A student recently asked what do I like best about experiential marketing. Man, that's a broad question. People write entire books on the subject. For a blog post, I'll break it down to what I like most recently about experiential marketing.

When it comes to things like events, I like the fact that the response is immediate – you know right away if you're connecting with your intended audience. For example, I just did an event that featured a game show on stage that I developed with my team. Think of it as The Price is Right meets Let's Make A Deal.

The audience had a great time. Even if you weren't a contestant, the audience shouted answers and suggestions on what the players should do. It's great to see your work live when it connects with people (and even when it doesn't get the reaction you hoped). I'd compare it to a Broadway actor vs. a film actor. On stage, you get to see and experience the immediate reactions of your audience. A film actor, or in this case, someone who works on commercials and traditional marketing has to wait and get reports on the audiences' responses to their work.


Don't get me wrong. I love doing commercial work. And if you love traditional marketing, my purpose is not to change that. But you must admit, you'd find it very satisfying to witness that your idea is a hit, rather than hearing about it in a report. And if it's a flop, you have a better idea on how to fix it (if you can), if you see what didn't work, rather than relying on information from other opinions that may have you flying blindly.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.