Connecting the Virtual World to the Real World

At the Coca-Cola Village Amusement Park in Israel, Coke asked visitors to enter their Facebook contact information and gave them RFID (radio frequency identification) bracelets to wear around the park. The park placed an RFID reader at the exit of each ride. Visitors who enjoyed the ride could walk up to the reader with their bracelet and could post a like to their Facebook page. Similarly, the park employed roving photographers who would snap pictures at a visitor's request. The visitor could then swipe their bracelet near a portable RFID reader and instantly post and tag themselves in the photo on Facebook. This creative, integrated effort generated 35,000 Facebook updates per day.

This is just one example of how digital technology has forever changed the world of experiential, guerilla marketing. The opportunity to reach a local audience used to be limited to the duration of an event, but now marketers can continue the relationship long after the lights go out and tents are packed. While the Coke example was involved and costly-a business should expect to pay at least $15,000 for complete online integration-there are also cheaper and simpler methods. Simple enter-to-win contests can be performed with signs at an event inviting attendees to enter through Twitter messages with hash tags. This allows a brand to reach an entire audience that isn't present, captures the Twitter contact information of the contestant, and promotes the company's message across multiple social networks with hundreds to thousands of tweets.

When combined with experiential marketing, social media has the power to extend audience reach at events and convert more followers to a sale by engaging with three to four times the typical number of attendees and increasing attendee data capture rates tenfold, potentially raising the value of the show exponentially.

Digital Fingerprints

Data is gold to marketers, and data collection is one area where experiential marketing has undergone the biggest transformation due to technological advancements. Collecting and effectively using those digital fingerprints requires technology, brand ambassadors, a fun experience and following up with attendees.

The aim of embedding social media in an event is to encourage people to post, tweet, blog, and converse about your brand through their online personas. So give them the tools to make this happen: an entertaining (but branded) background image for pictures, or an incentive to post or Like in return for an enter-to-win contest. Make sure this activity happens through attendees' online profiles, and not just your brand page. This is how you will reach their community-which can amplify the conversation at the event 100- to 200-fold by simply leveraging the conversations created in their digital spaces.

Collecting data about attendees can be done in many ways as technology has moved far beyond the traditional business card fish bowl raffle. The more adventurous may flash a sign-up form on an iPad or large screen to provide an interactive data capture system. The extreme adventure seeker may use even newer technologies such as RFID (an electronic ID tag) or social media embedded applications.

Tradeshow operators are now embedding attendee registration information in lanyards, badges and nametags through RFID. (The technology has been used for years in security badges, parking garage cards and road-race chips for tracking and identification purposes.) Exhibitors then use RFID readers to capture the contact information of all booth visitors, which is easier and more efficient than collecting business cards. Security is not a concern with these digital readers, as people need to sign up and authorize access to their information.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, a National Hockey League team, is using RFID to reward season ticket holders by giving them RFID-embedded jerseys. When scanned by concession stand and pro shop workers, the wearer receives deals on food and merchandise as a token of the team's appreciation.

The Cool Factor

There's nothing better than having the most exciting booth at a tradeshow or a well-attended event. Taking advantage of this attraction can turn every attendee into a brand ambassador to the world, even if only for a moment. Ideally, you will start the conversation at the event and then encourage attendees to continue it with your brand virtually. Multi-action step campaigns can be complicated and cumbersome, but they pay off in the social media space. Don't make it difficult for users to enter, track or win a competition, but instead spark their desire to participate repetitively.

Incorporating social media at events is easy. Creating fun is key to a campaign's success. Live brand ambassadors interacting with attendees can provide opportunities to capture entertaining pictures, such as Jabra did at the national Wireless Association show. Attractive brand ambassadors were dressed as police officers and arrested attendees for not using a hands-free device with their phone. If you didn't guess already, Jabra sells headsets and wireless speakerphone accessories. The arresting officers would then capture the attendee's mug shot that was then automatically processed to have a jail-style frame/border and a branded message. Those images were selectively posted, with initial permission, to the Facebook page of the brand and the attendee's personal page.

The liquor company Patron Tequila used live nightclub events to entertain patrons with gesture tracking walls. Patrons would interact with screens that followed arm and hand gestures and created amazing designs on an oversized screen based on the person's movement. Friends were capturing the live art display on the branded screen as their friends moved and posted photos and videos online.

Microsoft recently used RFID bracelets at a major industry event to measure attendee interest in their various exhibit areas. They injected a fun, cool factor by displaying heat maps on screens throughout the show. Visitors could see which exhibits were most popular. The software giant also used RFID to control VIP seating access. Imagine your name and a welcome message showing on screen as you pass by.

Continuing the Conversation

All these methods allow brands to measure the impact and value of an event and amplify the conversation in the virtual world while operating in the real world. And it allows the conversation to continue when the event ends. By embedding social media into your event, you will successfully win new Facebook likes, Twitter followers or members of your Google+ circles. Then you can continue to engage these consumers in the virtual space

Another trend is using applications, or apps, embedded within the various social media platforms to engage, attract and execute full campaigns. Social media apps can be used to capture more information, such as email addresses, and to drive campaigns that include digital coupons, retail drivers and referral efforts. It is possible to make sales directly from social media platforms.

While social media can enhance experiential marketing, you need to keep these goals in mind: capture data, publicize event activity online, reward loyal customers and VIPs, and make the shopping experience easier for patrons. By investing in social media integration, you can exponentially increase your marketing reach and future business success. 

Sean Owen, president and CEO of wed in Manchester, is a digital experiential marketing expert. He can be reached at www.wedu.com or 603-647-9338.