experiential marketing has loads of different benefits, including the ability to massively increase your social shares and create a general buzz amongst your consumers.

For these reasons, many well-known brands have adopted experiential marketing into their strategies. These include the likes of Carlsberg, Mercedes-Benz and Samsung. 

Don’t worry – we’ll highlight some of our favourite examples of experiential marketing later on in this blog.

2. in-store brand activation

Another technique which has the potential to have a high impact is in-store brand activation.

This is where companies host some sort of event or activity within their store. The reason why they’re usually so successful is because they tend to grab the attention of customers when they least expect it.

They’re also great at introducing new merchandise and people tend to share their experiences online. This is an extremely cost-effective way to promote a particular product.

We’ve also mentioned some of our favourite in-store brand activation examples further down in this blog.

3. sampling campaigns

We’ve all ventured to our latest town or city and been handed a free sample of a product. This is another example of brand activation and it’s one of the most effective techniques used by companies.

It works particularly well when a brand releases a new product and they’re eager for people to try it out. The reason it’s such an effective technique is because there’s no cost involved for the customer.

So, more people will be willing to try out the product. They’ll then spread the word amongst others who, in turn, will go out of their way to give the product a try for themselves.

Check out some examples of sampling campaigns further on in this blog.

4.  projection mapping

Projection mapping is a type of experiential marketing in itself. It’s created by using a combination of projectors, animation and modelling software which can bring so many different types of objects to life.

Similar to the examples mentioned above, projection mapping is so effective because of the level of impact it can have in comparison to traditional techniques such as posters and flyers. 

The vast array of colour and movement is guaranteed to attract the attention of everyone spectating. Here are some more mesmerising large scale projection mappings which will inspire you. 

Now we’ve got some of the most effective brand activation ideas covered, here are some examples of where brands have used them to reap some amazing rewards.

four awesome examples of brand activation

ghostbusters movie

Forbidden Planet celebrated the release of the new Ghostbusters film back in 2016 by placing a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man emerging through the floor of Waterloo station in London. 

With over 52.6 million impressions on Twitter, it’s safe to say that this was experiential marketing at its finest.

marshmallow man

Image credit 

greggs

Greggs, the bakery chain, decided that they were going to do Valentines Day 2019 a little differently. For one night only, some of their high-street stores became a candlelit restaurant.

The activation was used to promote the chain’s later opening hours. Although it was a seemingly low-budget stunt, it attracted a huge amount of media attention.

This is a superb example of in-store brand activation and it proves you can create an instant impact without spending large amounts of your budget.

greggs valentines day

Image credit

mountain dew

‘The Mountain Dew Energy Crew’ made their way to busy cities around the UK back in 2010 to hand out over 300,000 free bottles of their latest product, Mountain Dew Energy.

Teams were deployed on large branded vehicles and were seen throwing bottles of Mountain Dew Energy to passersby. This created great publicity and allowed them to raise awareness for their latest product. 

mountain dew

Image credit

ralph lauren

Fashion giants, Ralph Lauren, brought their flagship stores in London and New York City to life with an amazing 4D light show back in 2010.

Spectators saw giant polo players charge through the front of the store and models make their way up and down a virtual catwalk. 

By using innovative advertising techniques like projection mapping, Ralph Lauren stood out from their competitors and created a real buzz in the fashion industry.

relph lauren

Image credit

These are just a couple of great brand activation examples which have been successful – but there are so many more. Now you’re clued up on how it all works, why not check out our latest resource for some more inspiration?

innovate your brand with our exclusive resource

Brand activation is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Not only that but the impact it can also leave on your customers can be absolutely huge.

One of the most innovative types of brand activation is projection mapping. Want to find out how you can leverage it into your own strategy? Check out our latest resource. You can download a free version by clicking the button below.

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