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
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Posted by Todd Buckton on Wed, Nov 04, 2009
Here's the top five picks for this week:
1. Max Lenderman commented on a Business Week article about the blur between above and below the line ad spending. Read his blog here. Max is a senior CD for GMR in Chicago and has a great pair of lenses with which to see the world of experiential.
I have not read his latest book, but I can tell you without reservation his previous book "Experience the Message" is worth a buy. Check it out. Both photos from his blog.
2. Who is Jeff Eggen? Once again this week, Ford is getting lots of press on the great experiential promos they're doing to sell cars. I wrote about Ford's Football Sunday Taurus promo here. This time it's a social networking car rally in the new Ford Fusion. Read about it in Wired here. These promos are getting lots of ink for Jeff Eggen, the Ford Experiential Marketing Manager. So either he's got a great in with the Ford PR machine, or his work is selling cars. I'll bet it's the latter. Logo from Ford.
3. Ian McGonnigal works for George P. Johnson and has an excellent blog that I recently started following. His entry this week about the importance of blogging and the entire blogosphere is certainly worth taking the time. Not only for promotion about your firm, but more importantly, how to use social media to effectively promote events. Great reading. Image from his blog.
4. I'm passionate about ROI and ExpM, a new measurement firm opened this week to provide just that. Whether you're an advertiser or an agency wanting more reliable means to determine effectiveness of a promotion this may be an answer. I spent quite a bit of time perusing their website; it's definitely worth a look. I'm going to try and use it in an upcoming tour. Logo from their site.
5. The last item is not necessarily experiential but it is useful; Seth Godin's blog. I find something of value every time I visit. I'll leave you with one that was particularly good this week: "Big ideas are little ideas that no one killed too soon."
Photo from Seth's blog.
Posted by Todd Buckton on Fri, Oct 02, 2009
The recently published "Experiential Marketing" by Shaz Smilansky is an excellent overview of how experiential is poised for explosive growth as one of the most effective arrows in the brand marketer’s quiver. The book is available at a number of outlets including Amazon. It is a concise read, yet packed with information useful to newcomers as well as those well-versed in experiential.
Smilansky is co-founder of the London-based experiential agency Blazinstar and has spent her career providing clients with interactive experiences. Her book outlines the strategies and tactics necessary to successfully create and execute an interactive campaign.
Chapters include information on setting objectives, determining strategies and bringing the message (and the brand) to life. In what I think are the most important chapters of the book, she details how to measure and evaluate results for the best possible ROI. It is generally agreed that experiential provides faster ROI than traditional forms of promotion, and Smilansky details the steps necessary to achieve this goal.
“Experiential Marketing” is a compendium of worthwhile information that should be found, dog-eared and well worn, on the shelves of many a brand marketer looking for a proven method to more fully connect brands with consumers. Smilansky is to be commended for this approachable guide.