Whether they’re enhancing offline experiences or forming the experience itself, digital marketing techniques are reshaping experiential marketing. This shift allows businesses to reap the brand-building benefits of experiential marketing but with greater audience reach, connection and analysis.
Here are four ways in which brands are creating digital experiences to establish long-lasting and positive relationships with their customers.
TikTok challenges | E.L.F
The American makeup company E.L.F recognised that their new Gen Z audience was unaware that E.L.F stood for ‘Eyes, Lips, Face’. To build brand awareness, they collaborated with TikTok to create an original song where these three words served as the lyrics. Using the hashtag #eyeslipsface, they encouraged users to record their make-up routine to the catchy song. This TikTok campaign quickly gained massive traction, amassing 7 billion views and 30 million song listens on various music streaming platforms.
AI-generated content | The Barbie Movie
As part of the Barbie Movie promotional effort, Warner Bros and agency Bond collaborated with PhotoRoom, an AI-based photo editing app, to develop a selfie-generator filter. Users from around the world could take a selfie and the generator would eliminate their background and position them on a Barbie Movie poster. Users could modify colours and the tagline before sharing their selfies on their own social media platforms. Since its launch on April 6, 2023, this filter has been used more than 13 million times.
Gamification | Nike
The Nike Run Club app runs challenges that are designed to motivate users to achieve their fitness goals. They can compete against themselves or join groups to compete against others. Using gamification, Nike makes difficult offline fitness fun. This builds a positive brand connection and gives Nike a platform to sell shoes and accessories in a way that feels natural and genuinely helpful to users on their fitness journeys.
Digital media event promotion | Caterpillar
Caterpillar runs a yearly Global Operator Challenge (GOC), where Cat machine operators from around the world compete to showcase their skills. After several rounds of elimination, one winner remains. Throughout the competition, Caterpillar leveraged digital media to raise awareness and promote viewership. The DPR&Co digital team played a pivotal role by running digital advertisements via programmatic display, search, paid social and YouTube. Notably, in Australia, the search ads achieved an impressive 13.76% click-through rate (CTR) for keywords such as 'Cat equipment' and 'Caterpillar machines'.
Need help promoting your experiential marketing campaign online? Reach out to our digital team.
