Are you carrying a brand like any business, company, or organization? The particular brand must be needed, from time to time, branding/marketing for engagement and to attract new users consistently. So, you must follow a brand activation strategy for your business or company. It will allow you to make your brand active in the market and build relationships with new brands.

Let’s learn more about brand activation, what it is, some top ideas that make your brand active, and why it is essential for every brand; we’ll also go through some specific platforms & strategies for brand activation. 

Nowadays, “Brand activations” appear everywhere and are famous for good reasons. According to EventTrack, 91% of consumers were more inclined to buy a company’s product or service after engaging in an event activation or experience. In comparison, 40% said they felt more loyal to the brand. 

However, understanding that Brand Activation Marketing is a practical approach differs from successfully implementing it. Brand activation service providers use strategy, planning, design, modelling, production, and installation to help brands realize their ideas. Some marketing companies will adequately guide you through the entire process, like how to activate your brand and what plans will perfectly suit your products or services. 

What Exactly is Brand Activation Marketing?

Brand activation marketing entails giving a brand experience to customers to boost brand awareness and presence.

The exciting thing about brand activation is that it can occur anywhere and offer a unique brand experience. Many techniques are used to activate your brand in the market. Brand activation marketing aims to give the target audience a novel & distinctive brand experience so they may become brand ambassadors & representatives. By providing a unique experience, several businesses employ various strategies to improve their brand’s visibility in the lives of their clients. Brand activation highlights how your company(brand) differs from the competition.

Top Most Brand Activation Ideas

Several local and multinational brands use different kinds of brand activation initiatives to increase relationships with consumers or new customers. Among the many Brand Activation Ideas are trade exhibitions, industry events, and free trial campaigns. Here are ten ideas – Cool, inventive, and creative plans that must benefit your organization or brand.

1. Consider Freemium Plans

Freemium plans should be arranged reasonably and valuable to have a substantial effect and return good conversion of free plans to premium ones. After the COVID-19 pandemic with saturated markets, offering fair freemium plans is a great idea, especially when the target audience loves to continue using an app or a service. Freemium plans are modern-day sale plans, and brands, to get a more significant market portion, should try their best to make it easy for customers to buy or level up their plans.

2. Sending Marketing Gifts

One of the most traditional and effective brand activation strategies is to deliver well-designed presents featuring the company’s logo & contact information. Gifts, such as paper envelopes, notebooks, and calendars, are used by people as useful time machines. In a brand activation marketing campaign, sending product samples or marketing catalogues can also be effective.

3. Online Broadcasting

A few years ago, marketers needed a TV channel or radio station to communicate their messaging to their target audience. These days, they may create live programmes with several hundred thousand viewers and participants with a free SoundCloud or Instagram account. 

4. Showcase Features

The same guidelines apply here as when attempting to address an issue. Your product’s function & method should be demonstrated rather than the product itself. According to yet another marketing maxim, a fundamental brand experience sets a business apart from its competitors within its industry. Showcase events and performances should serve as examples of the core brand experience. 

Various content is available to create a slideshow or visual demonstration that multiple brands in diverse industries may employ. Technical and commercial information can be produced through visual showcases. Two standard formats for showcasing features are infographics and motion graphics.

5. Multiple Surprising Elements

Brand activation should include a few unexpected components to interest and amuse highly exceptional guests, depending on the event’s duration and nature. Brands host a large number of visitors and offer a variety of programmes to keep guests of all generations engaged. For example, in brand activation marketing campaigns, one unexpected and fantastic item features singers and music artists performing a great song live at the event. Think of brand activation as a party with essential guests and try to amuse and satisfy consumers.

6. Immersive Experience

Brands use various visual content to increase engagement with their new products and services, ranging from augmented reality beauty apps to virtual tours depicting hotel spaces & real estate items. Companies with exhibit space can leverage the latest panoramic and 360-degree video technology to provide clients with an easy-to-use, high-tech experience. Sooner or later, high-tech start-ups and technology companies will need to meet this demand since immersive visual experiences will become as usual as video products and streaming services.

7. Theme Events

Throwing a fantastic party is always a terrific idea to activate a brand. Businesses may engage customers more effectively by hosting themed parties. Whenever a brand thinks about a themed party for activation, they attempt to balance the profitable formal portions of the programme and the more pleasant or relaxed aspects. However, planning a themed party is challenging, and people need some experience to make it an unforgettable event for attendees.

8. Partnership and Cooperation

Another effective brand activation marketing strategy is to include another brand in the primary brand 

experience. Technology companies frequently offer partnership programmes. Some businesses and brands often undertake consumer electronics and collaboration campaigns. Using the resources or equipment of other brands during a brand activation event could result in a brand alliance. 

9. Invite Influencers

People adore celebrities and influencers, so including some of them in the programme is always a brilliant idea for brand activation. They have a following that will expand a brand activation marketing campaign’s regular audience. Because some bloggers and influencers are well-known in their fields, their suggestions and comments are more helpful in creating marketing campaigns and promoting brand activation. Depending on the service/product and the central theme of brand activation, they may invite professional and prominent influencers to cheer up the event.

10. Track the Problem Solving Process

As you know, businesses do not offer products or services to customers; instead, they solve their problems. A company can benefit from tracking the problem-solving process if it takes time. Their social media users’ customers share their experiences with their social network connections, who may become the brand’s next customers. A strategic use of drip or variable-based content marketing could facilitate the tracking of the problem-solving process.

11. Funny & Engaging Brand Activation

Brand activation only sometimes involves a press release or a formal announcement. Providing individuals with their wanted products might also be more entertaining and engaging. Still, it takes a lot of work and a fun programme to entertain your guests. In addition to making sure everything is well organized, you should consider providing participants with intriguing programmes. This is a fantastic opportunity to convert potential clients into devoted supporters of your brand.

Why is Brand Activation Marketing So Important?

In the age of digital marketing, it’s exceedingly difficult to stand out amid thousands of companies all working hard to reach their objectives/goals. Marketers search for engaging & successful ways to draw in their target audience to establish a brand’s recognition. “Brand activation, guerrilla marketing, ambient marketing, and ambush marketing” are just a few examples of the many types of experiential marketing that may exist.

If you’re starting a business, you already know your target audience, but they need to learn about it. Brand activation marketing is a great way to introduce your business and connect with potential customers. Create something exciting & relevant to your business with experiential marketing, and even people who need to become more familiar with you will be interested.

It’s time to know more about this tactic now that you understand why businesses frequently organize different events, design distinctive advertising campaigns, and have direct customer interactions. 

1. Establish the values that your brand represents. The first step is to choose what you want to be known for and what you appreciate in this market. It is crucial for your current position of the brand and to consider what others think about your brand. As a result, you must ensure that your brand message is crystal clear.

2. Define your audience. Are you completely aware of your audience and their requirements and desires? If you are not, you must study your target audience first and plan a brand activation after the needs. According to the poll, 72% of customers prefer interacting with marketing communications relevant to their interests. Because of this, you must be aware of the characteristics, interests, and demographics of your ideal customers. It would help to look for customers who value your products or services the most.

3. Conduct a SWOT analysis. Knowing your brand’s advantages, disadvantages, possibilities, and risks is essential before organizing any event, campaign, or installation. Remember that while many brand activation efforts can be easy and inexpensive, others may need more resources. However, starting a campaign can sometimes require a small budget because simple things like a well-designed booth placement can draw large crowds.

4. Examine your audience-reaching strategies. Remember that you have many options for engaging potential customers, such as setting up mobile vans, hosting games, and other events. Select an effective technique to convey your idea to your intended audience.

5. Consider the management. The final stage is to combine the previous ones and establish a fantastic team to bring it all to reality. Assign responsibilities to the appropriate people to involve your entire team.

Multiple Brand Activation Platforms & Strategies

Brand activation takes place on a variety of platforms. According to the brand activation company, these are good platforms and much better. Some brands necessitate conventional & antiquated platforms for brand activation, whereas others prioritize brand activation through adaptation to emerging trends. It depends on the sort of business, the activation strategy, the marketer’s thought process, and current trends.

1. Brand activation via a digital platform

Social media platforms, websites, and other digital or online brand activation tools are used as examples of online or digital brand activation tools. Before beginning the process of online brand activation, a strategic planning step, which can be single or multi-phase, must be completed. By employing audience microtargeting and an intent-based approach, an online campaign known as a “digital brand activation” can immediately increase brand awareness & boost leads or sales.

Marketers can use an integrated omnichannel strategy to link audience search and social media behaviour to interact. Then, for each customer, design digital experiences that are highly engaging and involve them.

2. Sampling Campaign

A sampling strategy involves getting the customer’s brand into the hands & mouths of customers. It is frequently a consumer-packaged good, such as a beverage or something to eat, and the product will be produced around it. It might be anything as straightforward as a grocery store sampling initiative or something more complex. As a result, the customer will be able to try it. They might be able to offer some feedback.

3. Experiential marketing

As time passes, people become increasingly interested in testing a product before purchasing it. They want to comprehend and experience the product before investing money in it. However, in today’s society, thrilling digital and real-life experiences are more accessible. It might be challenging to stand out in a crowd. A brand will differentiate itself from the competition if it can deliver a remarkable customer experience. Many brands use experiential marketing to help them reach their objectives as consumers become increasingly interested in experiences.

Important Takeaways

• Brand activation marketing is the process of providing a distinctive experience people want.
• Creativity is essential for every effective brand activation.
• Both physical locations & online platforms can experience brand activation.
• Brand activation, like other marketing efforts, aims to make hashtags or content become viral.
• To make the brand activation engaging and exciting, brands use all available resources.
• Individual samples are distributed to the target population using online means, which needs a creative approach.

Check out our blog to learn about performance marketing.

FAQ’s

Question 1: What’s another name for brand activation?

Brand activation, also known as “brand engagement”, focuses on creating a long-term emotional connection between the brand & the customer.

Question 2: What makes a successful brand activation?

Developing novel & captivating content to capture the target audience’s interest is the most crucial goal of brand activation marketing campaigns. They should be entertaining & surprising, with unique aspects that can effectively engage and influence people.

Question 3: What are the types of brand activation?

In-store promotions, influencer alliances, live events, product debuts, social media campaigns, and other experiential marketing efforts are some examples of brand activation.

Question 4: What is the power of brand activation marketing ?

Brand activation marketing increases brand awareness & connection building by engaging potential customers via hands-on experiences. You may establish enduring bonds with your customers and imprint your brand on their minds.

Question 5: How much does branding activation marketing cost?

Depending on the type of branding, the prices can differ significantly. For instance, you may spend between $1,000 and $25,000 for a small business. Consider expenses such as influencer marketing expenditures, digital advertising, and event logistics.