Organizing a brand activation event is the first step to establishing a brand and putting your product into consumer’s hands. Brand activations need careful planning as they involve many steps to succeed. A checklist detailing what you must do at every stage will help you achieve your goals.
The marketing industry is experiencing a noticeable change. Consumers aren’t reacting to traditional marketing efforts, so companies must get creative when they want to launch new products or simply increase brand awareness. So, if regular ads and campaigns aren’t cutting it, what is working?
The latest strategy taking the marketing world by storm is brand activation through event marketing. It involves organizing interactive and engaging events to capture consumer interest. In fact, such experiential marketing strategies are so effective that 64% of participants still remember the good impressions even a month after the event.
However, successful brand activations don’t just happen. They require detailed planning. And what better way to keep you on track than a good ‘ol checklist? Lucky for you, Attack! Marketing knows all there is to know about how to plan a brand activation and everything that goes into it. We’ve been helping brands execute impactful event campaigns for years, so without further ado, here is our tried and true checklist for successful brand activations.
In a climate where 72% of consumers prefer spending money on experiences over material things, how do you sell them your products? Turn your marketing efforts into an immersive experience that clients can engage and share with others. Make them feel like they are part of your brand's story.
Experiential and field marketing help companies forge a lasting connection with their consumer base. When done well, they will increase the brand’s visibility because the people at the event want to share their experience with others, usually using social media. They also build trust among the audience and serve to increase sales, as 85% of participants in such experiences are more likely to buy the product.
And what exactly qualifies as a brand activation? Lucky for you, there are numerous events you can organize:
Now that we know what brand activation is, it’s time to learn what it takes to pull one off without a hitch. This can be the make-or-break moment for new brands that are just establishing their presence on the market.
You want the first impression you leave on potential customers to be memorable and impactful, so all future associations with your brand bring out good vibes. Here are the steps to execute a successful brand activation and wow potential clients.
Before you start planning events, it’s important to set clear goals for your activation. What is your company trying to accomplish? Your goals will guide every decision you make and make it easier to assess the success of the activation after it’s over. Some common objectives include:
For instance, focus on creating a visually striking experience to raise awareness. Create plenty of opportunities for taking photos, either with fun backdrops or even a mascot. Have a unique hashtag and encourage participants to share their pictures on their socials.
If you want to generate leads, include product demonstrations and offer discounts or freebies to attendees in exchange for their email addresses. After the event is done and wrapped, how do you know it was successful? Well, in addition to goals, set some measurable KPIs, like:
Want to know the best thing you can do while preparing for brand activation? Get to know your target consumer base. It’s hard to sell sodas to a health-conscious crowd, but setting up a headphone party at a music festival is the right marketing move.
Who are you trying to reach? Is your core demographic millennials or Gen Z? What are their main interests and values? For example, people aged 16-26 mostly care about mental health and the state of the environment, so you’ll probably reach this demographic with events that support mental wellness or promote environmental awareness.
Once you know your audience, think about where and when you’re most likely to find them and get them to interact with your brand. Is your audience primarily online or offline? Also, time your activation around events or locations most relevant to your target demographic.
One of the most important pieces of advice in any marketing activation guide is to plan your budget to perfection. Knowing how much you can invest in the event will make sure you don’t overspend on unnecessary items and instead allocate resources to areas that will have the greatest impact. Some of the costs you must budget for are:
For successful brand activations, it’s not enough to just allocate money; you must also allocate the right resources. You must have the right team and secure all the tools and vendors to execute your activation. This includes:
You must have a fully developed event concept for your first-time brand activation to leave the right impression on consumers and the market. The activation should have a clear, concise message that speaks to audiences and showcases your brand’s ideals. What do you want your clients to get from the experience? Does your product make life easier, more fun, or more sustainable?
You also need compelling visuals to support the narrative you're trying to tell. Let’s say you’re trying to promote a fruity seltzer water with added vitamins. The theme should be fun and summery. You can have props in the shape of bubbles and fruits in bright colors.
There is also the hands-on element of the activation. Statistics show that 78% of consumers will buy a product after trying it, so give people a chance to handle whatever you’re promoting. You can even turn this into an interactive experience with the help of:
Some other useful tips for launching your first marketing activation include securing the perfect venue for a promotional event. You can’t just set up without taking care of the logistics first. Depending on your location, you’ll probably need permits to organize pop-up shops, outdoor events, displays, or product sampling.
You also have to choose a suitable location for the event. It should be someplace that’s easy to get to and can handle the number of people you predicted would show up. When choosing the right location, think about:
If you’re hosting an outdoor event, remember to account for the weather and always have a contingency plan in case it changes. Have a tented area where attendees can hide in case it rains or the weather gets too hot. Also, bring waterproof coverings for your equipment.
Best practices for experiential marketing activations also include some type of traditional marketing. Throwing such an important event means getting the word out in time and getting people excited to attend. Some pre-event brand engagement strategies you can use to generate some hype include:
You should also put some effort into the on-site promotion. Put up banners near the venue, and have properly trained and uniformed staff hand out flyers and drum up excitement about what’s happening. Have the staff direct passers-by to the venue by explaining that they can get free samples or participate in giveaways.
When planning brand activations, remember that the people selling your products are your greatest marketers. No matter how effective your brand awareness campaigns are, your sales will suffer if your staff doesn’t know what they’re doing or seems unenthusiastic about the products.
Before the event, give them a thorough course on the product and teach them how to answer possible customer questions. Your promo staff must be knowledgeable, approachable, and trained to handle customer interactions.
They should also have defined responsibilities and know where to be and what to do at all times. Have a designated person to manage the registration table, another one to oversee product demonstrations, and an expert to handle social media updates in real time.
If you want to take it a step further, introduce a brand ambassador. Everyone knows Flo from Progressive and Martin the gecko from Geico. Appoint a person who will be the face of the product and someone consumers will be excited to meet.
You’ve followed our marketing event checklist to pre-plan; now it’s time for the actual event. The best tips for first-time brand activations we can give you is arriving early and testing your set-up. Check if the technology (e.g., screens, projectors, sound systems) works properly and that physical displays are up correctly.
Once the event starts, ensure the promotional staff engages with attendees. Give them a chance to interact with the product directly and draw them into casual conversations where you can naturally explain its use and purpose. Explain the prizes to encourage participation if you’re holding contests or giveaways.
You can use this opportunity to collect consumer data to prepare for future brand activation strategies. Ask for their emails to send newsletters about upcoming events. Create a system to collect valuable feedback, such as questionnaires or QR codes that will take them to a short survey.
What you need to know about first-time brand activations is that activation planning for businesses doesn’t stop after the event is over. Once everyone is gone and your setup is packed up, it’s time to see how well you did. Look at your KPIs, like foot traffic, social media mentions, leads, and direct sales.
Review the feedback from surveys and online comments to understand attendee experiences better and see which areas of the event need improvement. See what worked, what needs more work, or what you can leave off altogether next time.
Organize all generated leads and send personalized offers or discounts to attendees who gave their contact information. Continue the conversation surrounding the activation on social media by commenting on posts and sharing photos. Try to respond to most comments and thank people for their attendance.
Even the best field marketing activation strategies for new brands can sometimes fail without proper planning. While a detailed checklist may seem overkill, it will keep you on track and help you determine whether anything is missing from your plan.
For instance, you can’t have a successful activation without deciding on your goals first. Without clear objectives, your activation will lack direction and yield underwhelming results. So, if your goal is greater awareness, you’ll know to focus more effort on social media mentions and posts.
Another common mistake is not paying enough attention to behind-the-scenes logistics. This oversight can lead to last-minute stress or, worse, poor customer experiences. Remember to follow up with attendees and keep the momentum going; otherwise, you will miss out on opportunities to convert leads into monetary sales.
Pulling off a successful brand activation is hard when you’re a first-timer. Luckily, Attack! Marketing has 20 years of experience in field marketing and brand activations. Experiential marketing is our expertise, and we have many helpful brand and field activation tips we’re excited to share with our clients. Our service catalog includes:
This is how to create impactful brand activations. With the help of industry experts like Attack! Marketing. When you need to launch a new product or create buzz around your brand, come to us for memorable campaigns.
So, what’s the secret behind flawless brand activation? Thorough planning and a detailed checklist so you don’t skip any of the steps that will lead you to success. Feel free to use the one we provide here as a roadmap that will guide you to your goal, whether that’s increasing direct sales or getting your brand name trending on social media.
Are you still trying to figure out how to plan a brand activation? Attack! Marketing is here to help you plan the perfect event. From finding the ideal venue to event promotion and staffing, we’ll make sure your first launch goes off without a hitch.
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Christian Jurinka serves as the CEO and oversees the business development and strategic vision for the agency. Attack! connects brands with consumers, driving loyalty, purchase and velocity through comprehensive, ROI-focused field marketing services.
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