The first events industry TweetUp of 2010

The Lovely Mr Peter Kerwood of Merlin Events Group hosted the latest events industry TweetUp at Madame Tussauds earlier this week.

Here is a video of the event.

The power of Digital & Live

There are many advocates of the use of digital to enhance and amplify a consumer focused experiential campaign.

But just as experiential techniques can be used in a corporate environment to engage internal audiences, social media platforms should also be used to enhance internal events by engaging delegates pre and post event and on-site.

The use of social media can be used to create exposure and increase attendance pre event, engender engagement whilst on-site and then gather feedback and reinforce the event’s impact long after delegates return to the workplace.

Twitter is a good place to start – it is a very powerful tool in terms of pre event promotion and, as my team has proven in past experience with projects for clients such as Carphone Warehouse, Twitter is an incredible tool for engaging with audiences during event. It appears that using channels such as Twitter in the corporate event environment actually liberates people to speak out when they would normally shy away from asking questions or offering commentary at an event. After all – it is an effective communication tool - it enhances word of mouth and offers the opportunity to capture truthful commentary. In addition, it’s an easy way to share and gather information before the event, during the event and between attendees.

Social media has now become an accepted mechanic in the corporate communications arsenal. Portals such as Linkedin have opened up a whole new world of shared information and networking in the business world and its influence has now led to some incredible new forms of networking technology that allow corporate event organisers to engage their audiences like never before. I am very proud to say that my division RPM Corporate is about to sign a deal with a technology supplier that has built one of the most interesting and technically advanced registration and networking tools to hit our sector for some time.

‘RPM Connect’ will allow an incredible range of audience interaction and networking as well as profiling, feedback, delegate management, content sharing and microblogging. This is just another step in our division recognising the value of social and digital media to content share and network.

I have used social media on many occasions and to great effect with past clients such as innocent (around its village fete), but the use of social media to support consumer experiences is nothing new and all good agencies utilise the various platforms at every opportunity. However in the corporate space its use is a little less common and this offers up a debate in terms of how can you, and how should you, use social media in the corporate environment?

I spoke at a conference last year and an audience member challenged my suggestion that social media opens a new opportunity in internal communications and employee engagement. She even suggested that it was dangerous to allow freedom of speech and it could open up a can of worms, and heaven forbid - what if the commentary was negative?

Well, in my opinion you cannot make change and improve if you do not know all of the facts and you do not know how your people feel. But if you have the negatives you can turn them into positives. A client of RPM Corporate has embraced a proposition we made recently to resolve an internal communications issue. We opened a Twitter channel for internal communication, posed the question and thus opened the debate. Answers can only be a maximum of 140 characters so this ensured that employees think about what they say and how they say it. This mechanic also allows Direct Messaging for an immediate response and commentary is archived. The business has a massive network of out of office staff but they are all on blackberry so access to twitter is an easy communication and content sharing option.

Avoid the use of social media and the online community at your peril!

It is also clear from our experience that increasingly more and more brands are bringing digital techniques into the physical retail environment to add value to the shopping experience. I read recently about RFID Radio Frequency Identity being used on shopping trolleys so that location based advertising can be streamed to the screen on a trolley. This opens up a whole new world of marketing opportunity and it won’t be long before the event and exhibition industry will harness this technology.

Augmented reality in the corporate environment is also giving the challenge of engaging staff an interesting twist. I am currently proposing the use of augmented reality hotspots around the office of a major client, these unobtrusive hotspots will offer the opportunity for staff to engage with corporate message in dwell areas by simply pointing supplied interactive tablets or indeed their own mobile phones.

So all of the above proves that you cannot and should not ignore the opportunity to support live experiences with digital and interactive media.

Those crazy guys at Bompas & Parr are at it again...

I was delighted to be invited to their Gin Mist experience in Carnaby Street last year and it looks like they've gone a huge step further with an amazingly immersive experience for Courvoisier.

The photography is reminiscent of a David Lachapelle shoot and is well worth a viewing. These guys really know how to a brands essence and product at the heart of a gathering, this time they have created what must be the worlds largest Punch Bowl and have flooded a building with enough punch to serve 25,000 people.

I really do love it but i'm not sure of the issues of hygiene and the fact that you could raft across the drink but I don't doubt that they had all the bases covered on this front.

I really like the remote control garnishes.

Great car reveals...

I was talking to an automotive client earlier today and we were discussing launches and new and interesting ways to wow the audiences at dealer launches.

So i was having a trawl through the web and came across one of fords recent launches. Despite the speaker presentations the reveal is pretty darn slick.

2010 NAIAS

Metamorphosis - Building the education centres of the future

My team and I are currently immersed in a major brief for a UK broadcaster and education is at the heart of our thinking. In my research I have come across some outstanding initiatives that bring the end user into the planning and design and the outcome shows just how powerful this kind of end user collaboration can be.

This example especially resonated with me because I have a young child and education and choosing the right schools is currently high on my agenda.

Metamorphosis

This initiative also added further verification that my decision to include employee environment design into my divisions proposition is the right one. I believe that getting the working environment right can only help with employee retention, engagement and indeed productivity and what better way to engage than bring the employee into the planning... just another step in the right direction in terms of Fandom.

Also see Coolhunter for another perspective on the 'School of the future'.

Darth Vaders Shoes!

Those that know me and the name of my son will understand my attraction to the latest campaign by Adidas Love it and I hope they come in kids sizes for my J.E.D.I

La Maîtresse de la Tour Eiffel

I visit Paris at least once a year to immerse myself in the art and fine food and despite many visits I still do not tire of what surprises the city can bring, whether it be performance art, installations or graffiti there is always something new.

This is an installation by the artist Michel de Broin and is reputed to be the largest mirror ball ever made.

It gives a wonderful atmospheric experience in the incredible gardens in the Jardin du Luxembourg.

La Maîtresse de la Tour Eiffel | 2009 from Michel de Broin on Vimeo.

The RPM Corporate Division is up and running and winning.

I am very proud to announce that RPM's new corporate division is now up and running and targeted to account for half of the agency's turnover within the next two years.

Already in the past 8 weeks the division has won two pieces of business and has secured the contract for at least one other client.

Since setting up RPM Corporate it has been my intention to recruit the best in class to drive the division forward and I am happy to announce the arrival of newly-appointed head of corporate Katie Kenny, formerly account director at Sledge. Katie is an extremely talented individual and brings with her many years of experience in the corporate communications and internal comms sector as well as extensive experience in the consumer and experiential markets.

Katie will progress her career and profile by leading an extensive team of producers, creative’s, planners and the “RPM intellectual Resource” she will also be the conduit to the board. Katie’s arrival along with other team members show’s how serious we are about the investment in this division and will give me the freedom to drive forward the divisions new business team as well as promoting the intellectual resource.

I am currently recruiting a number of experts in the field of internal communications, training and development for businesses, research evaluation and employee engagement to form the corporate division's Intellectual Resource team. Thus far the support from the existing in house resource has helped us to secure two project wins and a new long-term client so the integration into the RPM business has been flawless

The initial goal of RPM Corporate is to replicate in the B2B market what experiential can do for consumers. Essentially, our division mantra will be to turn “Employees into Fans."


We will do this by creating comprehensive engagement programs that will first educate brands on the value of “Fandom” and then put into practice engaging experiences that will turn the employees into better supporters and promoters of the business. As a team we have spent many years educating brands about the value of consumer advocacy and it is high time that brands started to match the commitment they give to customers to their own staff.

Businesses need to start cashing in on the power of experience

The internal communications industry seems to have a more wary approach to embracing new mediums in comparison to the B2C market. Whilst consumer brands have been quick to jump on emerging communication methods to market to their customers, they have often relied on more traditional mediums when it comes to communicating with their employees. Whilst it can be argued that this approach has proved effective in the past, I don't think that the traditional thinking behind internal events has been challenged enough.

In a recently published report to Government entitled “Engaging for success: enhancing performance through employee engagement” The Rt Hon Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills said “Only organisations that truly engage and inspire their employees produce world class levels of innovation, productivity and performance.”

The report takes an in-depth look at employee engagement and reports on its potential benefits for companies, organisations and individual employees. It goes on to say that business and organisations function best when they make their employees’ commitment, potential, creativity and capability central to their operation. Clearly, having enough cash, and a sensible strategy, are vital. But how people behave at work can make the crucial difference between business and operational success or failure.

Gallup in 2006 examined 23,910 business units and compared top quartile and bottom quartile financial performance with engagement scores. They found that: Those with engagement scores in the bottom quartile averaged 31 – 51 per cent more employee turnover, 51 per cent more inventory shrinkage and 62 per cent more accidents. Those with engagement scores in the top quartile averaged 12 per cent higher customer advocacy, 18 per cent higher productivity and 12 per cent higher profitability.

Engagement is two way: organisations must work to engage the employee, who in turn has a choice about the level of engagement to offer the employer. Each reinforces the other.

There are so many new and innovative ways to inspire and engage the internal audience, from social media to experiential marketing. Developments in areas such as digital theatre and content sharing are creating a revolution in the B2C market that producers of internal events simply cannot ignore.

These new methods of engagement are not just for consumers; it's high time that corporate companies started treating their internal and business audiences as consumers, and building more immersive and engaging 'business brand experiences'.

The recent credit crunch has acted as a catalyst for change across all sectors and now is the perfect time for businesses to readdress the way they communicate with their internal and external audiences. Lord Mandelson confirms this: “ A recession might seem an unusual time for such reflection – in fact, the opposite is the case. Because Britain’s economic recovery and its competitive strengths in a global economy will be built on strong, innovative companies and confident employees, there has never been a more important time to think about employee engagement in Britain.”

Businesses have a duty now more than ever to demonstrate how their business values match those of their prospects, in addition to reassuring their existing clients and employees. We are seeing more and more brands embracing the use of social media and digital platforms to share, measure, and amplify their events and marketing strategy. There is such a wealth of technology available that empowers businesses with the tools to create memorable experiences - for clients, prospects and staff alike.

Experiential techniques, once the exclusive property of the B2C marketing department, are now transcending into the corporate world and are being used to engage prospects and staff. The economic climate has forced a move away from big budget spending on one medium; as a result businesses are looking for new ways to interact with their target demographic.

Businesses are under pressure to engage prospects and sustain a healthy bottom line, and it is difficult to generate stand out and cut through in an increasingly cluttered and saturated market place. And with reports that distrust in big companies, whether as supplier, client or employee, is at an all time low, it is more important than ever for corporates to try and engage on a more personal level. It is high time that brands and institutions started to treat their internal audiences as consumers in their own right and look to turn these people into fans of the brand.

Now is the time to focus on your business brand - A New Approach

In recent weeks i have been out and about meeting clients to discuss the new RPM Corporate Division and its reason for being, i thought i would use the blog to spread the word a little further because the reaction from clients has been very promising indeed and in fact we have already secured two new clients with our first employee engagement project kicking off in January 2010.

There are so many new and innovative ways to inspire and engage the corporate audience. Developments in areas such as digital theatre and content sharing are creating a revolution in the corporate communications and event market. In this day and age there is no excuse for “death by PowerPoint”; and I am certainly not referring to virtual events (don’t get me started on these glorified conference calls!).

In light of this, at RPM we recently launched a specialist corporate division, dedicated to providing a tailored and bespoke service for internal and B2B engagement briefs, headed up by yours truly.

This was a result of seeing a gap in the market for RPM to tap into, and knowing from a wealth of experience that this is the perfect time for re-addressing the way in which corporate clients approach their live communications, when talking to their internal and business audiences.

Today’s conference and B2B Meetings are utilising the latest wireless and HD technology. When we want audience interaction, education and content sharing, we are seeing an increase in the use of interactive and touch screen technology. Furthermore, we are seeing brands embracing the use of social media and digital platforms to share, measure, and amplify their events. You can be sure that 2010 and beyond will see clients enhancing their live experiences with the likes of 3D and augmented reality (watch the press for news of this with our project).

At RPM we live and breathe the power of experience, and have used many of today’s innovations to great effect when engaging consumers and delivering effective campaigns for clients. And in our view, these new methods of engagement are not just for consumers; it’s high time that corporate companies started treating their internal and business audiences as consumers, and building more immersive and engaging ‘business brand experiences’.

Ultimately, we are all consumers, and treating staff as such and investing time in ensuring that all methods of internal communication are as engaging and relevant as the external marketing messages is key in creating ambassadors for a business. Getting face to face and making sure that business messages are at the heart of the communication will be the key to success for clients in 2010.

It is our aim to build a division that provides a new and experiential approach to the way in which brands communicate to their audiences in the live environment. We will be building a sophisticated proposition that will be involved in the communication process from a very early stage, and following this we will create IP rights owned properties that clients can buy in isolation. These rights will cover areas such as communications audits, employee engagement tools and programmes and, of course, channel activation.

Experiential techniques, once the exclusive property of the marketing department, are now transcending into the corporate world and are being used to engage their staff. Never before have we seen so much distrust in big companies. With this in mind, and most successful business leaders across the world would agree, an engaged and motivated work force is the first step businesses need to take in order to reconnect with their customers and earn back their trust.

At RPM, our objective for the new Corporate Division is to focus on much more than business brand activation. Our aim is to integrate our thinking into our client’s business right from the creation of an idea, through to development, implementation and evaluation, and thus enable them to turn employees into loyal fans, which is arguably the best asset a business can have.

Recessionary times of staff disillusionment and uncertainty have created a perfect opportunity for this proposition. We have set ourselves some big targets and rightly so; I have 100% confidence that the team we are building and the existing exceptional internal resource at RPM will deliver tenfold.

Photographic endeavours

As my slow progression into the world of Photography continues I’m increasingly finding myself seeking out inspiration from the professionals.

Today I came across some stunning images from the Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, his photography is mostly devoted to the reflection of how industry shapes certain natural landscapes and I personally think his imagery brings this otherwise unknown fact of the modern world to us with startling yet stunning effect.

Go see more for yourself at his site

Twitterature

So we all now the ever increasing popularity of twitter and many of us have been embracing it for self promotion, new business and indeed Social Media marketing for some time and, like me you will no doubt have experienced its power and how it can increase awareness of your messages.

For example, prior to my departure from Sledge, Google analytics was showing that the main drivers to the Sledge.co.uk site were the following:

1. Google
2. Experiencethis/Twitter
3. Ian Irving Blog
4. Bing

And the hit figures from no’s 2 & 3 were pretty impressive, thus proving how powerful and cost efficient social media can be for business.

So, all this said… I was interested to read today of the forthcoming release of a rather interesting example of how Twitters USP has transcended into the more tangible world of literature. November sees everyone’s favourite publisher Penguin, release Twitterature… the worlds greatest books in 140 characters.

If for no other reason, as with any Penguin classic, it’s worth a purchase just for its achingly cool sleeve designs.

"A tool to aid the digestion of great literature" Says The Guardian

Buy it here

This got me thinking about the numerous speaking engagements I have coming up and perhaps I should consider taking this 140-character thing on board and see how I can adapt my Experiential Marketing presentations to meet this ever-increasing trend… Not groundbreaking thinking I know but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.

Interesting stuff...

Social Media and Digital Amplification

In recent weeks I have spoken at a number of industry events about the power of Experiential marketing in todays pressured economy. Aligned to these presentations i have been expressing the importance of brands embracing social media to amplify experiences and events.

current Sledge clients are embracing this with the use of Twitter and Face Book to support both internal events as well as consumer experiences. I was surprised this week to see many audience members at Event UK surprised that i encouraged corporates to use social media to engage their staff and enhance interaction and communication through a variety of social media channels.

So I have been doing a little more digging around and have enclosed some content below that should prove the value of social media channels, its should also become clear that in these times of restricted budgets these channels help to stretch the budget and spread the word.

In addition, here are a few tips around Twitter.

How to embrace Twitter and use this social media phenomenan to enhance your live events

1. Use Twitter to survey your niche audience… You can pose questions about site selection, content, speakers or other details about your event. A great way for immediate feedback prior to setting up event or feedback after the event.

2. Use Twitter for Hub of Info Updates… this will help create buzz and excitement around your event.

3. Create a chat around your event or topics around your event… This again creates buzz and excitement and can help grow the number of people who know about your event. Use the #, set up a time and have preset questions that you can ask. It will allow your attendees to give you feedback but even better is that it will get them to interact.

4. Promote on every signage, website, email etc… what the Twitter Handle is and the #hashtag.

At the event


1. Have the attendees tweet about the event… Have screens throughout the event showing a live stream of what the attendees are saying. It will be fun and engaging for attendees.

2. Use it as a way to ask questions to the speakers… This can be done by attendees at the event and ones who could not make the event.

3. Use it as an “info central”… for any updates, changes to the event to keep attendees informed up to the second.

4. Organize a TweetUp mixer around the event… This can be before the event, at the event or after the event. Embrace the tweeple.

Now get out there and use Twitter for your events.

Lets take it a step farther and talk about how to use it to increase exposure, attendance, and engagement at your events… Twitter’s power shines in promoting events. Why, because it is a communication tool and enhances word of mouth. It is an easy way to share before the event, during the event and between attendees.

There are several things we need to do to begin our sharing.

1. The first thing we need to do is determine our audience… Who are you targeting? Who is your unique audience? How are they going to find this info? Who in that group has a huge influence in your target group and can help you spread your message?

2. Create a # Hashtag… which we learned earlier is a way to aggregate info about a topic, which is basically a keyword that ties everything together. I have several but I am the head of Atlanta Bloggers and we use the #atlblog – so everybody that communicates about the event uses that # so that you can search for it and see all the conversation that surrounds the events.

3. Do a search on Twitter http://search.twitter.com (I prefer the advanced search so I can search by area) for certain keywords that may encompass and surround your niche market. Type in keywords and see what people in your niche are talking about. Who they are and follow them. Engage them and let them know about your event.

4. If the event is big enough and ongoing. An option may be to think about creating its own Twitter Handle.

5. Get your current network and followers to RT(forward) and share the invitation with their followers. Give them a discount code to share with their group. It gets them involved but also added value to their network.

Ian Irving to leave Sledge...

It is true ladies and gentlemen i will  be stepping down as commercial director of Sledge and will be leaving to pursue new ventures at the end of September.

After 11 years, the time is right for me to leave Sledge and to pursue new ventures. These are very interesting times and I am currently looking at new challenges within the experiential industry.   I’ll be remaining with Sledge until the end of September ensuring a smooth handover and helping the team to hopefully celebrate successes at the forthcoming Event Awards!  I’ve had a great time at Sledge and have been privileged to work with a fantastic team of very talented people.

Nic Cooper, Sledge CEO, said: “I’d like to thank Ian for the tremendous contribution he has made to the Sledge business over the years and wish him every success for the future.”

At present, there are no plans to replace Irving.

You can read more on this story at Event Magazine.

Experiential is growing fast but how can clients be sure that they are getting a decent return on investment?

We find that in difficult economic times there is an even greater demand for research to prove to advertisers that they are getting a return on every marketing penny they invest. This is especially true of niche or emerging marketing activity such as experiential.

Continental Research has evaluated the impact of over 50 experiential campaigns to date so are able to comment on ways of measuring impact. Different types of experiential activity call for different research approaches, but generally our preferred method of measuring impact uses a two stage approach:

At stage 1 we send recruiters to the event to enlist potential respondents from the crowd of event attendees, and collect their contact details. Stage 2 takes place approximately a fortnight later when we conduct telephone interviews with the attendees who we recruited.  We leave a fortnight before interviewing to allow respondents time to purchase whatever product or service was being promoted – something we like to measure. Also bear in mind it would not be feasible to conduct the interview at the event itself as the brand experience is usually so immersive that to ask respondents, for example, whether they have heard of that brand would be slightly ridiculous!

We also conduct interviews with a sample of people who did not attend the event. These are matched to the attendee sample on demographics and key behaviour, thus allowing us to compare the two samples and attribute any uplifts in brand awareness, positive perceptions of the brand and purchase solely to the experiential activity.

Due to the large number of campaigns we have measured we have been able to build normative data (i.e. average scores) on some key brand metrics. This has the added benefit of allowing us to put clients’ results into broader context by comparing any uplift on their brand’s metrics against the average uplift.

The research has found that the impact of experiential marketing is truly phenomenal. Even two weeks after being exposed to the activity our norms show that typically someone who attended an experiential event is 89% more likely to cite that brand spontaneously than a non-attendee and 303% more likely to recall advertising spontaneously. This compares very favourably indeed against the impact of other advertising media we have measured.

Much of this can be attributed to how positive respondents are about the event – on average 85% will score the experiential event either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

In terms of the impact on longer term metrics we would look at experiential’s impact on brand equity: Earlier this year Continental worked with Sledge – one of the leaders in experiential marketing – to evaluate some activity promoting the NIVEA Visage range.

If we compare perceptions of the range between the exposed and non-exposed samples it’s clear that the experiential activity has had a significant effect on perceptions of the brand (the red arrows denote statistically significant uplift):

Furthermore our normative data shows that 60% of people who attend an experiential event talk to other people about the event – on average between 4 and 5 other people! And 51% of people exposed to experiential marketing go on to recommend that brand typically to 4 other people.

This positive impact of experiential activity on an attendee’s perceptions of the brand and their likelihood to recommend it indicates that as well as boosting the necessary short-term measures (such as awareness of the brand), experiential is also effectively building a deeper, more long term relationship with consumers by significantly and positively influencing the way they think about that brand.

I can confirm that clients are demanding both ROI and also firm proof of the ROI from their experiential activity. It is imperative that experiential is evaluated, but whilst we wholeheartedly encourage our clients to have an evaluation element integrated into their campaign, budgets often dictate that this isn’t possible.

We encourage clients to reserve some budget to evaluate their campaigns, but many clients just don’t have any money. It is a sad fact of these hard times that agencies have to work harder to deliver more creative work that in return delivers a higher number of consumers - but for less budget. So there just isn’t any money left to pay for research and evaluation.

We know that when experiential activity is measured and evaluated the results are simply phenomenal. The work that Continental Research did for us for NIVEA proves this.

Social media and digital can provide a cost effective way to measure the success of experiential work. For last year’s innocent Village Fete we created several social media platforms (using facebook, flickr, you tube etc) for visitors to leave feedback, upload pictures and generally interact and tell innocent and the innocent community about their experiences. These sites helped create a community and turn visitors into advocates, but they were also very effective ways of channelling feedback about the event and of course, the brand. 

This article was written in collaboration with my colleague Max Willey of Continental Research

Recommended reading and viewing

Having recently finished the book by Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational I was keen to grab another installment of insight into the way advertisers and marketers manipulate consumers into believing in the message and indeed the product. When we make decisions we think we're in control, making rational choices. But are we?

Entertaining and surprising, Ariely’s book unmasks the subtle but powerful tricks that our minds play on us and how marketers, manufacturers and advertisers use this to their advantage.

So… the next installment, supplied by my creative director, who had discovered a Penguin 1957 copy of Vance Packard’s The Hidden Persuaders. Not only does it have the type of cover that says “you must have me on your shelf” but the content covered and the tricks used by advertisers to influence consumer behaviours. Even in the 1950’s shoppers were constantly led astray by the advertisers, it shows a rather sinister side to an industry that stripping away at our right to privacy.

I then discovered the following:

ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation.

Stormy times for Festivals

As yet another festival bites the dust, (Beachdown) it is clear that only the strongest public events will survive the credit crunch.

At first glance it would appear that brand activity at festivals has declined in the past festival year. However, I honestly believe that it is not purely the case that brands are withdrawing, but that they are actually being less frivolous about their choice of festival. It appears that the “build it, brand it and they will come” approach is a thing of the past and rightly so.

I’m an advocate of the collaboration of brands and music as long as it is an enhancement of the music experience as opposed to a distraction or interruption. The last season of festivals really started to show signs of brands trying to totally interrupt the experience. One such example was the inclusion of a skate half pipe provided by an energy drink during a wet Wireless festival in 2008, it was of no value to any of the punters and it was in fact closed for the majority of the event.

This years Wireless Festival was as good as brandless from an experience point of view and it was really noticeable. What was the reason? One brand left and the others followed? Brands had less spend? To be honest, I am not sure but the thought that it was recession based was alleviated when I visited Lovebox the following month.

This year’s Lovebox was saturated with brand activity and if I am really honest, it was not a negative. The fact that there were so many brands there actually worked: the experiences really enhanced the event and the punters sure as hell got into all of the brand spaces I visited.

Clever brands are embracing experiences that are relevant and more often than not involve a great music experience in their own right. It’s not rocket science and it certainly isn’t groundbreaking to make a music event within a music event: Bacardi and Strongbow have been doing it for years with great success and now brands such as Rizla are following suit and building a hell of a following in the process.

Innovation is not necessarily the key to a successful activity, the key is relevance and enhancement. There have been some wonderfully simple executions that will be embraced and advocated by festival visitors - campaigns such as the 10p on a cup by Carling, or the Rizla invisible players for Rizla by Exposure. These memorable branded experiences do a great job with engagement and are very simple to execute, but I am sure they will be around as long as the very successful Strongbow Rooms and The Bacardi B-Bar.

If your product, service and your target demographic are relevant to a certain festival then why would you not consider festivals as part of your strategy. They deliver captive audiences that will engage with you and your product   - as long as it fits and it enhances their experience.

The other important factor to consider (seriously consider) is the content that will you get from the involvement in a festival. What sort of amplification will you be afforded and how will you engage with the people you met at that event long after the event has finished?

In these times, ROI is king and if you as a marketer think that being there is enough to drive sales, then you are wrong. There is life beyond live and you must engage and amplify or the tens and hundreds of thousands of pounds that you spend will be worth nothing to the bottom line.

Give your fans something to talk about. Innocent’s village fete showed us that just because it was innocent’s festival, it didn’t mean that the audience forgot about the great experiences that were supplied by the likes of Yorkshire Tea and Pimms. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful tools in terms of behaviour and opinion changing by consumers.

But if it don’t fit, then don’t try to shoehorn it in, because the consumer will hate you for it.

The targeting comes down to meeting your objectives and the relevance of your offering to the event and its audience. Some brands are lucky that they can strategically fit into many types of festival with little danger of disconnection or lack of relevance. Take for example the Pimms Bus: this experience can happily drop into most form of festivals from arts, historical racing, flying displays and village fetes to multi act music festivals.

Choosing the right festival is an imperative and should be right at the heart of the strategy or you will easily become another ‘me too’ festival player and just be considered ‘Live Spam’.

There is another serious consideration that brands should look at: is their experience and content worthy of a fee?

If your experience is strong enough there is every chance that you will get away with charging consumers for the privilege of being there and then you can further amplify the experience by giving them some price worthy content to take away.

As ever this years V Festival was a stonker and the eminent brand experiences of Strongbow and Bacardi drew in the masses as ever so it proves that there is still huge value to brands that feel festival activity will hit their target audience.