It takes some pretty awesome companies to pull off effective branding in an event marketing or experiential marketing program. Often times the only way to brand is with “KEY MESSAGING” or “Talking Points”. Our principle and CEO, Clare Wynne, suggests that if you can take the company’s logo and color scheme OUT of the event and consumers can still figure out which brand is represented just based on the atmosphere and vibe that your Brand Experts have created, then you have successfully “Branded” the event. This is not easily accomplished without properly defining your Brand and training your team, in detail, about your Brand Platform.
Consider this…companies like Coca-Cola, Nike, and Hershey’s have done an outstanding job at branding, these same companies are also some of the best Experiential Marketers on the planet. I’m not talking about their logo from a branding standpoint, but from their core traits as define with their Brand Platforms. Let me explain: Coca-Cola = Happiness (brilliant idea btw), Nike = Empowering, Hershey = Chocolate makes you happy. These core Brand Platforms help each company decide and strategize on where they need to be. Do you think it’s coincidence that Coca-Cola sponsors events and locations that truly bring people happiness? That Nike organizes Guerilla training events for marathons in order to empower and motivate consumers on their upcoming run? Or that Hershey has a mega-store in Time Square where tourists can experience the wonders of Chocolate? These are perfect examples of how Brands are strategically choosing sponsorships and events in order to strengthen their Brand Platform and align themselves, in consumers eyes, with exactly how they want people to experience and interact with their brand.
I often times like to imagine what other Brands would do if they took an Experiential approach to marketing based on their brand platform. Wouldn’t it be cool if a company like Chipotle, whose Brand Platform is based around good quality food that is not going to kill you (well maybe not that last part) took over hospital cafeterias across the nation and educated consumers about the importance of choosing the right place to eat “Fast food doesn’t have to be bad for you, have a Chipotle burrito!”. It’s always fun to consider what companies can do to drive sales and increase their brand awareness. Something to always consider is, you must always make sure that the foundation of your company (your Brand) doesn’t get lost in the process. Branding is like building a foundation for everything else to be built upon. A strong Brand foundation will insure that your beautifully, well crafted, house of bricks doesn’t come tumbling down. Through proper planning, training, and staffing, your most valuable asset, YOUR BRAND, can be right at home doing what it does best…driving your brand.
