Are You Experienced?

Our swing set has been torn down. My kids have grown out of the backyard play set that provided years of enjoyment for all three boys. Another bitter sweet moment in the march toward their maturity.

This milestone got me thinking about how I purchased the play set several years ago. It was a brilliant example of experiential marketing. Experiential Marketing is the art of creating an experience where the hoped-for result is an emotional connection to a brand, product or idea. It often involves events, contests, gifts and interactive campaigns to promote the message.

The play set dealer was an experiential marketer whether he knew it or not. He had a warehouse full of play sets that had been fully assembled. He invited parents to bring their children to play and even hosts birthday parties. We attended a couple of parties there and eventually had one of our own. The "experience" connected us to his brand of play sets. He reinforced our connection with t-shirts, toys and safety items emblazoned with his brand.

Of course, we eventually purchased one of these backyard behemoths - not fully assembled. We knew exactly which optional features our kids would play with and felt comfortable with the quality. There were cheaper sets, but we were connected to this one on both an emotional and logical level.

Create an experience with your product and service and reinforce it with branded items. In the modern world of fragmented media and short attention spans, a memorable experience and concrete products can swing the decision your way.