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Search Experiential MarketingQ/A ArchivesFebruary 2007
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Brad Wirz Brad Wirz leads EURO RSCG Impact's booming Experiential Marketing Group in the US, with year-over-year growth in excess of 50%. Wirz remembers when the idea of a custom-built 18 wheeler...more»» Featured Question
Define XM Mktg Can you please clarify the differences between Experiential Marketing, Event Marketing, and Brand Activation — they seem to be used interchangeably. Aren’t they just different buzz words for the same type of promo efforts? Yes, these terms do seem to be used interchangeably (especially the first two), and in many cases improperly. Although the industry will probably never agree 100% on the definition of each, here is how our company would define them:
EVENT MARKETING/TRADESHOWS/BRAND AMBASSADOR I work part-time doing events as an independent contractor for several marketing companies. I would love to do this full-time and branch out on my own. Any advice on how to pursue this goal?? Basically I would like to cut out the middle-man and link up with companies to do their promotions and events. I envy your enthusiasm for the XM business! Generally speaking, however, brands don't hire independent contractors directly to execute their events; they tend to hire agencies instead. To put you on the road to possibly starting your own agency, I would recommend that you pursue an in-house position (not as a contractor) at one of the established XM agencies. After a few years you will have the additional perspective and experience that will be absolutely necessary to open your own shop. Also, now that you have experience in the operations side of the business, I would look to get involved in sales or creative, providing you with well-rounded perspective on the business.
XM Advice I’ve hired a bunch of XM agencies, but each campaign has been a nightmare to implement. Can you give me any advice? XM is tough. Anything can go wrong in the field, but we ask to be judged based on how we overcome the inevitable glitches that come up. I suggest you ask potential agencies to provide a list of their most tenured clients. If their longest client relationship is less than five years, keep shopping. Find 1-2 agencies that have multiple client relationships of many years in duration, and use them religiously. When times are tough, it’s better to ask your go-to agency to cut costs, rather than issuing an RFP and going with the low bid.
Cost of Experiential Marketing Isn’t Experiential Marketing really expensive? Compared to traditional media, absolutely not. In fact it builds on and complements traditional campaigns. A television campaign is good if you want to reach a lot of people with one message. An experiential campaign reaches a smaller audience, but actually influences a good percentage of them to become lifelong patrons of your brand.
ROI How do you show ROI? Through methodical research, which is expensive, but critical. We’ve seen some competitors claim to use standardized, "Silver bullet" research methodologies that rely on magical multipliers to calculate value, but the world of XM is completely unique. Every campaign is different from the last, so each campaign requires a custom research methodology. If research is included in the development of the recommendations to the client, and designed into the campaign from the beginning, ROI can be proven.
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