Understanding consumer behaviour and their consumption experiences with products and services is a vital component of marketing. However, it has not always been the case. In the era of Mad Men, marketers’ sole focus was to get their products before the eyes of the public as often and prominently as possible. Then, we as marketers learned about (not so surprisingly) sensory overload, and that’s when we realised that after all, we are marketing to humans, a sentimental species.
Hence, marketers have come to realise that insight into how consumers experience products, services and their brands, and in turn, how marketers can provide appealing experiences for their customers, is crucial to position and differentiate their offerings in the competitive environment. That is really what experiential marketing is about. Instead of shouting a message at people, you invite them to actually feel the brand for themselves.
It makes perfect sense when you realise that all the memorable brand interactions you have had consist of pleasant or unpleasant experiences.
From the Attention Economy to the Experience Economy
This shift didn’t happen overnight. As far back as 1998, B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore wrote in the Harvard Business Review that we were entering what they called the “Experience Economy”, where experiences themselves become the product, not just the goods and services behind them. Almost three decades later, they look pretty spot on. Study after study shows that consumers, especially younger ones, would rather spend on experiences than possessions, and brands have clearly taken notice.
The difference with experiential marketing is participation. Traditional campaigns tell you what a brand stands for. An experience lets you find out for yourself, whether that’s through a pop-up, a live event, product sampling or something interactive online. And the emotional connection you build in those moments sticks around far longer than any ad impression ever will.
Experiences Come in All Sizes
Today, there is a myriad of ways to differentiate an experience. It can be a little change, like the premium packaging of Apple, where even opening the box feels like part of the product. Or it can be a huge one, like the theme parks of Disney, where guests don’t just see the brand, they spend a whole day living inside it.
Most brands sit somewhere in between, and that’s fine. Branded pop-ups, festival activations, in-store experiences, VR showcases, community events. The format matters less than the principle: turn a passive audience into an active participant.
Why It Works
Experiential marketing works because memory is emotional. We remember how something made us feel far more vividly than what it told us. A well-designed experience gives people a positive emotional peak they associate with your brand, and more importantly, one they want to share. In the age of social media, one memorable activation can earn you the kind of organic reach you’d otherwise pay a fortune for.
It also builds trust. When a brand lets you touch, taste or step inside its offering, it’s showing confidence in its own product. No billboard can do that.
No Excuse Not to Start
Given the tools and examples we have available today, there’s no excuse to not try and improve your experiential marketing offerings. Start small if you have to. Rethink your packaging, host a small customer event, add an interactive element to your next campaign. The brands that win over the next decade won’t be the loudest ones. They’ll be the ones that made people feel something.
By Rahmi Atalay
