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.

Event-marketing and advertising expenditures: The differential effects on brand value and company revenue

Research Paper • Lei Liu, Jin Zhang and Hean Tat Keh, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 58, No. 4, 2018, pp. 464-475

Surprisingly little empirical research has examined the effects of event marketing at the company level.

Pampers: Bums don’t lie

Case Study • Vandana Mehra, Manish Lohana, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Baby care brand Pampers created a programme of paediatrician-led workshops to boost nappy sales by targeting young mothers and their mothers-in-law in India.

KFC: Gamers' Playground

Case Study • Summer Liu, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

KFC, the fast-food brand, used a partnership with a video game to increase sales in China.

Listerine: Bring Out the Bold – Listerine and The Voice

Case Study • Mario Mejia, Laura Murcia, Sandrino Vejar, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Mouthwash brand Listerine partnered with TV programme The Voice to reach audiences across Latin America.

National Safety Council: Prescribed to Death

Case Study • Lauren Brown, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2018

American non-profit organisation, the National Safety Council, raised awareness of prescription opioid overdose in the US with an innovative live experience, supported by a multimedia campaign.

Volvo: Racing the Sun

Case Study • Dario Cosmelli, Chris Kilroy, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2018

Volvo, the car brand, used livestreams and VR around a solar eclipse to showcase its new XC60 model in the US.

Kia Cadenza: Luxury Transformed

Case Study • Caryn Wiley-Rapoport, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2018

Automobile brand Kia created a live immersive experience, supported by digital, social and search, to raise awareness and drives sales of its Cadenza model in the US.

Gillette Deodorants: I don't roll on Shabbos

Case Study • Gilad Kat, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Channel Integration, 2018

Gillette deodorant used a multimedia approach, biblical texts and a battle of synagogues to appeal to the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel.

Gillette India: Bachelor of Shaving

Case Study • Mitesh Soni, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Safety razor brand Gillette Guard Razor drove sales in under-performing states in India through an educational approach.

The Women’s Foundation: #MyRealCareerLine

Case Study • Jocelyn Tse, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Non-profit organisation The Women’s Foundation created a fake plastic surgery clinic to spark social media buzz and challenge gender stereotypes in the workplace and the media in Hong Kong.

Neurobion: Nerve Therapy Trip

Case Study • Melissa Garrovillo, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

B-vitamin supplement brand Neurobion used an experiential campaign to increase market share in the Philippines.

Sangobion Iron+: Bloody Concert

Case Study • Melissa Garrovillo, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Iron supplement brand Sangobion Iron+ used online music video, OOH and online ads to persuade people to have blood tests to detect anaemia in the Philippines.

Cathay Pacific: Wake up fresh in Europe

Case Study • Amanda Shapiro, Tracy Lui, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2018

Cathay Pacific, the airline, needed to promote three new European routes to people in Hong Kong.

Visit Flanders: The Mud Soldier

Case Study • European Association of Communications Agencies, Grand Prix, 2018

Visit Flanders, the Flemish tourism authority, forged an emotional connection between the tragic anniversary of the WWI battle of Passchendaele and potential visitors from Europe, North America and Australia to reverse visitor declines to Flanders Fields' WWI battlefields.

Edeka: The Diversity Act

Case Study • European Association of Communications Agencies, Finalist, 2018

Edeka, a German supermarket chain, triggered a huge, international press echo, engagement and awareness when it removed all the non-German products from a supermarket to demonstrate the loss when national diversity is missing.

Goethe-Institut Mexiko: Dual Year Germany – Mexico, 2016–2017

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Diamond, LATAM, Superior Achievement in Research and Planning, 2018

Mexico successfully promoted The Dual Year Germany-Mexico 2016-2017, an event to promote unity between the two nations, through a year-long campaign that involved branding and corporate image, public relations and social networks strategies.

KLM: The Art of Flying

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, LATAM, Marketing To Consumer (Existing Product), 2018

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, an airline brand, promoted its brand in Mexico City by launching an exhibit at Zona MACO, a Latin American art fair.

National Safety Council: Stopping Everyday Killers

Case Study • Jay Chiat Strategic Excellence Awards, Bronze, National strategy and Product service creation, 2018

National Safety Council (NSC), launched a national debate about prescription opioid related deaths in the US via its “Prescribed to Death” campaign, which equipped Americans with the knowledge and tools to have a conversation with their doctors.

Bank of New Zealand: The Most Prosperous ATM

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Runner Up, 2018

Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) carefully considered the importance of tradition to its Chinese customers to inspire brand love and awareness.

Domus Leuchten & Möbel AG: HOUSE PARTY AT THE WEHRLE'S

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Runner Up, 2018

Domus Leuchten und Möbel AG, a designer furniture store, increased sales at its new store opening in Switzerland by replacing the furniture of three famous brothers with its own and inviting their followers to a house party.

MARS NZ: Haunted M&M's

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Runner Up, 2018

Mars, a confectionary brand, made its M&Ms candy the go-to purchase across New Zealand at Halloween by launching a 13-day haunted livestream on Facebook.

Shackleton: On Hold Music Band Live

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Bronze, 2018

Shackleton, an ad agency, did something different for Spanish and Chilean callers to the company at Christmas by playing live music for them during the otherwise mundane waiting time.

Motorola: Hello Real People

Case Study • Direct Marketing Association - US, Runner Up, 2018

Motorola, a telecommunications company, highlighted the addiction to mobile phones which gave it over 1 million social media impressions.