5 Unique Brand Activations in 2019
Why Do Brand Activations Matter?
We can't believe 2019 is already coming to a close, but we're excited to look back at 5 unique brand activations from the year.
Brand activations are about bringing brands to life through experiences that create long-term emotional connections. As we will see from these 5 unique activations, creating memorable and engaging experiences is an art!
An astounding 91% of consumers say they have more positive feelings about brands after attending events and experiences. (EventTrack 2018)
And it seems the more our world becomes connected through virtual interaction, the more people want to experience life in the physical world.
Because well, the fact of the matter is, we still live in a physical world after all. And on top of that, the truth is that:
85% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service after attending a live marketing event. (EventTrack 2018)
These 5 brands we'll be highlighting definitely understand that. Using experiential marketing versus email marketing, content marketing, and digital advertising is typically more impactful. At least when it's done well...
Our 5 Favorite BRAND ACTIVATIONS
AMAZON LOCKERS AT COACHELLA
Amazon presented a curated storefront at amazon.com/Coachella for a selection of festival essentials from categories including fashion & accessories, beauty, health & wellness, tech, and camping.
Then, attendees could ship directly to an Amazon Locker at Coachella the Thursday before each festival weekend.
As a result, this brand activation gave festival goers the opportunity to make their experience more convenient. Additionally, it gave them massive brand exposure and added a useful component for the festival. On top of that, it even included a revenue generating component for the brand.
High five Amazon! It was not only unique, it was a highly effective experiential marketing activation for all parties involved!
And they even got some extra coverage by influencers on social media, like Vanessa Hudgens, shown below:
Bumble Hive at SXSW
At South by Southwest in Austin Texas, Bumble created an immersive Hive by taking over a local coffee shop for the duration of the event.
The brand activation attracted about 20,000 visitors, who enjoyed a hands-on look at the company’s new product features, took part in speed mentoring and attended breakout sessions focused on dating, friendship and business networking.
Doug Cameron, co-founder of DCX Growth Accelerator said, “They really brought the product demo to life through the frame of female empowerment. It was strategically smart and pushed forward their particular culture.”
You can read more about it and see a short recap video over on AdAge's website.
Google Assistant Ride
Google brought an actual theme park like ride for attendees to experience the new Google Assistant at CES this year. Wowzers!
From the moment attendees got in line, the experience began. To begin, they were handed snacks to make the waiting in line more enjoyable, and even got to see some of the characters from the ride early on. After the line, they would then enter the impressive ride taking them through the journey of how the Google Assistant can facilitate every day life. Once they exited, they were able to pick a picture of themselves on the ride!
If you missed it, you DEFINITELY want to take the virtual ride:
And if you want to know even more about this brand activation, head over to Event Marketer's website for the full scoop.
SmileDirect Club Activates A Story
The SmileDirect Club did a 10-hour long brand activation in the middle of New York's Grand Central Terminal. If you've heard about how important story-telling is for marketing, this unique brand activation really puts that into perspective.
The brand set up a bedroom, complete with a "professional sleeper" and several components of entertainment. From the two news anchors narrating the story, to a performance by Hamilton actor Jordan Fisher, to the New York Gay Men’s Chorus singing acapella to "noise control officers" and sheep, it was quite a show!
“What was wonderful about the experience is that it reached commuters and tourists. We had thousands of people passing by throughout the day,” said Bruce Henderson, chief creative officer for SmileDirectClub. “With [the improv aspect], they got to become part of the story.”
Here's the performance on [a condensed] video, which should offer you some giggles:
LandShark's Mobile Hot Tub
Pretty sure we've never yet seen a mobile hot tub, so this is definitely one of the most unique brand activations we've seen this year!
LandShark built out a branded mobile hot tub and then invited fans in Key West, Florida to hop in for a Key West tour, in style (obviously).
Imagine seeing this go by on the street... how could you not stop to take a picture? Overall, it was a great and unique way to generate brand awareness.
Here's how it looked:
OTHER UNIQUE BRAND ACTIVATIONS
Are there any that you absolutely loved this year that weren't mentioned here in our list of 5 unique brand activations? We'd love to hear about them as we'll be adding more collections of brand activations to our blog in the future.
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Experiential Marketing Services at Tandem Partnerships
With over a decade of experience in experiential consulting, we can help steer execution where it needs to be. Wherever you’d like to take your activation, Tandem can be your liaison. We'll find the best spot(s) for your mobile marketing tour putting you right in the middle of the action and we'll also make sure you're set up with the necessary permits.
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