Experiential Captivates Consumers as Brands and Agencies Eye the Next Big Collaboration

There isn’t a single farmer on staff at TBWA\Chiat\Day N.Y., but that didn’t stop the agency from creating a program for Lay’s called Golden Grounds that had roots—literally—in the soil. The early 2022 project, launched in the football-frenzied lead-up to Super Bowl 56, took dirt from NFL stadiums around the country and used it to plant potatoes. After harvest, those spuds were made into limited-edition, team-specific chips in full gridiron regalia-decorated bags, unveiled by beloved Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Golden Grounds, a winner in multiple categories in Adweek’s fourth annual Experiential Awards, was an instant hit with consumers and media, clocking nearly 2 billion impressions, high-profile talk show mentions and outrageous eBay bids. Beyond the eye-popping numbers, the activation highlights the elastic—and evolving—definition of experiential marketing as it surges in the post-pandemic “return to normal” environment. It also signals a wave of brand and agency collaborations that are increasingly blending the sensorial with the tangible. “Sometimes the delivery of an experience is in a product—a product is an experience,” Nancy Reyes, TBWA N.Y.'s CEO, told Adweek. “We’re having more and more conversations about how those two things are one and the same.” Sticky tactic Elevated merchandise is just one innovation in a dynamic experiential space where commitment remains strong, even in the face of tightening overall ad budgets. In fact, 83% of marketers have said they will invest as much or more in the tactic in 2022 as they have in previous years, per a HubSpot study. As for effectiveness, experiential consistently rates as one of the stickiest forms of communication, boosting not just brand awareness but also sentiment, purchase intent and loyalty, according to industry experts. “There was a lot of momentum and appetite for experiential, and then the pandemic threw a wrench in that,” Evan Starkman, founder of The Bait Shoppe, which tied with Momentum Worldwide for Experiential Agency of the Year, told Adweek. “But it didn’t wipe out the research, and that shows it has the highest conversion rate of any tactic.” According to Momentum's research, 84% of respondents couldn't wait to spend money on things that would get them out of the house again, with 79% saying the pandemic made them realize how much they missed events and experiences. The current renaissance has been tempered lately by economic pressure on consumers—including rising grocery bills and high gas prices—and the belt tightening that is likely to continue, noted Chris Weil, chairman and CEO at Momentum Worldwide. “People will need to be choosy,” said Weil, whose shop developed the recent American Express Break the Love activation with the U.S. Open. For this, American Express teamed with the tennis reservation app of the same name to give out 10,000 free court reservations throughout the New York Metro area. “The challenge for our industry will be keeping the experiences relevant and staying in the consideration list.” Life after lockdown Pent-up demand initially brought consumers back to in-person events in droves in 2022, and marketers met the public’s hunger for distraction and connection in a variety of unexpected ways. Coveted demographics like Gen Z and millennials crave immersive experiences, with 78% of the latter group saying they would rather spend money on events and experiences than material goods, according to an Eventbrite and Harris Poll study. Activations ranged from FX’s sonic installations in three major cities—where passersby made their own music using interactive sculptures—to a Bombay Sapphire art auction where passion, not money, was the currency as participant engagement data was collected and used on bids. In recent weeks, Hulu opened the Third Arm Gallery in New York for superfans of the whodunnit series Only Murders in the Building, complete with a re-creation of the now-infamous Arconia. And for the cult favorite animated series Rick and Morty, Adult Swim recently wrapped Wormageddon, billed as a “living episode” that drew 100,000 fans and elaborately spanned six continents through a treasure hunt to tease its upcoming season. These and other standout campaigns provide some clues about where the industry is headed, with a big hint coming from Weil: the future is "phygital" and global. The right stuff A number of programs, including Golden Grounds, proved it’s not counterintuitive to develop a tactile object from scratch and make it the centerpiece of an experience. VMLY&R caught the sneakerhead wave by giving away 1,500 pairs of bacon-scented laces for Oscar Mayer in spring 2021, timed for a rare Nike drop of the Air Max 90 Bacons. It allowed the agency to “attach to a subculture and speak to fans in their language,” according to Kaleeta McDade, VMLY&R’s chief experience design officer. “We’re in a place where you can no longer just transact with a consumer, so how do we look at products as experiences and not transactions?” McDade continued. “The point is to create emotional resonance.” Oscar Mayer gave away 1,500 pairs of bacon-scented shoelaces. Meanwhile, Mischief @ No Fixed Address designed a sweater for Blue Moon that could hold that invaluable piece of Covid-19-related information that people once needed to get into bars and other spaces. The Vax Card-igan, a practical spin on the ugly seasonal tradition, sold out immediately. And independent Canadian shop Zulu Alpha Kilo created a green screen shirt—perfect for Zoom—for luxury retailer Harry Rosen. Separately, the team spent nearly two years on a turban-style motorcycle helmet for Sikh riders on behalf of a Harley Davidson dealership in Toronto. “We could’ve done the typical out-of-home or TV campaigns, but those are over in six weeks,” Zak Mroueh, Zulu Alpha Kilo's founder, told Adweek. “We always think about how to make the client’s budget go further, and we try to create something unforgettable, something with talk value.” From stories to story systems For all the buzz generated around the tactic, experiential doesn’t often get name-checked, unless marketers are laser-focused on SXSW, Comic-Con or other tentpole gathering. Rather, they approach their agencies with a problem they need solved, seeking an answer that tends to revolve around a strategic concept aimed at having durability and longevity. Against this backdrop, creative agencies have become more active than ever in developing brands’ experiential programs—specialty firms continue to flourish at the same time—and the concepts aren’t meant to be stand-alone. Mischief @ No Fixed Address designed a sweater for Blue Moon with a pocket that could hold Covid-19 vaccination cards. Optimally, activations now (and going forward) are “moving from campaigns to platforms,” Reyes said, with McDade noting it's “moving from stories to story systems.” Mischief, one of this year’s Experiential Awards winners, embraced the Miller Genuine Draft platform of “unapologetically beer” when the team launched a hard seltzer … into space. It was the brand’s way of thumbing its nose at a competitive category while highlighting its sudsy ethos and refusing to bow to pressure to be part of the alcohol-lite fad. The stunt involved an actual rocket, a livestream countdown that drew 1 million-plus viewers and a liftoff that went “horribly right”—meaning the craft exploded and destroyed the seltzers. The program was one execution under a broader umbrella, according to Kevin Mulroy, executive creative director and partner. “The goal is to start with a platform that’s fertile enough to produce a lot of ideas,” Mulroy said. “Then we took the insight about who we are, found that tension point that a lot of people were feeling and made a very strong statement about it.” Check out all of Adweek's 2020 Experiential Award winners here.

Experiential Marketing

Experiential Captivates Consumers as Brands and Agencies Eye the Next Big Collaboration

Companies think beyond the one-off stunt, launching their own products and moving from 'campaign to platform'

T.L. Stanley

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T.L. Stanley