Experience marketing has gained ground among the most effective strategies for brands seeking to create real connections with their audience. More than just an impactful event, loyalty requires consistency between what is promised and what is delivered. In a scenario where consumers are increasingly aware of their actions and demanding of brands, companies must reinvent themselves to maintain relevance.
For Ale Tcholla, partner and creative director at Blood, a leading agency in non-stop experience, a successful experience must genuinely reflect the company’s values. “The consumer notices when there is truth behind an action, and that’s what makes them trust and engage. The ideal is to provide people with a memorable and unforgettable moment, allowing the audience to leave with the memory of something positive and impactful they experienced due to creativity, delivery, and work,” he explains.
“The weather on the event day, the location, the needs of the moment, the message to be conveyed—all of this can be used for branding and to reinforce the product’s image, but bringing all of this together in a genuine and credible way is the great challenge of Live Marketing,” he emphasizes.
Given this scenario, the expert outlined the five essential steps to win audience loyalty in experience activations:
1. Define and communicate a clear purposeFor Tcholla, every action must stem from an objective that represents the brand’s real value to its audience. “Communication should be direct and consistent. The purpose is what differentiates an experience with real impact from a merely aesthetic action. When the company is clear about what it represents, everything aligns around it,” he adds.
2. Transparent and consistent in all interactions
According to him, the values presented in advertising campaigns must be truly aligned with the reality and actions of the brands. “It’s important that these values reflect what the brand believes in and what it can actually offer consumers. For a campaign to be effective, it must not only capture attention during an event but also show that it continues to act according to these principles afterward. This way, consumers can trust that the company delivers on its promises,” he explains.
3. Explore technological innovations to strengthen the relationshipSeeing technology as an ally, from the product production process to the communication strategy, is essential to getting closer to the audience. “However, the possibility of anyone picking up their phone and commenting on a product, or even seeking an answer about a controversial action, makes brands more vulnerable,” emphasizes Blood’s director.
For Tcholla, technology brings people closer and reveals. “Using it consciously, from production to post-event, reinforces the message and creates new ways to relate to the audience. This way, it’s possible to explore all points of contact and their peculiarities to deepen the message, reinforcing positive consumer perception, generating loyalty, and even turning them into brand promoters,” he states.
4. Plan actions that connect before and after the eventAccording to the executive, the experience doesn’t start or end at the moment of activation. Continuity is what reinforces memory and consolidates the bond. “The event is a point of contact, and communication must be planned so that it reinforces a message that has been consolidated across all relevant channels. The idea is to build a relationship beforehand and nurture it afterward, with messages that reinforce the experience and prolong engagement,” he points out.
5. Create memorable experiences that generate spontaneous engagementMemorable moments are those that evoke emotion and become shareable by the audience’s will, not by imposition. For Tcholla, in-person events allow for a sensory experience that no other marketing tool, mediated by screens, can offer.
“Knowing how to explore all these senses to reinforce a specific message or positioning is a huge challenge. A memorable experience doesn’t need to be grandiose, but meaningful. When a company truly touches its audience, they become the brand’s greatest promoter,” he concludes.
