Should Tech Companies Utilize Experiential Marketing?

There are more tech companies today than ever before. And the number keeps climbing every single day. With startups, established companies and other titans of tech, marketing has never been more important to company longevity.

But, how will each of these tech companies survive? Maybe even thrive one day?

It’s no secret that Boston (where we are) is a mega-hub to startups, cloud companies and every other bit of big data, software-related company. Every single one of them has an office here. Twitter, IBM, Facebook, Google, Cisco, Oracle and many, many more.

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But with a burgeoning demand for office space, how will each one of these vastly innovative companies thrive and grow one day? Sales are good today, but how will you stand taller than your competitors? What sort of interactive, engaging marketing plans is your company crafting to set themselves apart?

Yes, we all know business is related to who you know, connections made, introductions, fancy dinners etc…but besides reaching those big decision makers, how are you actually reaching your customers? 

Hubspot (another big tech company headquartered in Cambridge, MA) reported on December 19th, 2016 that experiential marketing was the biggest advertising trend of 2016.

“Big brands like Coca-Cola, Google, and Anheuser-Busch sought out agency partners who specialize in creating brand experiences that woo participants and generate buzz on social media.”

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So what makes experiential marketing so powerful?

It’s a combination of things. Consumers (more so millenials and now ‘centennials’) do not pay attention to print, TV and even radio ads. Mobile ads are seemingly useless and overpriced and young consumers are noticing. Not only that, but these young consumers are craving “real, tangible” takeaways.

They seek to interact with a brand who understands them, takes the time to engage with them, and of course provides a memorable, positive interaction with the brand.

Without it, many companies messages are lost in the fray.

So, what’s a good example of experiential marketing? 

Augmented reality and virtual reality have been gaining steam for years…and 2017 seems to be the year it finally pays off. While some of the bigger budget companies provided a number of AR/VR experiences at conferences, events and other gatherings last year, the big hurdle was the setup….wires, computers and more, provided a somewhat tangled experience.

2017 has much more potential to bring about a change with AR and VR. With wireless headsets (seriously) coming out, the future looks bright for big brands, and tech companies alike to explore this new medium.

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“A survey conducted by Nielsen’s Media lab found that 24% of consumers said they will likely use or purchase VR next year, and another 20% said they would try it after learning some of the basics of the technology.”

Back to how Tech companies can get ahead…

Many tech companies will be looking and open to new ideas in 2017. With a competitive marketplace for services and companies providing them, consumers will have endless options for big data, cloud computing offerings.

And many of the tech companies we see here in Boston are advertising in the wrong way…Stop wasting your ad spend on digital and print ads…be where your consumers are, engage them in-person, through real, tangible experiences. The key to the future is nurturing longterm relationships with your consumers, not lambasting them with print ads and catch phrases.

Digital experiential marketing is the future. Period. 

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Whether it’s an augmented reality display panel, a VR interaction, or something entirely different at a conference, the goal for every marketer to craft the best possible user-experience for every individual.

And that’s exactly what we do here at Inphantry. Hone in on how your brand, company, startup could and should engage with its end client. Not only do we ideate, strategize and develop those interactions, we produce and install them too.

Work with a small, tight-knit team who ‘gets’ your end-goal. Contact us today.

base@inphantry.com or call us at 1.617.855.5154