Earlier this month, Story Events attended an exciting event in Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries. The event was designed to share insights on their recent research into What Defines a Brand Activation and to bring industry professionals together for a panel discussion.
The morning began with a delightful array of tea, coffee, and delicious juices, as well as a huge selection of breakfast treats provided by Social Pantry. The breakfast included granola, honey yoghurt, and berries, accompanied by a pancake station with live chocolate-chip pancake making and many toppings! We filled up on the tasty breakfast before heading down into the Mezzanine for the session to begin.
The meeting began with Somerset House informing us that they have been undertaking research with Triggerfish, into the definition of a brand activation and the motivations of an audience. The session kicked off with a panel discussion, featuring five industry leading professionals, throughout which the insights of the research were passed on. From the session we have three key takeaways, which we wanted to share with you below.
The first, is the importance of making your brand activation unique. To ensure your brand activation is as true to the brand as possible, you must focus on storytelling, and the message you are trying to portray to your consumers. If the core message is not presented in an authentic and clear way, then the brand activation will not be unique. Each touch point at the brand activation needs to have diversity of thought and be unique to the consumer. Due to social media being so vast and diluted, the brand activation needs to be an experience that the guest would not be able to access on their own through their phone, digital media, or money. To achieve this, the location is also extremely important, as it must be a space the guest couldn’t get into without the company’s support. The event must be unique and special from the moment guests receive the invitation, throughout all communication, as well as the various touch points throughout the activation.
The second, is the importance of Return on Experience, vs. Return on Investment. This concept is crucial to understand the meaning and purpose of a brand activation. The experience of the event is more significant than the sales received on the day of the event. This may feel contradictory, however, the brand activations need to be viewed as a long-term investment as opposed to a lead to immediate sales. If a guest attends your event, and has a fantastic, unique, and memorable experience, they are far more likely to develop a long-term support of the brand which will pass onto their family, friends, and following through word-of-mouth. The trust between the consumer and the brand develops during these events and is likely to return the investment through those influenced at the brand activation.
The third and final, is the importance of building trust with your consumers. This is ultimately down to how the brand, and brand activation, is presented on social, digital and traditional media. A two-way authentic, honest and transparent communication is key to ensuring trust is built between a brand and its consumers. This can be done from the perspective of a brand activation, by ensuring you are transparent about the suppliers you work with, and ensuring their values align to your brands. For example, if you are a brand championing sustainability, you must ensure your suppliers are sustainable, and that your values align. The more open and honest the conversation with your consumers, the more trust is built.
The hugely informative session really widened our knowledge of brand activations and has made us very excited for future events.
If you are looking to plan a Brand Activation, please get in touch here!
