Experiential & sampling

What we know about experiential marketing and sampling

Article • WARC Best Practice, December 2017

This article provides an overview of the thinking and reading on the subject of experiential marketing and sampling, both live activities that involve direct interactions with audiences that can have an impact indirectly.

How to do effective experiential marketing

Article • Alex Smith, WARC Best Practice, April 2016

This article explores best practice in the area of experiential marketing, arguing that it is a technique, not a channel, putting the idea first, and thinking about media second.

HBO Multicultural Marketing: The HeLa project

Case Study • AME Awards, Finalist, 2018

HBO Multicultural marketing, a premium cable and satellite television network, launched The HeLa Project in the US to build excitement for the HBO film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

LG Electronics: Bring Cinema Home

Case Study • AME Awards, Gold, 2018

LG Electronics, a multinational electronics company, promoted its range of OLED and SUPER UHD TVs in Australia by creating a pop-up cinema for the public to experience the technology for themselves.

HBO Multicultural Marketing: The Day of the Defiant Ones

Case Study • AME Awards, Silver, 2018

HBO, a television network, created the Defiant Showcase in the US to promote its new series The Defiant Ones, which saw the brand bringing together new talent through mutual deviance.

HBO Multicultural Marketing: Music of strangers Grand Central Terminal takeover

Case Study • AME Awards, Finalist, 2018

HBO Multicultural marketing, a premium cable and satellite television network, launched a campaign in the US to raise awareness of its documentary, The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.

Colors Golden Petals Club: Using activation to create brand loyalists

Case Study • Sharad Chaturvedi, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2018

India's leading TV channel Colors was able to connect with and drive loyalty among its audience through an exclusive club that targeted women through a range of engaging activities.

#SmokingBlind

Case Study • AME Awards, Silver, 2018

#SmokingBlind, an awareness campaign in the US to help prevent irreversible vision loss caused by smoking, partnered with non-profit Prevent Blindness to warn people about how smoking can cause blindness.

World of Tanks Action Star

Case Study • AME Awards, Finalist, 2018

World of Tanks, a video game brand, launched a campaign in the US to increase brand awareness.

The Orange Project: Notes of Hope

Case Study • AME Awards, Gold, 2018

The Orange Project, a global movement for suicide prevention, created the Notes of Hope campaign, which encouraged people all over the world to talk about suicide among adolescents.

Why brands should embrace the shift to experiential marketing

Article • Vanessa Tadier, Admap, May 2018, pp. 42-43

While some believe the term ‘experiential marketing’ should only apply to real-world interactions or events, the wider industry is starting to recognise its benefits in engaging individuals in immersive activities, both online and offline.

Pay with Honesty, Get Honest Tea

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Special Event, 2018

Honest Tea, a tea brand, created the Pay with Honesty, Get Honest Tea campaign in the US to generate media buzz and promote honesty through pop-ups.

BrewDog: Bar on the Edge

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Word Of Mouth, 2018

BrewDog, a beer brand, launched its Bar on the Edge campaign to establish the brand's position in the US.

Mondelez innovates in product sampling

News • 26 April 2018

CHICAGO: Mondelez International, the snacks company, believes that product sampling will remain a powerful tool for brands, both through online channels and by innovating with in-store experiences.

Influencers anchor $600-billion brand-activation practice

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Brand Activation Conference, April 2017

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) conducted research into influencer marketing to help quantify its importance and understand its role in wider brand activation strategies.

How Mondelez mixes online and offline product sampling

Article • Mary Connors, Event Reports, P2P Summit, March 2018

Mondelez International, the snacks giant, is building up its sampling capabilities via e-commerce, as well as developing its in-store approach to this discipline.

Jägermeister adapts to changing drinking habits

Article • Matthew Carlton, Event Reports, YMS18, March 2018

The young target audience for Jägermeister isn’t drinking as much as previous generations and is more restrained in an age of social media, resulting in the spirit brand adopting a new brand strategy of ‘less is more’.

Johnson’s Baby: Touch

Case Study • Talha Bin Hisaam, Nadia Putri Prianti, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2018

Johnson's Baby, the baby-care brand, used social media and events to differentiate its brand in a crowded Indonesian market.

HBO's experiential marketing formula

News • 13 March 2018

AUSTIN, TX: HBO, the cable network, is using experiential marketing to drive “quality impressions” and expand on its broadcast content in compelling ways.

HBO’s formula for experiential marketing

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, SXSW 2018, March 2018

HBO, the cable network, has successfully used experiential marketing as a means to promote a variety of its shows in truly compelling ways.

Match the experience to the customer

Article • Joanna Fanuele and Dylan Brownsword, Admap, April 2018, pp. 32-34

People talk about customer experience as if it’s a physical thing like an event or a moment, but work involving three high-profile consumer brands shows it is more about understanding the emotions around that experience.

Sobeys Star of Christmas

Case Study • Institute of Communication Agencies, Silver, CASSIES, 2018

Sobeys, the Canadian food retailer, reversed a trend of declining performance by emphasising the strong associations between Christmas, family and its brand.

AMAG Pharmaceuticals: Women's Health In Bloom

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Trade Shows & Awards, In2, 2018

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company, launched a campaign in the US to promote its product – Intrarosa (Prasterone) – which eases the severe pain that women experience during intercourse due to menopause.

#PrepareToProtect Healthcare Share Events

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Best Live/Digital Event — Agency, In2, 2018

Weber Shandwick, a global PR firm, launched two Healthcare Share #preparetoprotect events in Minneapolis and Chicago to help healthcare organisations understand and prepare themselves for cyberattacks.

Cornetto: The new symbol of love 2.0

Case Study • Ruchir Bajoria, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2017

Cornetto, the ice-cream brand, increased sales in India by connecting with young people in a series of campaigns focussing on friendship and love across social media, digital and events.