How Experiential Marketing enhances brand experiences and customer delight

We have recently seen the immersive experiences during the Ganesh Chaturthi where several brands like  Vi-John, Pulse Candy, Coca Cola and more creatively engaged with devotees through experiential campaigns that captured the festive spirit. Experiential marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for brands to create lasting impressions and foster meaningful connections with consumers. 

Rather than relying solely on traditional marketing strategies, brands are now leaning towards experiences that engage the senses and emotions, encouraging consumers to interact with their products and services in memorable ways. At Social Samosa's Festive Marketing Camp 2024, industry leaders came together to discuss how experiential marketing can elevate brand experiences and drive customer delight across different stages of the marketing funnel.

The session titled ‘Experiential Marketing Sparkles to Light up Brand Experiences & Customer Delight’ was moderated by Hitesh Rajwani. The panel included industry experts like:

• Rahul Dutta, Country Director, Marketing, Microsoft India

• Rima Kirtikar, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Runwal

• Reshu Saraf, Head of Integrated Marketing & Communications at Godrej Interio

• Sameer Tobaccowala, CEO, Shobiz Experiential Communications

They shared their insights on using experiential marketing to not only capture attention but also to create immersive, memorable, and emotionally charged brand interactions that resonate deeply with consumers. Here are the key takeaways from the session. 

Experiential Marketing as a Feel-Factor

More often, experiential marketing requires budgets that could pull in the audience and help them immerse into what the brand wants. This can, however, be met with a conundrum, whether the experience agencies want to create is worth the budget or not. 

“Brands always have the budget. It's important to see what objective you are trying to drive,” noted Reshu Saraf. Experiential marketing, when done correctly, becomes a key differentiator, helping brands form emotional connections with consumers. Sameer  Tobaccowala added, “The experience has to be memorable. You don’t want the audience to say it was a fabulous event and not remember which brand was present.”

AI and Personalisation in Experiential Marketing

Rahul Dutta shared insights on the role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in elevating experiential marketing efforts. "We have moved from AI being a gimmick to now AI taking centre stage. AI is also mainstream in personalisation. That’s what I recommend to marketers, move away from AI being a gimmick." AI now plays a significant role in creating personalised brand experiences, allowing marketers to deliver more tailored and relevant interactions to consumers.

Rima Kirtikar emphasised the importance of understanding the technology behind experiences. “When the technology is shown to you, with its use cases, it gives you confidence about its efficiency.” This ensures that experiences are not only innovative but also grounded in practicality and effectiveness.

Creating meaningful experiences across the funnel

The panel discussed the importance of experiential marketing throughout the marketing funnel - from generating awareness at the top to driving conversions at the bottom.

Top of the Funnel: At the awareness stage, Reshu Saraf pointed out that it’s crucial to create excitement through unique experiences where consumers least expect them. "Top of the funnel, a lot of awareness has to be generated, excitement has to be created, and experiences have to be unique where consumers expect you the least."

Middle of the Funnel: For the middle of the funnel, Rahul Dutta emphasised starting small and intentionally, particularly during festival marketing. “Flip the funnel and start with the small bonfire, be intentional about it and move ahead with that. Don’t do it for the sake of it, start small, start slow.”

Bottom of the Funnel: At the bottom, Rima Kirtikar highlighted the importance of engaging all five senses. “All the five senses need to be touched on. Connecting with emotions and repeat purchases happen when consumers like what the brand is offering.”

Balancing brand and experience

When it comes to experiential marketing, balance is key. Brands need to ensure that their message remains at the forefront of the experience. Sameer Tobaccowala stressed the importance of keeping the brand as the central point. “Ask a lot of questions at the start of a campaign, including what you want to achieve. You have to make the brand the centre point of every thought process.”

The evolution of Experiential Marketing

Sameer Tobaccowala noted how the industry has shifted dramatically, especially in the IT sector, where 80% of their marketing budgets are now allocated to experiential strategies. “The change has happened because of the expectations of brands and what technologies can help us do. You can’t give consumers what you want; you need to give them what they want.”

Rahul Dutta added that many brands have built their entire identity around experiential marketing, understanding and leveraging culture to craft meaningful experiences. “Gone are the days when brands can build a culture. There are many brands that understand the culture very well and have used it to build experiences,” he said.

As brands navigate an increasingly crowded marketplace, experiential marketing has proven to be a powerful way to stand out and create lasting consumer loyalty. From top-of-the-funnel awareness to bottom-of-the-funnel conversions, experiential marketing offers a dynamic approach to fostering deeper brand connections, especially during festive seasons when emotional engagement is key. With the right balance of creativity, cultural relevance, and technology, experiential marketing could prove to be an important part of brand strategy in the years to come.

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