In today’s saturated digital marketing age, it’s harder than ever for brands to stand out and get a competitive edge. Brands have to constantly innovate and find new ways to attract new customers while retaining the attention and interest of their existing customer base.
Brand activation strategies are an effective way to do that. A 2023 Freeman Trust Report states that 64% of consumers retain positive impressions of brands for at least a month following a brand activation. This shows that an exciting, memorable brand activation campaign has the potential to make an impactful first impression on your customers and create a powerful emotional connection with potential audiences.
Here are three interesting brand activation ideas to inspire you and get you started:
1. Introduce your brand interactively
One of the best ways to make customers remember who you are, and what you stand for, is by communicating your brand story in an interactive manner. Whatever angle you decide to go with (be it an emotional angle or a more light-hearted one), a unique and unforgettable brand story will stay etched in the minds of your potential customers.
The Tetris-style booth, designed for CMC Markets, encouraged visitors to walk in and interact with the brand.
In 2023, we conceptualised and designed the booths of major exhibitors for the Seedly Personal Finance Festival 2023. For CMC Markets, one of the major exhibitors of the annual festival, we helped to set up a Tetris-style space using strategically placed blocks.
As a result, the unique space gained the attention of visitors, which invited them to walk through the blocks as brand consultants CMC Markets introduced them to the brand.
2. Gamify the customer experience
There are several benefits of implementing gamification as part of your brand activation strategy. It enhances customer satisfaction and engagement, which in turn increases loyalty and advocacy.
In addition, turning your brand activation into a game gives you the opportunity to get valuable data and insights on what your customers like and how they may tend to act, which ultimately allows you to improve your future products and services.
A customer using her ticket at the mystery vending machine at the Lazada Festive Pop-up.
When we conceptualised the brand activation experience for the Lazada Festive Pop-up in December 2021, we wanted to increase the engagement between Lazada and its customers in a unique manner. But to do that, a simple display of its products will not suffice – we had to innovate the customer experience.
The result was a mystery vending machine, designed to work seamlessly with the Lazada app. In this online-to-offline campaign, shoppers at the brand activation event bought tickets on the app at $2 each, and in return, they stood to win a surprise from the vending machine.
3. Showcase your brand personality
Brand activations present a practical opportunity for you to showcase what your brand stands for. Use your brand activation as a vehicle to channel your personality, and let your customers experience first-hand the values that represent your brand.
The moomoo roadshows featured an activity corner (seen on the right) to engage children, while brand representatives spoke with the parents.
In 2021, we conceptualised a series of roadshows for moomoo, a brokerage app that wanted to advertise the launch of its cash management tool, Cash Plus. Banking on the jovial and family-friendly persona of moomoo’s brand image, we designed an activity corner to engage kids.
This allowed brand representatives to introduce Cash Plus to potential customers in a conducive environment, while simultaneously portraying moomoo as a family-oriented brand that understands the needs of its customers.
BONUS TIP: Partnering with an experienced brand activation agency
Brand activations come with a suite of benefits, but they may also bring challenges that are tricky to navigate on your own. A reliable solution is to partner with an experienced agency that can bring tried-and-tested brand activation strategies to the table.
Unearthed Productions is an award-winning full-service agency that conceptualises meaningfully effectual brand activations for a multitude of event formats. You’ll be able to tap into our expertise in crafting brand activation strategies that positively impact your customers and attract them to your products and services.
Plan your next brand activation campaign with us today!
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An attendee tries his hand at a claw machine in the HSBC Bank exhibition booth at Seedly Personal Finance Festival 2023.