Guest Column: 5 reasons why brand experiences matter
In a market where each product is as good as the next, experiential marketing makes all the difference, says Ankur Kalra, CEO & Founder, Vibgyor Brand Services

In this world of abundant choices and easy options, what is it really that makes your brand better than the others? Don’t all shampoos promise to make your hair softer, silkier and smoother? And what deodorant does not guarantee drop dead gorgeous women getting inexplicably attracted to you? In a market where each product is as good as the next, experiential marketing makes all the difference.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon says that brands are formed not by what companies say, but by what they do. I call it the gospel truth for brands when making their marketing strategies. While most companies focus on claims – newer, better, whiter, fairer, tastier – they forget that so is everyone else. That is why the smarter brands are choosing to rely on experiential marketing to invent new experiences, new ways to interact with customers. Right from the bigger brands like HUL, L’Oreal, Sony and Barista committing a substantial chunk of their marketing budgets to BTL, newer and smaller brands are also discovering that BTL is a better return on their marketing investment.
Broadly speaking, experiential campaigns let your consumers get up close and personal with your brand and see how it fits in their lives. Apart from delivering deep impact for the brand, experiential campaigns can play a decisive role in:
Connecting with Consumers
A sales pitch in the garb of a marketing campaign is not fooling anyone. An insightful and well thought out experiential campaign gets the brand and its customers to participate in something new and exciting. As they let go of the seller and buyer roles, this is no longer just a marketing gimmick forced on them, but a shared adventure that helps connect with consumers when they’re not on their guard. A Vibgyor campaign for Bausch & Lomb literally opened the eyes of people saddled with glasses for so many years by letting them take ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture with and without glasses; they could finally see for themselves the change it brought to their personality. The campaign posted these pictures on their social networks and the compliments and likes promoted the Bausch & Lomb lens that made it all happen in an extremely subtle yet highly effective manner.
Encouraging interaction
Today, brands are getting more and more social. They don’t want to be the only ones talking and experiential makes marketing a two-way street. And it doesn’t get more real than users vouching for a product and sharing their experience. Experiential marketing urges consumers to do just that – interact with brands in new and exciting ways and share it with people – post it on social media forums, pass it on to other users or even text a friend.
Increasing loyalty
Brands are increasingly wooing customers with deals and offers that are getting harder to resist. Does that make brand loyalty a thing of the past? Not if you ask me. With the threat of losing customers to a rival brand looming large, brand loyalty takes on meaning now, more than ever. Experiences – good or bad – shape consumers’ attitude towards a brand and can buy their loyalty or destroy it forever. Interacting with a brand in a fun activity, taking home a freebie, getting pictures clicked during a campaign – all amount to happy experiences that in turn translates into loyalty.
Making your brand more relevant
Experiential marketing campaigns are based on an insight – they intend to solve a problem or appeal to an aspiration. Steer clear of marketers who make your brand or product the hero of the campaign – the true hero is the experience and that’s what makes it relevant to customers. The best campaigns are those that are designed around the lives of your customers and fit the product seamlessly in. That is why you will see campaigns by international agencies like 7Up’s Melting Machine, Sprite’s Soda Shower and Coke’s Frozen Bottle in hot countries in the summer, where people are looking for some respite from the heat and have time to engage with during the summer break. One of the best internal examples that I can think of is Vibgyor’s on-ground promotional campaign for Maybelline. The brand is perceived as fairly international and reaching out to Indian women was posing a bit of a challenge. So, we proposed a campaign during Karva Chauth, promising free mehendi application in exchange for purchase of Maybelline products. Based on a great insight, the campaign hit the nail right on the head and the results were phenomenal.
Increasing trial
In times when the average consumer is exposed to over 4,000 brands daily, customers tend to stay away from marketing gimmicks. Experiential campaigns seamlessly blend the product experience into a broader theme so that it does not feel forced. A Vibgyor campaign for Maybelline New York SuperStay 14 re-created life in the busiest city at a Mumbai mall. The difference a long lasting lipstick could make in the lives of these women was felt by them in this 14-minute campaign.
The writer is CEO and Founder at Vibgyor Brand Services, a leading experiential marketing agency specialising in brand activation, consumer engagement and events.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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