Brand Activation is Much More Than an Industry Buzzword- Decoding The Facts!

The internet is so full of competition that it’s getting difficult for the brands to reach their target customer. Moreover, with millions of products online, how can you get noticed? Well! Brand activation is the answer to this.

Earlier, brands did not give importance to resonating with their audience on a personal level. With the emerging technologies and evolving customers, personal connections and engagements play a pivotal role in any business’s success. So, how does brand activation fit into this puzzle? It is a part of your overall brand strategy that helps you connect to your consumer, thereby increasing engagements and awareness.

Did you know that more than 95% of users were more likely to purchase after attending an activation? They are one-off, in-person experiences or interactions that forge a long-lasting connection between a brand and its audience.

This article will walk you through the brand activation concept and why it is valuable for your business. So, let’s get into it right away!

Brand Activation- Why Should Brands Care About This Marketing Tactic?

Let’s understand this concept in a simple way. You started a business. No one will know about you, right? In other words, your brand will be equivalent to being lifeless. To create a market position, bringing your brand back to life, you’ll need to invest in some ideas and strategies. That’s what brand activation is all about!

By definition, it refers to a campaign, event, or any engagement through different channels that helps to create awareness around your brand. Usually, brand activations are engaging and interactive, enabling brands to engage their audiences directly with their services and products.

But many marketers often confuse it with general branding strategies. In fact, as per the Activation Marketing Consultant, it is an isolated experience with a single purpose of elevating your brand’s awareness. In other words, it will help you to redefine the audience’s perceptions and garner the right attention.

Now that you have an idea about brand activation let’s understand the options of brand activation available nowadays.

Brand Activation- Choose The Best Option For Your Brand

Like any other typical marketing strategy, brand activation also involves a lot of prep work. But the modern marketers are lucky to have a plethora of options at their disposal. Here are some of the options that you can try.

Engagement Marketing

Marketers also called it “experiential marketing.” Using this method, a brand creates a real-world experience for audience engagement. It doesn’t limit to only the brand products or services. Instead, it can be anything that the brand believes in which relays their opinions to their audience.

For instance, if you wish to promote a photo editing solution. You can create a photo booth where people can take pictures. And receive stylized edits as a takeaway. This event allows you to create awareness about the brand and garner attention for the product through an engaging experience.

Primarily this method includes live participation via an event or a show. But with modern technology, you can create similar experiences using virtual or augmented reality. For instance, you can create virtual tours, games, and others to engage the audience with your brand.

Free Trials Campaigns:

It is one of the most tried and tested brand activation techniques used by marketers. It’s simple. You let people use your product for free, hoping that they’ll love it. But there is a right and wrong way to do it. Remember the struggle when you had to navigate that overzealous vendor at a mall? Such experiences can create unpleasant memories.

This is why marketers need to choose a strategy that will engage the customers without forcing them. You can create a sample list and send a surprise sample to your target audience. Ask them to post about the product only if they like it. This will give them an idea that they are in control of this process. Thus, increasing the chances of acceptance.

Industry Events/ Trade Shows:

Whether you book a space for yourself on a trade show floor or host a live presentation, such events will boost your brand authority. Moreover, you can use these events for free samples or experiential marketing tactics as well.

But you need to keep certain tips in mind when creating a brand activation strategy. The following methods will help you make the most incredible experiences for your audiences.

• Respect your customers: Don’t use the activation as an annoying attempt to outshine your brand. Remember, the audience always remembers the inconvenient interaction, online or offline. So, keep in mind the do’s and don’ts when creating a plan of your brand activation. They should be fun and engaging.
• Humanize your brand: No matter which century we move onto, human interaction will be the single most effective way to engage anyone. It is the perfect way to start meaningful relationships. For instance, a giant billboard might generate interest, but a popup booth with actual employees will create personal connections.
• Take their feedback seriously: Relationships are a two-way street. Keep that in mind when interacting with your audience. This will make them appreciate your efforts in a much better way. So, collect the feedback before, during, and after the event. And use it to determine whether your product is a success.

Final Thoughts

Starting a business might seem a simple task. But if you want to stay in the market, creating a solid brand authority and credibility is vital. Don’t expect you can achieve that overnight. It is a gradual and multifaceted process.

So, you need to plan brand activations in tandem with ongoing branding initiatives to increase your brand’s exposure. That way, you can reshape your brand’s perception in the eyes of your target customers.

It’s time that you take personal connections seriously and craft a strategy that revolves around this ideology. Only then can you stay relevant and competitive for years to come. So, use the pointers mentioned above and activate your brand in the perfect way that helps you expand your reach. And enables you to achieve your business goals.