An excited crowd files into a theater. As the lights dim, a voice comes over the surround sound speakers and narrates a captivating story. It tells the tale of how an innovative entrepreneur saw a market need, bootstrapped her way into launching a business and ended up changing the world.
Throughout the course of the experience, different areas of the theater come to life with interactive images projected onto custom props and innovative projection surfaces. A Hollywood-quality score rises and falls to make an emotional impact and draw the guests into the experience. When the experience winds down, theatergoers continue on to a customized experience that blends a museum, hands-on activities and a gift shop.
Sounds like a visit to a theme park or entertainment attraction, doesn’t it? It isn’t. It’s actually one of thousands of brand-focused customer experiences that are opening around the globe. Thanks to emerging technologies like high lumen laser projectors, brands of all sizes are taking their experience marketing to the next level. Here’s a closer look at how to create an unforgettable brand experience.
Brands embrace experience marketing
When you think of the customer experience, your first thoughts probably go to selling products or providing exceptional customer service. There’s no denying that these are critical factors. However, brands of all sizes are rethinking their marketing tactics to connect to the needs and interests of an always-connected customer audience. Today’s buyers want customized mobile experiences, pop-up entertainment that doubles as retail opportunities, and in-person experiences that compete with movies, video games and theme parks.
Brands that respond to those desires are finding it pays off. As AdWeek notes, “Enter experiential. In a perfect world, here’s how an experiential marketing effort would play out for consumers: You’d encounter a brand experience, find it so awesome that you’d post about it on your social channels (where more people would hear about it), give the brand your contact information (so that they could send you emails and offers and put you in touch with a local retailer), and become more likely to purchase something from said brand.” According to Freeman’s 2017 Brand Experience report, 59 percent of CMOs value brand experience for creating ongoing relationships, and 1 in 3 CMOs plan to spend 21 to 50 percent of their marketing budget over the next three years crafting brand experiences.
Marketers are finding ways to create unforgettable and immersive brand experiences with rich media, high-quality visual content, and other creative activations. Breweries are launching themed tasting rooms, as are soda companies and other beverage manufacturers. Car companies and CPG businesses are creating movie-like experiences that introduce the history of their brand and encourage fans to walk away with branded merchandise. Even airports are using projection mapping and other tools to blend storytelling and travel narratives that invite travelers to book flights directly within their terminal.
Best practices for your own brand experience
Focus on the customer: It’s not enough to produce a flashy movie about your brand or create a talking-head display. Think about the kinds of experiences and stories your audience is interested in. What does your audience want? How can you create a message or experience that will help them connect with your brand? Focus your experience creation on how to deliver maximum value to your prospects and customers.
Incorporate the latest technology: New generation technologies are letting brands of all sizes create mesmerizing experiences. An affordable high lumen laser projector makes it easy to create a light show at your corporate headquarters building, develop an immersive brand-introduction experience or pair with AR technology to create a game like experience for fans. Find ways to use technology to create the wow factor and to engage your audiences in a new way.
Bring your origin story to life: Customers want to connect with brands that have a strong feeling of authenticity. One way brands create that feeling is by bringing their origin stories to life. Explore what led to the founding of your company. What problems do your products and services solve—and how did you come to that knowledge? Taking a deep dive into the people behind your brand and the values you represent can help build meaningful relationships with customers and prospects.
Find ways to evoke your audience’s senses: When developing a brand experience, use multiple senses and elements to help make an emotional connection. Light can raise moods and help form positive associations. Music, sound and animation help draw users in at all levels and create a full sensory immersion. Don’t simply rely on one technique to capture your audience’s interest. Blend multiple inputs together to create a seamless experience.
Get hands-on with products: Consider pairing projection mapping and other displays with a chance to get up close and personal with your products. Food and beverage tastings, product demonstrations and the ability to test out new products can all be effective. Build on the sense of interest and connection you’ve built with the rest of the experience. It’ll further forge the bonds between customer and product—and drive them toward conversions.
Creating an unforgettable customer experience helps brands connect with younger audiences, attract new customers and develop the kind of brand equity that brings fans back again and again. In today’s busy and connected world, brands are competing with movies, theme parks and video games for market share. Emerging technologies like high lumen laser projectors are available at an affordable price and are creating new avenues for marketers to explore their brand stories in ways that engage even the most discerning audience.
Ready to learn more about how high lumen laser projectors can help you create unforgettable brand experiences? Download our white paper today: What is Projection Mapping?
Using High-Lumens Projectors for Greater Audience Engagement.
