Brand activations are all about creating engaging experiences that enable participants to develop personal connections with brands. Here are five elements that are part of how we power our #unboringsolutions.
1. Focus On The Business Objectives
Brand activations must be linked to business objectives, not necessarily drive direct sales, but they should be part of the bigger picture for the brand. They offer a unique opportunity for human-to-human interaction, a powerful touch point where brands can have a big impact.
The aim is that participants create an emotional connection with a brand; participants take something away from the brand activation regardless of it being a physical object or an ephemeral memory.
VOQIN’ (formerly Case Imagine) created and delivered the Microsoft CXO Forum 2016. This event gave Microsoft customers, business partners and executives an opportunity to discuss the evolution of current trends and build a common view on the future of their business.
2. Brand Appropriately
Brand activations cannot be successful if the participant does not form a bond with the brand, and no amount of branding can change that. In other words, it’s not about the brand, it’s about the participant and how they connect with the brand. TO have the best chance of achieving a strong bond, brands must do everything they can to get to understand the participants.
Using well know brand attributes such as slogans can make this simpler, but the brand activation needs to have a strong concept that supports this in an up-to-date way that resonates with the participants. The Calzedonia Camp is an example of using how VOQIN’ used a military-themed team building activity to connect and motivate the Calzedonia marketing and sales teams.
3. Create An Immersive Experience
Live the brand and engage all five senses. That is the goal of all brand activations. The more engaging and immersive a brand activation the more likely it is that it will deliver this. Ultimately brand activations must take participants, even if just for a moment, away from their daily lives and routines.
Whether this achieved through technology or in the most analogue way it’s the experience that counts. By creating competition as part of the Xbox Brasil Game Show that included both a computer game challenge and a physical “walk-the-plank” drop from a tower into a ball pit, VOQIN’ delivered a uniquely memorable branded experience.
4. Tell A Great Story
There’s a great story to every successful brand activation, one that is aligned with the brand but one that also stands on its own. Ideally, this is a story that has the participants at the centre and enables them to make their own story with the brand as a part of it.
When Sportzone decided to sponsor the Portuguese Futsal league, VOQIN’ created the #ONossoFutsal brand activation that invited Futsal fans to share videos that showed their passion for Futsal. The creators of the best video were invited to play a game of futsal with players of the Portuguese national team, an experience of a lifetime.
5. Make It “Instagramable”
There is an undeniable need for a visual and emotional attraction to brand activations. It is a great sign when participants want to share photos of the linked to the brand activation on their own social media channels in a positive context. This kind of online exposure is a great goal to have and it’s important to create the conditions for this to take place.
When VOQIN’ created a unique experience for the Chevrolet Onix at Lollapalooza Brasil it clearly impressed and surprised the participants, judging by the impressive amount of goodwill with the participants that was clearly transferred to their online presence in the form of social media impressions. These participants enjoyed engaging with the brand and enthusiastically shared their experience.