Refreshing. Appetising. Satisfying.
Food and beverage brands worldwide pride themselves on delivering these values, and many more, to consumers.
But given the huge scale of the food and drink manufacturing industry – in the UK alone, it’s worth a whopping £96bn (more than car and aerospace manufacturing combined) – competition is fierce for brand buy-in.
So it’s little surprise that food and beverage brands are increasingly seeing the value that experiential marketing can have to drive trials, boost awareness and build loyal fans.
The diversity and creativity underpinning experiential marketing makes it the perfect fit for food and beverage brands looking to make a direct connection with consumers in a meaningful way.
Here are five of the very best experiential examples from recent years…
1. Wish upon a star with Coke
Some of the best live brand experiences are those that tap into our emotions, often rekindling our fondest memories.
Coke’s magical ‘Wish in a Bottle’ campaign did just that when the brand targeted party-goers at a Summer Love event in Israel and offered them the chance to catch a glimpse of a shooting star. Well, kind of.
Delighted attendees received unique bottles that, once opened, launched what appeared to be a shooting star across the sky. The clever stunt combined the Internet of Things, fireworks and drones to create the magical moment.
2. Tons of buzz for Taiwan beer
Coke isn’t the only brand to use drones to great effect: Taiwan Beer created a ‘buzz’ for its Honey Beer when it employed the help of a bunch of colourful, bee-shaped beer drones.
This quirky stunt saw the distinctive worker bees announcing the delivery of six-packs of Honey Beer to office workers. It makes us thirsty just thinking about it, never mind watching the campaign video.
With clear metrics for success and a well-thought-through approach to social interaction, it’s a campaign that doesn’t leave behind a nasty sting in its wake. Bee-lieve that.
3. McDonald’s spreads the joy
24 gifts of joy. In 24 cities. Over 24 hours. A very bold mission statement from McDonald’s, and one that required plenty of creativity to achieve.
Experiential marketing played a big part in the fast food giant’s 2015 global day of joy campaign, and a large ‘Joy Maze’ installation served as the centerpiece of McDonald’s 20-year celebrations in Romania.
Bucharest’s Revolution Square was chosen as the location for a fun activation that offered surprises around each and every corner.
Distortion mirrors. Opera sopranos. Puzzles. And, yes, even Ronald McDonald. It was all there to be enjoyed.
4. Nestlé goes au naturel
Serving up coffee in the buff – that’s certainly one approach.
Nestle’s experiential campaign for its All-Natural Creamer is certainly one that leaves a lasting memory, for the right reasons.
The brand used a New York coffee house as the basis for a fun stunt that saw brave baristas go above and beyond the call of duty to inspire brand love – by serving up delicious coffee with only body paint to cover their modesty.
While at first customers didn’t know where to look, the server’s bold approach soon won them over. It just goes to show the difference that injecting a healthy dose of fun (and a bit of cheek) into campaign planning can make!
5. An indulgent delivery for Boursin
We round this list out with the Boursin Sensorium – an award-winning experiential campaign for cheese brand Boursin and an expected route for the brand.
Combining virtual reality, sampling and CGI to deliver a great sensory experience, this pioneering experiential roadshow brought consumers closer to its ingredients by offering the chance to travel through the inside of a fridge!
With indulgence at the heart of the experience, the campaign left a lasting and positive brand memory in the minds of consumers. It increased Boursin’s relevance to consumers’ everyday lives without losing the brand’s long-established status as a premium speciality brand.
Thirsty for more?
A truly meaningful experience can build a strong bond between your company and your customers and deliver commercial value. Download the power of brand experience ebook today to learn how.