| OTR at the Experiential Marketing Summit Meeting
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Location: Blogs Todd Simon |
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Posted by: Todd Simon |
Posted 118 Days Ago | 722 Views |
OTR at the Experiential Marketing Summit Meeting |
Just returned from the Experiential Marketing Summit meeting in beautiful springtime Chicago. The summit keeps growing and this year there were over 1000 experiential marketing experts in attendance. The event provided both instructive seminars and case studies in addition to a well attended exhibit area.
As in any meeting that brings creative people together, there is always a competition for the new buzz words or acronym. This year was no exception.
I heard about 'AOO' - achievement of objectives. I heard "legacy does not equal legitimacy". I saw examples of single page web sites now called 'micro sites' (landing pages that connect from a teaser email to your branded web site). I heard about white space technology, speed networking, and EME - experiential marketing effectiveness.
But what I personally took away from the summit was not only the commitment by many major brands to the power of experiential marketing, but their continuing requirement for effective measurement of these programs. As overheard in one session, "if it moves...we measure it". One aspect of this focus on program effectiveness was the connection between measurement and retaining or increasing budgets. They are using surveys, focus groups, observational and sales tracking data to build comprehensive and highly detailed measurement reports. These reports are being used for program improvement and for presentation to their executives for budget defense or increase.
Another aspect of the summit was the increased use of integrated marketing. The blending of advertising and PR content with immersion events was shown to be highly effective. Both broadcast and narrow cast messaging is being employed in very strategic ways. It was obvious that progressive companies realize that to target and attract high value audiences, it is essential to speak directly to them and with language they understand. Multiple message streams are being used to insure maximum attendance to these experiential marketing programs.
So, just as the exhibit world went from automatic budget expenditures without justification to tightly measured and controlled, so too has the world of experiential events. Measurement is becoming, or already has become, a fact of life.
Are you measuring your EM programs? If so, you have already seen the power this data can provide.
If you aren't, how can you prove to your management that you are improving your events or accomplishing AOO?
If you have any questions to this blog, either respond here or to me at tsimon@mc-2.com.
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By legacy does not equal legitimacy are you saying "just because we've been around for a while doesn't mean we are very good?"
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POWERPOINT
"Greening the world...one trade show at a time." How green is your trade show program? Download our handy Powerpoint file and be ready for your next planning meeting.
WHITE PAPER
This white paper from our partner Hallman & Associates was featured in our June issue of eConnections. With a quick registration, you can download it here.
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