It is the idea of creating an event or experience, large or small, to engage your target audience with your brand. The experience must be aligned with the core promise and values of your brand.

Recent published studies suggest that consumers now rate experiential marketing equal with the TV medium as a preferred method of learning about products and services. However even more important, is that consumers also suggest that they are as much as 3 times more likely to make a purchasing decision based on experiential branding, than from TV engagement.

Corporates are no longer willing to use brand and product "awareness" as currency. Ultimately awareness must lead to action and then ROI. This is why experiential branding will continue to grow as the primary growth areas of marketing spend.

Brand experience is starting to see two major approaches develop. The first is to create a brand experience (usually retail) and try to lure your customer to you to engage through traditional media. While this is valid, and certainly effective, more forward thinking marketers are realizing that delivering a brand experience to the target consumer in the customer's environment has greater impact. One only needs to think of examples such as the "Talking Boony" from VB to understand the impact of taking a brand experience to the consumer.

One of the greatest affects of an engaging brand experience it is vastly more likely to lead to word of mouth referral (viral marketing).

We would like to think this "brand experience" is the latest in thinking, but it is actually centuries old. While many would cringe at the idea that the Christian church "markets" itself, examination of the model Jesus used to spread his message, actually reveals very similar thinking to experiential marketing. Consider the community based teaching, supported by storytelling, and miracles.

In his book "Emotional branding," Marcus Gobe suggests that the most powerful human experiences engage as many of the five human senses simultaneously as possible. This is supported by recent medial research which confirms that the combination of sensual experiences almost always results in an emotional state that has a high degree of influence on decisions. While this revolutionary research is becoming more commonly used in medicine, it is yet to filter through into the commercial world. If the conclusion is true, organizations with the courage to step out will invariably be well rewarded.

If you have any comments or questions, please fell free to contact Neil Bull at Bull Art Media Group, neil@bullart.com.au