5 Tips to Producing a Sensational Experiential Engagement

Over the years, PRecise’s expertise has evolved with the industry, expanding from offering traditional public relations to working with new media (i.e., social media influencers and bloggers) and offering digital/social marketing services. Thanks to our six-year partnership with the world’s leading car brand, Toyota, we have also become experts in experiential engagements. We hold events in a special place in our hearts, we love doing them. You immediately have the opportunity to see how consumers feel about your client’s product or service. 

Our favorite brand activation to date is Toyota’s sponsorship of the 2018 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit in Orlando. The execution was the perfect sum of strategy, creativity, branding and understanding your audience. 

The showcase vehicle for the year was the all-new Toyota Camry and the marketing campaign was centered around how thrilling the car was to the human senses. Our strategy was to create an exciting experience for Summit attendees by tapping into these five senses and making women of color feel as beautiful and stylish as the new Camry. 

With that we birthed the “Toyota Sensations Suite,” offering five experiences for each sense:

• Massages for touch

• Delectable desserts and drinks to tantalize the taste buds

• Aromatherapists for smell

• A listening lounge with curated playlists for sound

• The all new 2018 Camry was front and center for sight, in addition to an upbeat video showing images of beautiful, strong African American women, interspersed with pictures of the car

Not only was this suite the most popular brand activation at the Summit, but it also won a 2018 Phoenix Award for Best Sponsorship from the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America! 

We’ve decided to share five tips to create an award-winning experiential engagement:

1. Understand the strategic opportunity for the client. Start with asking yourself the 5 W’s. What opportunities exist to showcase your clients products or services? When is the event; are there other competing event? Why is this gathering important to your client and its attendees?  Where is the event? Can we engage a field office or local store? Who is the audience? What value can my client’s products or services bring them?

2. Convey messaging that reinforces the client’s objectives and aligns with  the audience’s interests. What is your client’s messaging? Tailor it to speak to the audience’s lifestyles, needs and wants. Demonstrate how your client’s brand and/or products is beneficial to their lives.

3. Think outside the box when designing your brand footprint. Put yourself in the mindset of the attendees and create something you would enjoy doing. Focus on the brand and bring its attributes and marketing messages to life. Connect the space with the lifestyle and the interest of the audience. Make the space visually inviting. Create designs that are big and bold. Finally, aim to inspire the audience. Motivate them to walk away with a goal to achieve. 

4. Incorporate technology to attract attention. Engage attendees with technology, particularly something interactive. If your client’s product is technological, offer a fun way to try it. Make a game out of it, offering prizes. People love social media booths and the opportunity to share videos, GIFs and unique photo ops. Invite guests into your space with looped, fast-moving videos/photos on a wall or monitor. Incorporate music if the venue allows. Music captures attention and lifts spirits. Utilize it if it fits your client’s brand.

5. Maximize your team and lead by example. Team work does make the dream work. Clearly delegate assignments to your team. Set expectations at the project start and again when you arrive at the venue. Establish deadlines to empower people. Projects also flow better and budgets are better maintained when deadlines are met. Manage your time wisely and remember to breathe. Events can be stressful. As the project manager, set an example. Be the manager you would want. Be respectful, supportive, clear, available and willing to help.

Creating experiential engagements can be a lot of work; but, it is all worth it when the client is pleased and event attendees love the space so much they don’t want to leave. Regardless of how big or how small activations are, they are great marketing vehicles to create meaningful brand connections that stay with consumers for years to come.

Thanks to all of our vendors, partners and amazing PRecise team that made this possible!