Fun is at the root of so many great experiential marketing campaigns.
Many brands have achieved great success by using a surprising stunt to stop consumers in their everyday tracks, encouraging them to take part in something exciting and out of the ordinary. A highly memorable brand experience is often the first step on the long and winding road to long-term brand loyalty.
Even if what a brand has to offer isn’t particularly exciting, experiential marketing is the perfect way to create buzz. Take getting an eye test for instance – something most people put off for way too long. Yet Nikon (known best for its cameras), seamlessly managed to promote the all-important test in incredibly fun fashion.
Nikon took over a takeaway burger van and placed it in a busy corner of Paris. When hungry passersby went to read from the menu, they were taken aback when they realised it was in the form of a classic eye test – meaning the font got smaller as they panned down the menu.
Highlighting the importance of eye exams and glasses, the basic items such as bread, lettuce and pickles were within the easy-to-read section of the menu, but the good stuff (including meat and cheese) was only legible to those with the correct prescription or perfect eyesight.
Those who failed to read the full menu ended up with a pretty dull burger, and were then directed straight to a pop-up opticians where they received a much-needed full eye exam.
This campaign by Nikon Lenswear cleverly enticed consumers with the alluring combination of fun and food in order to promote its services. The brand used the fact that a large number of people fail to attend regular eye tests to its advantage, as Nikon will now be on consumer’s radars as a top optics brand in the future.
But this isn’t the first time an eye exam has been transformed in order to promote the importance of regular tests. Take a look at ESPN’s football themed eye test that was created in response to the fact that over 50% of Brazilian men think their vision is perfectly fine.
Both of these campaigns are great examples of brands that know how to get their voices heard and have fun at the same time.