The experiential excellence collection: making emotional connections

Some of the best live brand experiences are those that tap into our emotions. And by offering up highly personal face-to-face opportunities to consumers, experiential marketing gives brands an incredibly strong platform for building emotional bridges. 
 

This matters. Why? Because research shows that 75% of buying experiences are based on emotion. Brands that can evoke a positive emotional response from consumers to create a true connection will reap the rewards. 
 

That’s at the heart of all four of the campaigns I’ve looked at for this month’s experiential excellence collection. Although each evoke very different emotions – nostalgia, amusement, surprise and sadness – they’ve all made a lasting impact.  

Madame Tussauds: Who you gonna call?

The Ghostbusters are back! It’s been over 30 years since the classic supernatural comedy first delighted audiences across the globe, and now a brand new group of proton-pack-wielding scientists are waging war with ghosts on the big screen.

As the Ghostbusters world is brought to life once more, Madame Tussauds New York has capitalised on the buzz surrounding the movie by launching the Ghostbusters Experience, a multi-layered and sensory environment with virtual reality at its heart.

Combing VR technology with sensory experiences, fans are taken on an immersive journey where they can live out their favourite Ghostbusters moments: searching for phantoms through the streets of NYC or squaring off against the mighty Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Offering die-hard Ghostbusters fans a unique opportunity to step into the centre of the story, this will no doubt be a very powerful nostalgic experience for many. 
 

Smith & Forge: Do you even lift?
Videos of experiential stunts are perfect for social sharing. The ability to capture the reactions of unsuspecting participants on film can make for priceless viewing.

US cider brand Smith & Forge demonstrated this recently with a highly amusing prank pulled on weightlifters at California’s renowned Muscle Beach. The brand teamed up with professional CrossFit Games competitor Kenneth Leverich for the prank which transformed him into an 84-year-old man. Convincingly and joyfully playing the part of a pensioner, the brand then sent the athlete down to the beach for a workout – with hilarious consequences.

The video of the stunt clocked up over 27 million views on Facebook in less than 24 hours, and three weeks later it’s been viewed over 80 million times. Check it out for yourself:



Jaguar: How does ‘reality’ feel?
VR is huge business this year, and each and every day established brands across the globe are announcing the launch of new VR campaigns, recognising immersive technology’s huge scope and creative appeal.

But with all these new campaigns looming on the horizon, car manufacturer Jaguar decided to do something just a little bit different.

The brand invited people to try a virtual simulator experience of the Jaguar F-TYPE car. Sitting in the ‘simulator’, unsuspecting visitors were encouraged to put on a virtual reality headset where they could watch a screen of a virtual track. But unbeknownst to them, once they were hidden under the headset, they were joined in the car by a professional racing driver and driven round an actual race track at high speed. Needless to say, it was not quite the experience they were expecting: 



Battle of the Somme: Do you remember? 
Experiential campaigns are, of course, a great medium for fun brand experiences, as the three examples above demonstrate. But experiential’s also a powerful way to communicate difficult and challenging issues. We end this month’s experiential round-up with a highly touching and topical campaign from right here in the UK.

Commuters across Great Britain were stopped in their tracks on July 1st 2016 when confronted by hundreds of World War I soldiers. Surprising people at stations and other public spaces across the country, the soldiers’ appearance marked the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in British military history.

Described as a ‘modern memorial,’ the poignant stunt forced people to confront the sobering reality of one of the darkest days in Britain’s history. Simple, moving and original, it’s a message we’re unlikely to forget in a hurry. 



Joss Davidge is Director of the Unexpected at BEcause Experiential Marketing, the award-winning agency dedicated to enhancing Brand Love. Sign up to Joss’ next complimentary experiential marketing masterclass to learn about the most effective experiential marketing strategies.