The experiential excellence collection: Snickers and KitKat get creative

Experiential is a channel like no other.

Face-to-face, highly personal brand experiences build trust and brand love in a way that’s just not possible with other marketing channels. 

But I believe experiential’s greatest strength is the boundless opportunity for creativity. Consumers young and old increasingly crave unique and exciting experiences, and expect brands to come up with fresh and inventive ideas. 

This month, I’ve been impressed by four diverse but highly creative campaigns. Bringing home their message in very different ways, their innovative approach shows yet again the powerful impact of live brand experiences. 

NIVEA: Fun-filled stunt tackles the sun

A sweltering sunny day at the beach is a rare treat for us Brits, but in South Africa it’s another story entirely. The country has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and children are particularly vulnerable. The regular application of sunscreen provides essential protection against harmful UV rays, but as any parent will know, it’s often very challenging to keep kids fully covered.
 

In an inspirational example of experiential marketing, NIVEA came up with a solution to the problem: the ‘NIVEA SunSlide’. Set up on one of South Africa’s most popular beaches, the giant inflatable slip ‘n slide sprayed kids with water-resistant sunscreen while they played on it.  
 

Pedigree: Puppy love

One of experiential marketing’s greatest strengths is its ability to challenge and change perceptions.

In a bid to tackle societal misconceptions and employers’ frequent rejection of people with Down’s syndrome, Pedigree has delivered an excellent campaign called ‘pUp syndrome.’

The brand invited five young people with Down’s syndrome to spend time working at a dog training centre and hotel, giving them the opportunity to look after and care for a bunch of four-legged friends while away from their owners. 

Captured in a heart-warming video, this campaign not only offered these young people a magical experience, but provided a platform for a very important message to be shared on a global scale.
 

KitKat: No laughing allowed

A brand that’s no stranger to creating memorable experiential campaigns, KitKat has once again come up with a winner. Tapping into university students’ love of playing games (and procrastination), the brand created a digital version of the classic staring contest. 

Installing branded interactive billboards on two campuses of a university in Brazil, KitKat offered students the opportunity to compete against each other in a virtual staring contest. The game had just one simple rule to follow: you laugh, you lose! The winner of each contest was rewarded with a free KitKat Chunky bar for their efforts. Game on. 
 

Snickers: A nasty surprise

We round off the latest collection of experiential excellence with an eye-catching spot of outdoor marketing from Snickers. 

The brand recently set up a digital billboard in New York City displaying a moving image of Marilyn Monroe. Paired with Snickers’ well-known tagline – ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry’ – the screen displayed the iconic scene of Marilyn Monroe’s subway grate moment from the 1955 hit movie The Seven Year Itch. 

But all was not as it seemed. With the help of facial recognition technology, the billboard was able to detect when passers-by stopped to stare at Monroe's cheeky clip. Those people who were caught staring a little too intensely received a very big surprise…

Check out the video to see what happened:
 

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.