Posted by Todd Buckton on Wed, Sep 01, 2010
Incredible ocean photo by David Sifry
RoadBlog recently came across a survey done earlier this year by
B2B Marketer Online, based in the UK, that discussed the state of events in Europe. The survey found that companies are continuing to increase their focus and investment on face-to-face events – despite the downturn and the digital revolution, which many predicted could take over from traditional event marketing strategies. Events take a significant portion of many brands’ budget, with almost 40% of respondents setting aside at least a quarter of their total marketing spend for them.
And why? 40 % of companies surveyed believed that events were a “very good” way of targeting key decision makers in senior management. “Building customer relationships” was the most important reason cited by companies for running events.
These decision makers also looked ahead at what the digital revolution might have in store for face-to-face events. While there is much interest in virtual events, 53% have actually tried them, but few believe that they will supplant face-to-face interaction.
At RoadBlog, we like to see what's going on around the rest of the world. Continuing to keep abreast of global trends helps our clients "Drive The Brand Experience" here in the USA.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Tue, Aug 10, 2010
Pop-Tarts, the venerable and tasty yet questionable snack treat has popped up in Times Square to great fanfare this past weekend. The
New York Times says this pop up store could become permanent if it proves to be successful. Featuring Pop-Tarts "sushi", custom flavors and computer screens to access video games and social networking sites, it's a retailing concept that fits in nicely in the Times Square conglomeration of sensory over-stimulation.
Here at RoadBlog, we like the idea of pop up stores. They turn empty space into selling space, they give prospects a fresh look at a brand by placing it in a new and unexpected context and they generate buzz. Exactly the same thing that successful mobile event marketing programs achieve. If you look at them in this way, pop-up stores are like mobile tours without the wheels. They have taken a short-term retailing opportunity and turned it into an experience that resonates, especially in this combination of venue and product. Now, if only this new pop-up Pop-Tart store could produce a toaster pastry that tasted like a freshly baked, light and buttery, flaky, chocolate croissant, they'd really be on to something.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Tue, Feb 23, 2010
Today's View from the Cab is from PMG Master Driver Dave who just finished a trip from California to Denver for the next leg of a mobile tour for a valued healthcare client. The photos he took are just west of the Vail pass. Dave said he just missed a huge storm that dumped lots of snow on Denver and the local ski areas.
Not only are these beautiful photos but they are a perfect way to show why mobile tours are a great way to get your product in front of people who want to buy. Multiple large scale gatherings like trade shows continue to fade in importance in the minds of decision makers. Decisions like increased travel costs, better online communication technology, inconvenience to attendees and a general desire to stay closer to home looms large with your core audience. That's why mobile tours are such a great way to break through the clutter. Take your product to where the decision makers are and make it easy for them to be bowled over by your incredible product. Make it easy for them to experience your product and you make it easy for them to buy your product.
Dave left Denver and is now in beautiful Minot, ND showcasing our client's product to prospects and customers who don't have to go far to be impressed by their offering. And at less than 100 miles to the Canadian border, the weather is lots worse in Minot than it is in Denver this time of year, but our client has made it easy for their prospects to experience an excellent product. We battled the elements. We brought it to them. Another great reason to use mobile tours to Drive The Brand Experience.
All photos by PMG Driver Dave Christenson
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Feb 12, 2010
We've looked at the types of vehicles that are available for your mobile tour, now let's look at how these can transform into unique marketing spaces.
If we say that "you are only limited to your imagination" when it comes to customization, you might think that's an overused, hackneyed phrase. But when it comes to mobile event marketing, it's completely true. Once the transport is safely parked at the venue of your choice near your prospects and customers, that's when the fun begins. Set up for a transport can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days and these transports can become anything. Here's how they might start:
53' Single Slide Transport
This is referred to as a "single slide" transport. It's indicated as having stairs at the front and the rear of the slide out, but that choice is all yours. The doors can be put on the opposite side, the front, back, wherever it's right for the specific application. The slide allows the transport to get down the road and then opens up onsite to become a roomy, luxurious selling environment. Here's an example of a single slide:
A variation of this transport is the double slide:
53' Double Slide Transport
This transport will allow you to more than double the floor space of a straight 53' transport and give your product or service more than ample room to adequately market your product in a singular environment.
Another variation is a stage area instead of a slide. This makes the 53' transport a natural for live presentations to large audiences.
53' Single Slide/Single Stage Transport
Here's a couple of variations of that same stage concept. One is a retail operation:
This application allowed the manufacturer to sell high-margin accessories while showcasing their latest product offerings.
Here's another variation of the same type of transport. This time, the side opens up to reveal the full-size business jet fuselage. This display was used to presell a new business jet that was being developed and built. Incredibly effective, highly targeted and amazing ROI.
Now we have an idea of what is possible with custom transports. As we said up front, if you can imagine it you can have it. And just to prove our point, we'll leave you with a custom transport built in Australia that turns into...well you just have to see it to believe it. Brilliant. Expect to see the same concept soon here in the states.
Incredible perspective views of custom transports by Derrick Johnson
Sweet Australian Mobile Pub by Truckmania
All other cool photos by Promotional Management Group
Posted by Todd Buckton on Wed, Dec 09, 2009
In 1897 Mark Twain wrote "...the report of my death was an exaggeration." In November, RoadBlog wrote that an experiential agency based in Australia had closed. After electronic exchanges with the director of that agency, we are happy to report that Maverick Marketing and Communications is open for business and has just had their best year ever. We regret publishing incorrect information but we're glad that experiential marketing is alive and well in Sydney.
Mark Twain Photo courtesy of: Free Stock Photo
Are You Looking For Ways to Break Through The Clutter?
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Posted by Todd Buckton on Tue, Nov 17, 2009
The world of experiential marketing is not good in Australia this week, and I'm afraid that some agency owners might be looking at the trees instead of the forest. 2 experiential agencies have ceased to be. The first, Maverick, shuttered their doors for good to become a new agency, Wonder. Co-founder Glen Condie described the state of experiential marketing down under by saying the entire sector is "utterly devoid of anything interesting". Next, the experiential agency Ignition EM is turning into a consultancy. Founder Nick Callender says that experiential has been co-opted by promo and PR agencies and has become "nothing more than sampling campaigns. I don’t think a lot of clients have an idea about what experiential marketing is.” Strong words from 2 established talents.
While I'm sure that all forms of marketing in Australia are suffering from the same budgetary constraints that we're seeing here in the US, it seems a bit odd that 2 agencies are saying virtually the same thing: that experiential campaigns are droll ways to get consumers to try your product, and that it's tough to make ends meet doing it. I am certainly oversimplifying, but from where I sit, experiential is vibrant, engaging, memorable and, most importantly, sells product at a far lower cost than traditional media and produces positive ROI quicker. Show me something that's fetching that doesn't move product and something workaday that does; I choose the latter every time. But if it's clever, attractive and sells it's even better.
Also, I live in the B2B, not the B2C world. I'm sure that in B2C, sampling programs are a default experiential solution for CPG companies, but there is some great stuff going on there too from what I see. For example, necessity is the mother of invention and so we have pop-up stores. Cool, temporary stores that drive business and create buzz.
It appears that there may be more to the reasoning behind the coincidental nature of the Australian agency closings. Regardless, I think it's foolish to throw an entire channel under the bus as the justification for poor revenues.
Photo by renaissancechambara
Posted by Todd Buckton on Wed, Nov 04, 2009
Here's a great new resource I stumbled across recently for experiential marketers. It's great for folks on this side of the pond as it gives a different perspective on what's going on in the rest of the world.
For example, who knew famous automaker Ferrari was building an amusement park in Abu Dhabi that's set to open next year? A track is also being built at the park to run the inaugural F1 Grand Prix race. Not everything is happening in Peoria...
I found some good prospecting ideas as well by looking beyond the sea to see what our neighbors are doing.
Cool Ferrari F1 pit photo by chrissatchwell
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Oct 16, 2009
Taking a page from both its theme parks and Apple's wildly successful retail stores, Disney revamps their retail stores to become experiential wonders designed to delight consumers - and sell product. In this week's New York Times article, Disney is going to revamp all 340 retail Disney Stores to become mall destinations or kids of all ages. With the help of Steve Jobs and banking on the success of the Apple Stores brick and mortar and online presence, Disney has ambitious plans for their retail presence. From magic mirrors that talk to customers to indoor fireworks, the prototype stores have wowed test audiences as well as landlords looking to create more retail traffic. Disney has known since the first theme park opened in 1955 that positive experiences can create committed brand advocates. In the past just having the merchandise was adequate. It will be fun to watch a master in action as they reinvigorate their retail presence.
Photo by Allie Caulfield