Why brands are taking a pragmatic approach to experiential marketing
Has a socially distanced world rendered experiential marketing redundant, or has the lockdown only emphasised the importance of real life events as milestones in consumers’ lives?
From the BAFTAs to the Brits, Wembley to Wimbledon, our favourite events have always been associated with one key constant – brands.
Come 2020 and with the events, exhibitions, installations and pop-ups that would have been summer highlights all but shelved, can the same be said for experiential marketing?
For brands like EE, Mastercard and Pernod Ricard, 2020 has tested the boundaries of innovation and agility as experiential budgets suffered last minute diversions. Yet one common denominator has seen marketers through the toughest of times – staying true to brand values and purpose.
“We’ve had to be nimble in our thought process, but still have a focus on what we were trying to achieve,” says Matt Stevenson, head of sponsorship and brand activation at EE. Stevenson oversees the Glastonbury, BAFTA and Wembley partnerships for EE, and Home Nations football, Scottish Rugby and Apprentice Nation for BT.
