MEDIA & MARKETING:'Experiential' promotion has become the latest buzzword in the marketing industry, writes SIOBHÁN O'CONNELL.

ACQUIRING NEW customers in a recession presents many challenges. Every day, consumers are subjected to scores of advertising messages, so how does a brand achieve the Holy Grail of “cut through”?

One option is experiential communications, which has become something of an industry buzzword.

“Experiential” refers to actual customer experience with a product or service so as to increase brand image and awareness and drive sales. It is the difference between telling people about the features of a product or service and letting them experience the benefits for themselves.

So what’s the difference between experiential and old-fashioned sales promotion?

According to Richard Johnson, chairman of the Association of Promotional Marketing Consultants, experiential is promotion that takes place outside the traditional location of the shop or supermarket. So, this means stands at rock concerts instead of the lady in the white coat handing out free sausages.

Experiential marketing now plays a large role in sales promotion, as highlighted recently at the annual awards organised by the Association of Promotional Marketing Consultants. Entries rose by one-third this year to almost 200 and the experiential categories had the highest number of entries and displayed the most creativity.

Among the award winners in the experiential category was OgilvyOne, which leveraged off Cadbury’s gorilla television commercial.

OgilvyOne developed a story whereby the gorilla was coming to Ireland for the first time to play a secret gig but his drum kit was stolen. The instore promotion revolved around tracking down his drum kit to win “rock star” weekends.

Gigs were performed by the gorilla in HMV record stores across the State and a website supported the campaign.

To help O2 develop greater affinity and participation with Cork GAA fans, McConnells Fusion used Cork GAA’s number one fan Cyril Kavanagh. By locking him in the O2 retail store on Patrick Street, O2 encouraged Cork GAA fans to text in their support to help free him.

Tequila Ireland persuaded the Department of the Environment to increase awareness of its Change.ie campaign among young people by setting up a “carbon confession box” at the Electric Picnic festival.

Festivalgoers were invited to spend time in the confession box watching videos about climate change and then confess their “carbon sins” on camera and pledge to change their ways and lower emissions.

Another winner was Ulster Bank for its Business Achievers Awards promotion devised by Publicis Dialogue.

This used internal and inbranch communications as well as above-the-line activity to treble the number of entries for the bank’s awards scheme.

Marketing agency Strategem won two gold awards for its campaign to launch Captain Morgan rum in the Irish market using sales promotion techniques only. The brand was virtually unknown in Ireland, so Strategem set about a sampling programme to reach tens of thousands of consumers and achieve distribution for the spirit in bars and off-licences.

To bring the brand to life, an actor dressed as Captain Morgan and female “Morganettes” served up rum and Cokes to bar punters. The captain carried a treasure chest full of prizes that could be won by bar patrons. Each bar was also kitted out with cards, posters and other point-of-sale material.

“Everything was focused on positioning the drink as the key party brand in Ireland,” says Keith Lee of Strategem.

According to brand manager Graham Villiers: “The experiential aspect of the launch of Captain Morgan has been key to the brand’s success. Rather than settle for a functional sampling programme, the agencies worked together to bring theatre to the ontrade, delivering an experience to the consumer.

“It’s a promotion that is loved by consumers, bar owners and our sales team as it delivers a great consumer event, drives footfall to ontrade accounts and is activated so well.”

While the sales promotion business is not recession-proof, Johnson says brands are increasingly using experiential techniques because consumers are becoming more sophisticated.

“Experiential marketing helps brands get into people’s heads,” he says. “Consumers are very risk- averse these days; they won’t even switch yogurt brand without a lot of thought. So any brand launching something new is looking for ways to get people to try it out. Also, when budgets are small, brands have to box clever.”