At Event Architects, we call it “essence writing.” Everything you need to know about a particular topic — no more, no less. The “essence” of my EMS experience can be summed up in 10 basic tenets, explored below.
1. Welcome to the world of People 2.0.
Social media, social media and more social media was a recurring theme throughout EMS. Not that most of us didn’t realize it already, but it’s become glaringly evident that social media is not a fleeting trend. It’s our new model of communication and connectivity. From Facebook and Twitter to Foursquare and Flickr, we are all just a click away from anyone and anything we want.
2. You should probably friend your new brand ambassadors.
Just as we have People 2.0, we now also have Brand Ambassadors 2.0. More and more, companies are selecting their brand ambassadors based on the bandwidth of their social media connections. It’s the fan, friend or follow mentality. How many friends do they have on Facebook? How many people follow them on Twitter? The thought process behind this approach is that you don’t have to talk to everyone. Just talk to the “right” people, and let them talk to everyone for you.
3. In marketing, we can’t afford to make lazy generalizations.
Just because social media and digitized marketing efforts are all the rage, doesn’t mean you should immediately jump on the bandwagon. Keep in mind that audiences are fragmented, but more in control than ever of what content reaches them. If your digital and social media efforts don’t have genuine, humanized content to distribute, no one will care.
4. Budgets may be coming back, but time is not.
The economic squeeze we all felt in 2009 predicated the “wait and see” approach. The decision to move forward with any event marketing strategy often came quickly, depending on how the fiscal quarter was developing. The result was the need for the industry as a whole to implement faster and faster. Thankfully, budgets are starting to come back a bit in 2010. However, lead-time is not. Thanks to the new reality, we all need to be prepared to work faster and more efficiently than ever before.
5. Nostalgia is more powerful than technology.
I’m going to go ahead and quote one of my all-time favorite fictitious characters — Don Draper from the 1960s advertising agency centered television show, Mad Men. In a client pitch meeting, Don said, “Technology is a glittering lure. But there is a rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash — if they have a sentimental bond with the product…nostalgia. It’s delicate, but potent.”
Nowhere was this more evident at EMS than the Tillamook cheese “Loaf Love Tour” case study. Tillamook is a very specialized, unique cheese brand that retains massive popularity in the Northwest. The company needed to expand their brand recognition in other parts of the country as well. Thus, they approached an experiential marketing firm who helped them create the "Loaf Love Tour."
Modeled after Tillamook cheese’s most popular product — the Baby Loaf, they created Baby Loaf-inspired VW buses to tour the country on a “Loaf Love Tour.” The “Baby Loaf” buses set out across the country and stopped in various locations to create demo areas that included sample cheese flights, branded premiums, kiosks and so on. As the buses traveled from city to city, they developed an almost cult-like following of people that remembered and loved the exact 1966 Standard VW Microbus they were modeled after.
As a result, four months into the tour, Tillamook has already created 200,000 touches for their cheese. Sales have increased in every market they’ve visited. Sure, the cheese is great and the tour itself creates an interesting spectacle. But moreover, as a result of the “Baby Loaf” buses, they’ve inspired a connection in their followers deeper than just consumer to product.
6. Event marketing, performed properly, can change perceptions.
A perfect example of this is Blackberry’s alignment with certain musicians and tour sponsorships to change the perception of Blackberry as a device that’s only used for business communication. When you have 100,000 people waving their lit Blackberries in the air at a U2 concert as de facto lighters, you’ve done something right.
7. Intense creativity is the ticket in. But ONLY if it’s executed properly.
Case in point. Enough said.
8. iTunes killed the album — not the concert.
With all the focus on digitalization, it’s easy to forget that there is still tremendous value in creating experiences in the live space. Actually, the Internet has become the new place for noise and clutter. Live marketing efforts possess the ability to rise above noise and clutter and truly engage people on a personal level. We need to create better stories, not better ways to story tell.
9. Evolve or die.
Hyundai pretty much sums this up with their Assurance program.
10. Marketing done right is transcendent.
It’s difficult, but if done correctly B2B and B2C disciplines can fall by the wayside. The true challenge is to create B2E — Business to Everyone — experiences. It means as a marketing person or team you have succeeded in provoking thought and starting meaningful conversations. Perhaps, along the way you’ve revealed a truth or two. Sure, it’s easier said than done — but it is the ultimate goal.