The Cape Town-based agency Stretch Experiential Marketing produced the fun and exciting
POP-OUT skate park. The skate park appealed to action sports fans and ‘popped out’ at universities across South Africa. Students were invited to take boot camp sessions in extreme sports with the pros and received loads of free samples and merchandise from the park’s funder Mountain Dew.
Stretch went on to produce the world’s most luxurious vending machine. This one-of-a-kind vending machine dispensed the new Chivas Regal "The Icon” whisky expression at a discerning R50 000 a bottle.
In addition, the agency produced a unique multi-sensory experience that took consumers on a journey of discovery through a series of fog curtains and dark booths with the objective of focusing their senses and developing increased awareness for the Twisp brand.
Other memorable marketing events include a Coca-Cola campaign produced by
Offlimit Communications where Design Indaba delegates were tasked with creating a design that showcased their most memorable “
Coke moment”. Designs were submitted in exchange for a chance to win a coveted 3D printer.
Another notable marketing stint was the re-enactment of a fallen UFO scene produced by the full-service communications agency
Joe Public. The scene was part of a national brand activation for Clover and FutureLife’s new smart-drink. “We positioned this new product as the drink from the future, so we had some fun on social media with hoax sightings and then with a spacecraft crash in Sandton,” says the executive creative director of Joe Public.
So what’s on the cards for 2016? The head of strategy at Stretch Experiential Marketing, Peter Hutchings, says;’ “I would expect that brands that properly invest in experiential marketing will look for deeper and longer connections with fewer [more targeted] consumers.”
Hutchings predicts that technology will play its part in terms of linking experiences more directly to conversions and sales but also in the experience itself. For example, whilst still in its infancy, virtual and augmented reality tech has come forward leaps and bounds over the last two years and we can expect this to lead the way in providing unique and immersive experiences in 2016.
Lastly, as more consumers are utilising social media channels on a daily basis, we’ll undoubtedly see experiential marketers continue to incorporate innovative and strategic social media campaigns in their overarching marketing strategies.