With the sporting calendar back in full swing, we’re looking at why live events are the perfect platform for executing an all-encompassing brand experience.
What makes sports events so appealing?
Live sporting events can draw a crowd like no other, their fans being some of the most loyal and engaged in the world. Events such as the UEFA Euros or the Olympics hold records for being the most viewed broadcasts of all time.
With such an engaged potential audience, there is no better time to provide a truly immersive brand experience and showcase all that your brand has to offer. Swarm worked with Budweiser on their “Red Light” campaign in Canada, we created an app and a 6m replica of the Budweiser goal light which travelled across Canada lighting up and sounding a celebratory horn when a goal was scored by the teams of the cities visited. The campaign has helped make Budweiser synonymous with moments of celebration for many sports fans.
A strong brand experience as part of a live event will consist of a seamless blend of digital and physical, in and out of home interactions before, during and after the event capitalising on the target audience whatever their location.
So, what are Swarm’s Golden Rules for Extraordinary Sport Event Experiences:
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Create a memorable moment - Tap into the excitement and anticipation for live sporting events and help to create unique moments that bring joy, excitement and novelty to any interactions with your brand. Ensure that when your audience looks back on this moment, your brand is a part of that moment too. Swarm helped Burberry to achieve exactly this at London Fashion Week, the entire 1000sqm marquee in which they were hosting the show was unwrapped in sync with the music providing a unique and breath-taking experience as the daylight illuminated the stage and bought a new sensory element to the experience.
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Provide value to the consumer - Customers expect that each exchange with your company will be personal, meaningful and valuable. Provide something that can add to the experience of the event they are attending either in-person or digitally, ensure that it enhances their experience, demonstrating the value of your brand. Take Folio’s interactive mirrors in Footlocker for example, customers are able to try on their potential purchases and be photographed in the mirror so they can see and share their latest style. A great interactive experience for customers and the perfect way to collect data and build loyalty as they entered their email address to receive the photos.
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A moment to engage, not to sell - Engaging with the consumer is fundamental to ensuring brand loyalty, you're not just looking for a one-time sale, so it is paramount to appear as more than just a two-dimensional brand, and create an appeal that can act as a USP against competitors with similar products and/or services.
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Personalise the experience - Connecting the audience in unique ways with the brand. Utilise the target audience data to intertwine your brand experience with their interests and appeal to their demographic as Budweiser did with their Red Light. By creating a branding opportunity that appealed to their demographics interest outside of the product itself, they were able to engage the potential customer and incorporate their brand into the sport and overall experience.
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Digital participation - Give attendees the opportunity to become brand ambassadors, create sharable social media moments both large and small. Social media provides an array of platforms and services to reach and appeal to almost any audience, there is no easier way to engage with such a large audience digitally. The Footlocker Folio mirrors create the perfect content for digital participation, providing pictures to upload to social media with their branding and showcasing their products. The pictures can be edited and optimised by the customer making the content all that more appealing for the user and increasing their rate of engagement with the Folio selfie mirror.
Live sporting events are the perfect vehicle for providing the ultimate brand experience, as long as you follow the golden rules, there is no better time to make an extensive and lasting impression.
Get in touch to find out how Swarm can bring your brand to life through experiential brand marketing.